Causes of Sudden Weight Loss

Sudden weight loss can be described as a situation wherein a person loses weight without the intention to do it. It is considered a critical condition if a person lose about 5 percent of his or her weight in a month's time. A health professional should be immediately consulted if the weight loss is about 10 percent or more of the weight in a period of six months to one year.

Rapid or unintentional weight loss can mean problems with the health conditions. If you feel that your clothes became a bit looser and your body size is not even in need of size reduction, then perhaps you may have experienced unintentional weight loss. So what could be the causes of sudden weight loss?

There could be various medical conditions that may have caused the changes in the body. These unintentional weight loss can be because of the following:

• stress
• diabetes
• ulcer
• malnutrition
• tuberculosis
• lung cancer
• thyroid issues

The list of possible medical conditions can go a long way. But aside from these medical conditions there are some drugs which can also cause the sudden weight loss. Drugs such as amphetamines, thyroid medications, chemotherapeutic procedures and agents.

Sometimes weight loss is caused by eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Anorexia is a state of mind when a person has an extreme fear of gaining weight; hence food intake is restricted. On the other hand, bulimia is a condition when a person indulge to binge eating then later on feels guilty about it; thus forces one's self to throw up.

The treatment of the rapid weight loss will actually depend on the root cause of the problem. So if you experience unintentional weight loss, immediately consult or seek medical advice. In order to determine the root cause based on the symptoms; hence proper medications can be given too.

Sudden Weight Loss in Dogs

Equipping ourselves the right information about our pets saves a lot of energy and frees us from worries and stresses. This is the reason why we need not to panic when we see changes with our pets such as sudden weight loss in dogs. These changes do not necessarily translate to being sickly or unhealthy. Some of them are necessary and part of their nature and physiology.

Diet plays a crucial role in these changes: the healthier the food that we give them the better. However, in most cases we rely on ready to eat dog foods or leftovers for the main entree. We must give them a balance diet as much as possible. This also includes making them hydrated by giving them water or better yet install a water bottle wherein they can lick every time they get thirsty.

Another thing to consider is their behavior or activities. Is our pet playful, loves to roam around the garden, to sniff suspicious insects, flowers, etc., to eat and chew old shoes, rubbish, etc? Like us, they do need exercise to use up their body fats. However, don't overdo them, they may end up being skinny or underweight. Train your dog to avoid chewing or eating non-food or spoiled ones to prevent them from acquiring tapeworms, hookworms and other parasites.

Furthermore, aside from giving them the strolling hours, allot a few minutes for bath hours. Do you know that fleas can make your dogs lose weight and unhealthy? This is because these external pests suck blood out of your pet.

Diet, hydration, exercise, grooming are just some of the factors that will avoid sudden changes.