My old pregnant pet is sick, weak, can't stand or eat. What to do?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm really worried about Jimmy being so weak and unable to stand, especially being pregnant, and I'm worried about the blood coming from her mouth. She may not be eating enough to sustain her energy demands, or her electrolytes could be abnormal and need supplementation. She should absolutely be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. On your way there, you can rub Karo syrup or something with a high sugar content on her gums to help increase her blood sugar in case that is low. If she doesn't get medical attention, she and/or her puppies could die. I hope this is helpful.

Poor Princess! She could be pregnant but she could also have something else going on like parasites, eating something she shouldn’t, a bacterial infection or even a viral infection. You can try to offer her some plain chicken (no bones) and white rice to see if you can entice her to eat. If she doesn’t perk up soon, I would have your vet take a look at her. I worry she is going to get dehydrated. Your vet will be able do a fecal, blood work and even X-rays if needed. Your vet will be able to assess her hydration and give her fluids if needed. Your vet will be able to get her started on some meds that are safe for puppies in case she is pregnant to help make her feel better. I hope this helps!

I am so very sorry to hear about your dog. Based on your photos she looks severely emaciated and dehydrated, and possibly anemic (I can see her third eyelid in one photo and it looks quite pale). The possible causes are many and could include severe parasitism, infectious disease, autoimmune disease, organ failure, cancer, toxin exposure. Your dog needs veterinary attention right away if she is to survive, or to help her pass peacefully if you are unable to provide care for her. It sounds like she is suffering and she needs to be examined by a vet and have some testing done (such as stool testing and bloodwork to start) to try to determine why she is so ill. I wish you the best of luck with her.

With these symptoms I worry that your dog may have a pyometra instead of being pregnant. Pyometras typically develop around 3-6 weeks after they go into heat and present as bloody discharge, lethargy, abdominal swelling, etc. I would recommend that she is seen by a veterinarian who can perform an ultrasound to make sure she isn't suffering from an infection.

This isn't normal, it sounds like Lilo is sick, and she needs to see a vet immediately. Her health is so important to the life of her kittens that any problem with a pregnant cat should be considered an emergency. Please take her into a vet now. Best of luck.

If she isn't spayed, she could be pregnant, but at 12 years of age, a bigger concern could be a life-threatening infection of the uterus called pyometra. I would recommend that you have Layla examined by a vet ASAP to determine if this could be the case, or what is making her not feel well at this time.

You are definitely stuck in a pretty difficult situation here. Obviously as a pregnant bitch, Jenny really needs to continue to eat in order to be healthy enough to carry her pregnancy. If she is ill, she might require medications to make her feel better. The main problem with this is that there are very, very few medications that are considered safe and effective for pregnant and nursing animals. There is only one oral antibiotic in America that is readily administered to pregnant dogs, and it is called Clavamox. It is a penicillin based antibiotic. My assumption is that your vet likely gave a penicillin based injection. If this has not helped at all, she should probably be reassessed, placed on some fluids, and have her fetuses' viability checked with ultrasound. An ultrasound should be able to detect fetal heart beat, so if they appear weak or not present at all than this could be an indicator of an infectious process causing abortion. If your current vet does not have an ultrasound, you may want to go to a clinic that has this modality to give your dog the best treatment possible. Hope this helps!