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My dog is drinking and peeing but won't eat. What should I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 8 years and 3 months old | 90 lbs

My dog will drink water and pee but won’t eat

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 21st, 2018

This is not specific to any disease, but indicates that something is either directly upsetting her stomach, or generally making her feel nauseous. It's good that she is drinking though.

In order to discover the cause of this problem you will need to take Christmas to a veterinarian for an evaluation. They can help narrow-down the cause of this and provide treatment to at-least make her feel better. However, it's possible that this may be a temporary condition, so if she's otherwise acting normal, then it's fine to wait a day and see if she gets better. If she goes longer than 24 hours without eating, then it would be best to take her to the vet.

If you have further questions or need further clarification, then you may consider having an online consult with one of our vets on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This way, you can send unlimited pictures and have a text conversation with a vet.

I hope that helps and Christmas gets better soon.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on July 4th, 2016
If she isn't throwing up or having diarrhea, I wouldn't say this in an emergency at this point. I recommend monitoring her for now, and taking her to the vet first thing in the morning if she still isn't eating or drinking. You can try to tempt her to eat with boiled white meat chicken (no bone) and white rice in small amounts. If she does start vomiting and having diarrhea, I would take her into your vet right away.
14Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Ana M, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on October 22nd, 2018
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Liberty. If she continues to have vomiting and diarrhea today or even if her appetite is still decreased, then she will need to see her veterinarian. If she is not eating and drinking properly, it will be easy for her to become dehydrated. Being such a small dog, this can happen quickly. In the meantime, encourage her to drink and then to try small amounts of dog food. I hope this information helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on January 27th, 2017
Sorry that she is having this problem. It is concerning that she won't eat or drink and she could have an infection, parasite, endocrine disease, pancreatitis, liver/kidney disease, etc. You could offer her some boiled chicken and white rice and see if she will eat. If not, have your vet examine her to determne the cause and treat. She may need an antibiotic and fluids. Hope she feels better soon!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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