Why is my dog lethargic, shivering, and curling up with a tight stomach?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Sophie has been seeming uncomfortable when being picked up a certain way, and is eating and drinking less. While more common in larger breed dogs, it is possible that she has some "growing pains", or panosteitis, in her long bones, which is painful for her when she is picked up as you are describing. This discomfort may be causing her to eat and drink less, and be less playful too. I'm glad to hear that she is not painful in her chest, abdomen or back. She may be suffering from neck pain, which can be a common occurrence in smaller breed dogs. If she continues to seem uncomfortable, lethargic, and have a decreased appetite and water intake, I recommend having her evaluated by your veterinarian. He/she can perform a thorough physical exam to better localize her discomfort and pain. He/she may also recommend bloodwork to evaluate for any underlying systemic disease that could cause her to have a decreased appetite and act lethargic. Please do not give Sophie any pain medications that are intended for humans, such as Advil or Tylenol, as these can be fatally toxic to dogs. I hope this is helpful!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I am concerned that she is not getting up and not eating. She may be dehydrated from the vomiting and the shivering may not be due to her being cold but may be due to her not feeling well. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would start by having her blood tested and abdominal x-rays taken to help determine what the cause of these symptoms could be. I hope this helps and that Sophie gets better soon! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions / concerns you may have.

This sounds like abdominal pain, or back pain. Since she’s not spayed you need to be concerned about a uterine infection which could cause lethargy and abdominal discomfort. If she has a bulging disk in her back that can cause pain also. I would take her temperature to check for a fever, and if she has a fever or these symptoms continue then please bring her in for an exam and treatment. They will feel to find where she’s painful and may do an X-ray or blood tests to diagnose the problem. She’s a very small dog so please don’t wait too long since she doesn’t have the body reserves of a bigger dog. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Luna.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Panda evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The aignsyou are describing can be a sign of abdominal pain. This can be associated with a number of conditions from pancreatitis to foreign bodies and requires veterinary attention as soon as possible. If Nina is lethargic or not acting like herself and has other signs like vomiting or diarrhea, she should be seen right away. I hope all is well!

EThanks for visitng Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry to hear that your pet Simone is ill and in pain. These symptoms are highly suggestive of a condition called pancreatitis. This is a spontaneous inflammation of the pancreas that causes pain when palpating the belly, vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy and often loose stool with some blood. I would highly recommend taking her in to your local vet right away for testing and treatment. The vet will need to run bloodwork and a pancreatitis test. Other possible causes are a musculoskeletal injury, kidney infection or liver problem. Poor girl. I would take her in as soon as possible so that we know how to move forward and get herbfeeling better quickly. It’s best to feed her small portions of boiled plain chicken and rice or cottage cheese since smaller portions typically don’t cause as much nausea. Feed her small portions of non-flavored Pedialyte diluted with water to help combat dehydration. Best of luck to you and I hope that Simone is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Take care.

Yes, please take her in right away. This sounds like she is in a lot of pain. Dogs pant a lot and tremble when they are in pain. Since she’s not spayed she could have a uterine infection that can become life threatening, or many small dogs get intervertebral disc disease which can cause the symptoms you are seeing. They will need to do an exam and possibly lab tests or X-rays to get a diagnosis, then they can give pain medication and the appropriate treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Roxie.