My 6-year-old dog is lethargic. Is she depressed or just aging?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Harvey. This is definitely not normal and you should have her evaluated immediately. If she is not spayed and has had a heat cycle within the last 30-60 days, she may be developing a uterine infection called a pyometra. This can be a life-threatening infection unless it's addressed with surgery. Spaying is the recommended treatment for this condition. The clinical signs include fever, lethargy, weakness, increased thirst, increased urination, inappetence, vomiting, etc. Sometimes there is abnormal discharge from the vulva if the cervix is open and allowing the infection to leak to the outside. Other things, of course, are possible but if she is not spayed, this would be my first guess. Your vet can gather a history and assess her physically. Possible tests would include blood/urine tests and imaging studies (x-rays/ultrasound). Good luck with Harvey.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Moxie. I think that her sudden change in behavior is worrisome. Dogs can slow down as they age. However, she is only middle aged. Plus age changes are gradual. Not as dramatic as you have described. I recommend that she sees a veterinarian. I worry that she is painful somewhere. For example, neck and/or back pain is common in small and medium breed dogs. Arthritis or a soft tissue injury could also explain the signs you are seeing. The veterinarian will carefully examine her. X-rays may be recommended. Based on these results, treatment can be started to help her feel better. In the meantime, keep her quiet and do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

I am so sorry to hear that Daisy is sick. Lethargy can be a symptom of many different problems. However, at her age I worry about things like kidney failure, liver disease, and cancer. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Many problems can be treated if caught early, but if you wait too long they can be life threatening. The veterinarian will likely recommend blood work and possibly an X-ray to help determine the diagnosis. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Your post got cut off due to character limit. The last thing that came through was "I feel like I have..." Based on the description that did come through your pet is exhibiting general signs of lethargy and lack of appetite which could indicate internal illness/disease. I would recommend having your older pet examined by your veterinarian and potentially bloodwork ran to get to a diagnosis here. Disease processes can be vague in symptoms initially but if caught early will give your pet the best chance at recovery and can limit the extent of treatment that is needed. Also making sure your pet is fed only dog food with no people food which can upset the pancreas and cause illness over time is recommended.

At 3years of age he would generally expected to be more active but every dogs character is different and some are very placid. If his behavior has changed over the last 3 months I strongly recommend a full health check by your vet to rule out medical or painful conditions which may be reducing his mobility

I would recommend bringing Frenchie to a veterinarian to make sure there is nothing medically going on with her. It is concerning that she usually is very happy and playful but now isn't. After a good physical examination your vet can determine if there is diagnostics that need to be performed or a treatment that can be given. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Based on the information provided, I'm not sure how old AJ is, or how long this has been going on, but it looks like she is not spayed. This sort of change in behavior can be due to a variety of things. Arthritis and pain can decrease a dog's activity level, as can problems with the heart or lungs. Any time I have an unspayed female with decreased activity level, pyometra (infection of the uterus) also has to be a concern. A check up with your veterinarian to look for a fever or signs of pain is a good place to start. If they find abnormalities, checking bloodwork to look for signs of infection or organ dysfunction would be the next step. I hope AJ is feeling better soon.