My small 7-week-old puppy is lethargic and tired. What should I do?

I’m so sorry to hear about Marley. Unfortunately this is a potentially very bad situation. These tiny guys get low blood sugar, low blood volume, and low temperature so easily. These can lead to shock and death pretty quickly. I urge you to take her in to a 24 hour emergency clinic as soon as possible. They may want to start active warming, place an IV, and give glucose and fluids straight into the IV. If taking her in is out of the question, apply Karo syrup or honey to the gums, get a thermometer (or sacrifice one you already have). And warm her up with a towel over a heating pad or hot water bottle. Take a rectal temp every 15 minutes and keep warming until her rectal temperature is 99F. Under NO circumstances should the heat source touch her directly as she can burn easily. If she can hold her head up and seems alert, offer water in a bowl to her face at least once an hour. Small frequent hi-calorie meals (such as nutrical or canned puppy food) should be offered all night. Sadly, this all may still fail without IV fluids and other veterinary intervention. Worse yet, I have temporarily pulled little guys like this out of shock two or three times only to have them finally pass or the owners euthanize. I suspect that these guys often were born with an organ abnormality that was unknown. I know that was a lot of information so please feel free to reach out to me via text or phone consultation if you have more specific questions or need further guidance. (See link below.) Best of luck to you and Marley!

Poor Olsen! It could be that he is feeling unwell, and I would monitor him for now as lethargy is a very general sign of illness. Make sure he is still eating and drinking normally, and using the bathroom normally. If he continues to be lethargic today, and/or stops eating and drinking and using the bathroom normally, I would have him seen by a vet for a health check.

Poor puppy. He is so sick. Because it has been more than 24 hrs with this pup, I would highly recommend taking him to your vet to be seen. He most likely has a serious illness that requires prescription medications and supportive care through the vet. I would have him seen today if possible. Until you can get him in, offer him some non-flavored Pedialyte diluted 50:50 with water to help keep him hydrated. Dehydration is the biggest concern with puppies at this age who are ill. I do hope that your fur baby Tiger feels better soon! Best wishes and take care.

Oh my, poor Emma sounds quite ill! She could have gotten into something toxic, may have eaten something rotten, or could have a severe GI illness among other causes. Given that she is very lethargic and cold, she needs to see a vet immediately for treatment. The vet can diagnose what is causing her symptoms, and can treat her for them. Please take Bella into an ER vet or find a vet on call to see her now.

Poor Poofy! If the lethargy and weakness continues, he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He could have an infection or parasite and your vet can run some tests to help diagnose and then prescribe medications to help.

Your poor pup sounds ill! Without seeing him in person, I can't say what is causing his symptoms, but it could be due to a systemic infection or injury to name a few things. The best thing to do for him is to take him into a vet as soon as possible. I hope this helps!

It always concerns me when young puppies get lethargic. Puppies are more susceptible to the effects of dehydration and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) than adult dogs, so diarrhea is more serious for Wallace than it would be for an adult dog. If he's back to acting normally, eating, drinking, and doesn't have further diarrhea or vomiting, it's perfectly fine to continue monitoring him at home. However, if he remains lethargic, has more mucousy diarrhea, begins to vomit, or refuses to eat or drink normal amounts, then you should have him examined by his vet. Your vet will need to do a physical exam. Depending on their suspicions based on their exam findings, they may recommend some diagnostic testing or may opt to start him on some medications. Possible causes of this type of issue include stomach upset from a virus, intestinal parasites, among many other issues. If your vet finds that Wallace is dehydrated, they'll also be able to give him some fluids. I hope that he feels better soon!