Unfortunately, I don't think you have any viable option but to go to a different vet for diagnostic testing. At her age, your dog could have any number of things going wrong, and there simply isn't any way to offer a diagnosis over the internet. I know how inconvenient such a long trip to the vet can be. My closest vet is 30 mins away, but the vet I use regularly is 1 hr 15 mins away. The orthopedic surgeon I just took one of my dogs to is 2 hrs away. They're all long trips, but sometimes they're necessary.

That sort of weight loss, even in an elderly dog, is not normal. It's good that she is still active and eating, but something is obviously not right if she has lost 30% of her total body weight in a single year.

I hope you can find a vet who will run a full blood panel and give you an accurate physical assessment of your old girl.

Laurie

She may not be digesting protein as well as she used to. I have an older dog that has lost weight too even though her diet wasn't changed. When she staring getting too thin I added a third meal in the day until she started to look better and then adjusted her other meals accordingly. Also you may want to consider feeding better quality high protein food if your not already doing so.
What were the "weird" side effects of the Proin? I used to have a dog that took that med.

Losing 20 lounds is a comsiderable amount of weight. No vet can say for certain nothing is wrong unless they do a blood test, get another vet

I use a med for leaking on my old gal called Propalin. Is this the same med as Proin? How is Proin given? Is it the former PPA that was banned by the FDA for human use. That's what the Propalin came from phenopropanolamine (sp) for the leaky bladder?

What type of dog do you have. Does she have normal bowel movements still or are they more often or exceptionally soft. I ask because my SIL's golden had this very same issue and had GI problems diagnosed. She was put on a med and special diet and was fine for a while longer. I don't think you should be able to see the ribs, just feel them when you touch her sides.

Also, have to agree, I know it is inconvenient to travel so far to the vet, but your dog has definitly got something going on. Be sure to take stool and urine samples with you since you have to travel so far, take everything you may feel relevant to the reason for the weight loss. Let the vet know how far you are traveling when you make the appointment so they allow enough time for an "extended visit" giving you time for a full examination, blood work, etc., in other words, getting as much as you can out of this visit.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

If an older dog is loosing weight like that according to your description it isn't normal. It could be cancer, a protein loosing enteropathy, it could be a number of things. IMO you not only need a vet appointment ASAP but another vet period.

I have an older female dog labrador retriver 15 year old.
She has also lost a lot of weight. She looks very thin from the back of her rib cage to her hind quarters. The spine is very prominent, she still eats very well. My vet says it simply old age and not much to be done. Can anyone recommend the high protein dog food. This would be better than the alternative.
Thanks
Rich

Weight loss can be concerning especially in an elderly dog. It could be loss of muscles mass due to not moving much around or there may be some parasite or growth or something that is stealing her nutrients. Only a vet can really tell you what many be going on. Here are some possible differentials: why is my dog losing weight?