Why is my dog lethargic, weak, stiff, and can't lift his head?

I’m sorry Buddy isn’t feeling well. The good news is that his blood work looked good! Sometimes with real nebulous Symptoms such as what Buddy is displaying it can be difficult to pin point the cause. When he is sleeping standing or sitting it makes me suspect that laying down is uncomfortable. This makes me wonder is his belly or his back is uncomfortable . Young dogs certainly have a reputation for eating things they shouldn’t and an intestinal foreign body would be high on my list of concerns. Also I see a lot of back pain in these types of cases as well. Sometimes serial examinations are helpful because you find things on a repeat examination that maybe wasn’t as evident the day before. If he doesnt seem to improve then I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment soon. An x-Ray of his abdomen may be recommended. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would recommend a visit with a vet. It sounds like your puppy needs intensive care, IV fluids, possibly glucose supplementation. If he is eating and drinking and not vomiting, these are good signs, however if he is very lethargic and not moving that is concerning. To tell what is going on, what treatment to perform and prognosis, he needs more tests to determine what the cause of his illness is, so I cannot give any more specific answers. You can try posting your question again with blood results (picture of the results) along with any other information (temperature, heart rate, gum colour, how long he has been sick for, etc.). We might be able to better help you with that. Best of luck with Luffy!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry to hear Giju is not feeling well. It sounds like Giju has a lot going on. It is hard to say what exactly the issue is with Giju without examining him first, but if he is vomiting and not eating, he really should be seen by a veterinarian soon. If his secretions are reduced, he may be very dehydrated from not drinking. An eye looking cloudy may be cataract formation which when present in young dogs can be congenital. It can also signal an endocrine disorder such as diabetes, inflammation of the eye, or from toxicity. Poison ingestion can have a wide variety of symptoms. Rabies can too, although cataract formation is not a typical sign. Vomiting, increased salivation, disinterest in eating or drinking, sudden behavioral changes such as lethargy or aggression can be signs of rabies. My best advice is to have Giju seen as soon as possible by a veterinarian so he can be properly diagnosed and treated. Best wishes to you and Giju!

This is tough. I practice in Arizona where Valley Fever is common and Rex does have many of the signs. Bloodwork will also show high globulins and mildly high white blood cell count if that helps. If you have been in this area at all in Rex’s life, it’s worth pursuing. (Titers can be negative and it still be the cause.) On a dog this sick, I usually also start an anti inflammatory dose of steroid which we think helps the fluconazole penetrate and provides the more immediate improvements of our treatment. A good broad spectrum Dewormer in case of lung worms or abnormal parasite migration is worth a shot. I also must note that though he is young, we cannot rule out cancer- horrible though it is to contemplate. Please feel free to consult with me using the link below if that would be helpful. Best wishes to you and Rex.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These symptoms are concerning, especially coming from an older pet lIke Blue. His warm feeling body could indicate an internal infection or inflammatory disorder, and his panting and swollen stomach could indicate underlying heart disease, an infection, or even cancer has to be considered here. I would highly recommend taking him in to your vet to have some testing done as soon as possible. The vet needs to do some bloodwork analysis and an x-ray to find out the underlying cause for his symptoms, since there are several disease processes that can cause the same symptoms. I do hope that Blue is able to make a full and speedy recovery with a diagnosis that is readily treatable. I wish you all the best! Take care.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Max! Max does sound sick. I can't fully understand your post but I think you are saying that Max is lethargic and isn't eating. That he is holding down water. Is he vomiting too? From your pictures his gums do look a little less pink then they should. If he is anemic (low red blood cells) then that can be serious. Causes could be blood loss from a tumor inside his belly, infectious causes like tick borne diseases, immune conditions or other types of cancer. There are many causes for lethargy and not eating: blockage, cancer, kidney or liver failure, viral diseases, etc. I would have him seen by your Vet for an exam. I wish you and Max the very best!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Lil Bit is weak and lethargic, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him and test his blood to see if there are any abnormalities that need treatment. There are many causes of what you are seeing and a simple blood test will help rule out many various causes. He may also be dehydrated so you can mix pedialyte with water in a 50:50 mixture and give him 1-2tbsp by mouth and see if this helps. However, it would be best to get him seen by a veterinarian sooner rather than later in case there is something more serious going on. If he is one to eat objects that he shouldn't, he may have an intestinal obstruction causing these symptoms and abdominal x-rays would certainly be warranted to help rule this out. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction and I hope Lil Bit gets better soon! Please do not hesitate to contact be if you have any further questions or concerns. I am also available via text consultation if needed.