Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

My dog has a high fever, low platelets, and won't eat. What's wrong?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Bulldog (duplicate) | Male | unneutered | 44.09 lbs

My dog is 3 years old. He has continuous fever of 105.8 for 4 days. He's currently receiving injection of Enrofloxacin , prendisolone and has platelet count of 31k. He has stopped eating solid food and is on liquid diet like milk, yoghurt.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on June 7th, 2018

The problem here is to establish the underlying cause of thrombocytopenia (low platelets).
Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia is one of the most common causes. This process usually occurs in the spleen although the liver also plays a role. Thrombocytopenia develops as platelet destruction exceeds compensatory production by the bone marrow.
Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia can be classified as primary or secondary. Secondary processes can be caused by infective diseases or tumors very commonly.
Usually to determine a diagnosis more tests needs to be performed like abdominal ultrasound and chest x rays. Infective diseases like Ehrlichia, Anaplasma spp for example should be ideally evaluated as well.

Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum (where you can post pics of the blood tests) or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Health & Wellness

My dog has low platelets, vomiting, and won't eat. What's the cause?

The main two things i would suspect is Tick fever caused by a bacterial called Erlichia (it is treated with an antibiotic called doxycycline). it could also be an autoimmune hemolytic crisis, this will need to be treated with steroids.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Dog has fever, lethargy, low platelets, tick tests negative. What's next?

Maxi certainly sounds quite sick, but I am glad to hear that she is eating and drinking normally. As I'm sure your vet discussed, tick borne diseases are one of the more common causes of a fever of unknown origin (FUO). However, FUOs can also be caused by other infectious diseases (toxoplasmosis, Bartonella, Brucella, mycoplasma, fungal diseases, etc.) as well as immune-mediated or cancerous causes. To answer your question, yes, you will need to do some more diagnostics to get to the bottom of this issue. Different causes of the FUO will require different treatments. Maxi's vet will be able to guide you as to their next tier of diagnostic testing based upon their clinical suspicions. I hope that all goes well!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

Why does my puppy have a fever and low platelets after vaccination?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Nine days is a bit long to be related to the vaccines. The stool in the picture looks normal to me. I’m not sure what HB is -perhaps posting a picture of the bloodwork could help us. The platelets are a little low. Drinking and urinating a lot could be a sign of infection but is often completely normal for puppies. Long story short, if the fever is persisting this long, something else may be going on. Perhaps there is a tick borne- or other disease which can cause fever and also low platelet count. I recommend seeing your vet for re-evaluation to help see what is going on. Best wishes to you and Billu!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has a fever, isn't eating, and losing weight. What should I do?

Poor guy. Not every pet with a fever has an infection, so if the antibiotic isn’t working it’s either because there is no infection, the infection is internal, or the antibiotic is not the right kind of antibiotic for the infection. Your pet needs additional testing to sort this out and make sure we are on the right track with treatment. I would start with baseline bloodwork and a urinalysis. Best to take your pet back in to your vet or to another vet for a second opinion here so that we can get a proper diagnosis and tailored treatment based on your pets specific problem. I hope that your pet is able to make a full and speedy recovery soon! Best wishes and take care.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has 104.9 fever, isn't eating, and is lethargic. What's wrong?

A fever this high is usually indicative of a bacterial or viral disease going on. Your veterinarian will need to run some tests to try and determine the cause of the fever. Once the cause is identified the proper antibiotics, antifungals, or antipruritic drugs can be prescribed. The tablet given to your dog is basically a fever reducer but will not treat the cause of the fever. I would recommend taking your dog in for a recheck as soon as you’re able to. The exact cause of the fever cannot be determined without further workup and diagnostics. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

Why are my dog's platelets still zero after ehrlichia treatment?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear about Thunder, he sounds pretty sick. It sounds like you and your veterinarian are trying many different treatments for his low platelets. It is possible that he is suffering from an immune-mediated disease such as ITP, which is immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. This is where the immune system destroys the body's platelets. We can see this secondary to tick-diseases such as ehrlichia. He is already on prednisone, but he may require a second immune-modulatory medication, such as mycophenolate. This medication works with prednisone to reduce immune destruction of platelets. I hope this information is helpful, and best of luck trying to get Thunder's disease under control. I'm sure it is very difficult and frustrating for you.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Why is my active dog peeing spots with low blood cells & platelets?

You are describing pancytopenia which is a low red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet count. We see this disease process secondary to infectious diseases carried by ticks, toxins such as hormones or even secondary to some medications such as anti-inflammatories, primary diseases of the bone marrow and cancer. Unfortunately, it is a problem because if left untreated his platelet count will continue to drop resulting in bleeding and his low white blood cell count predisposes him to infection. He needs to be tested for tick borne disease and possibly have a bone marrow aspirate. In the meantime, your veterinarian may recommend treating him with doxycycline and prednisone.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share