My chihuahua is suddenly skinny and won't eat. What's wrong?

I am sorry to hear about Marley! I would recommend an examination by a vet to see if his weight is healthy. While "chubby" chihuahuas may be cute, it is not healthy for a dog to be overweight. Often we are so used to seeing overweight pets a pet of a healthy weight looks too thin to us. You can use these images to try to evaluate your pet's body condition: https://www.purina.co.uk/dogs/health-and-nutrition/exercise-and-weight-management/dog-body-condition-tool If your dog is truly underweight, then the vet can discuss tests to check for medical causes for his low appetite or weight issue.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Dogs that are not eating and drinking and look very thin and suddenly very thin are very sick. The biggest concern would be a 'foreign body'- a sock/underwear/toy that is stuck in the gut, preventing any food from being taken in and absorbed. Other concerns would be severe gastritis, a high worm burden (parasite infection), cancer in the gut, lack of enzyme production in the pancrease, and some other causes. I recommend getting your girl to a vet right away however, as it sounds like she is very sick. Best of luck with her!

Poor guy. Depending on his age, he could have intestinal parasites, kidney disease, diabetes, or even cancer causing his symptoms. It is very difficult to tell without having a vet nearby to run some diagnostic tests on your pet Beruang. You can certainly start with a broad spectrum dewormer on him, but beyond that you will need to get into contact with any nearby vet to have him looked at. I hope that Beruang's condition improves soon! Best wishes and take care.

Poor Lucy! She is likely just very frightened. She could be not eating quite a much as normal to keep her weight up. Try to make sure she is eating all of her food. If not, you can entice her with a little canned food or top her food with some chicken. If she isn't improving or continues to lose weight despite increasing her food then I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to determine what might be causing the weight loss. Your vet will also be able to give her the proper meds including anti-anxiety meds or an appetite stimulant if needed to help her get back to her old self. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Weight loss and possibly bloody stools could be the result of a lot conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, parasites, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you check in with a veterinarian who can diagnose the issue and start therapy for Lucy as needed. Best of luck!

Poor Zoey. There are so many things that can cause weight loss, lack of appetite and lethragy like an infection, parasites, liver or kidney disease, a pyometra (infection if the uterus), cancer, and much more. I would have you vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to do blood work and possible x-rays if needed. They will be able to get her started on the proper treatment plan to help her feel better. I hope this helps!

First, consider an exam with your veterinarian to diagnose any underlying medical causes. Next, you can feed a high quality performance diet to get weight on her. Once she is at weight, you can adjust the diet as needed for maintenance. You can also try a puppy diet until she is at weight.