Excess skin (abdomen area)

Hi, vets! I have an almost 5 yr old female Pit Bull. She was overweight until I changed her diet to include high source of protein kibble and (no salt added) green beans. She has shed a healthy amt of weight & has more energy now. I've noticed that her skin is sagging around her abdomen. How do I get her skin to tighten up?

Hello - I'm afraid that skin loss is as difficult for dogs as it is for people.  It can be done surgically, but often this is a cosmetic 'thing' that doesn't affect the patient, so it would be something to ask your vet.  However, a word of caution:  do you think the dramatic weight loss is proportional to the dietary changes you've made?  If so, it might be possible that you need your dog to stop losing weight now.  Are they still getting a balanced diet for the long term?  Are the beans ok for them?  We would strongly reccommend talking this over with your vet or veterinary nurse.  If the weight loss is not in keeping with the dietary changes, we would reccommend an examination and blood tests in case there is more to this - I know people who've been on a diet, attributed their weight loss to that, and then found out that they have had some illness that has affected their weight.   Whichever of these options is correct, if your vet or nurse hasnt been involved then we would reccommend talking the weight changes over with them.

They are also the best people to help you to check that your dogs' diet is appropriate going forward, and to discuss coping with the skin folds if appropriate.