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Dog breathing hard, growling, not eating or lying down. What's wrong?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 70 lbs

My dog can't seem to breathe and he has like a low growl sound every time he takes a breath, he hasn't eaten nor laid down all day. Please help

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 16th, 2017

Poor Duke sounds quite ill at the moment! It's serious that he can't seem to breath, and that he hasn't eaten or laid down all day. There are a number of things that could be causing this, such as respiratory infection, cardiac disease, pain, infection, inflammation, cancer, or heartworm disease among others. Unfortunately without seeing him in person, I can't narrow it down further. My recommendation is to take him into a vet immediately, who can diagnose what is causing his symptoms so he can be treated.
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