My 7-year-old Jack Russell is lethargic. Should I be worried?

Poor Freckles! Shaking can be a sign of pain in dogs, but unfortunately, anorexia and lethargy are very general signs of illness. They can be caused by systemic illness, infection, injury, or inflammation. Given that he is shaking, acting lethargic, and is anorexic, it is best that he sees a vet right away. The vet can diagnose what is causing these symptoms in Freckles, and can treat him for them.

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.

I'm sorry to hear that Pip isn't feeling well. Given the symptoms you have described it is possible he has a urinary tract infection. Other signs of urinary tract infections include urinating more frequently and blood in the urine. I would recommend that you have Pip seen by your veterinarian. They will perform a thorough examination and will obtain a urine sample to look for signs of infection. If no infection is present, they may recommend bloodwork to look for signs of another underlying problem.

Given the lack of clinical signs besides lethargy and inappetence, there is not much else to go on here. I would consider obtaining a rectal thermometer tomorow and checking for a fever (above 102.5), which might suggest the presence of an infection or inflammation. If you detect a fever, I would definitely suggest getting Rusty to the vet sometime soon. If there is no fever, but his condition does not get better by Monday he should be taken in for an examination regardless. You can certainly try and feed Rusty something that would normally be considering irresistible just to see if he will accept it, rather than just his normal dog food. Anyway, hope this helps and that Rusty is feeling better soon. It is entirely possible that he might just feeling a little under the weather or maybe could have eaten something he shouldn't have that upset his stomach. If this is the case, the symptoms should pass with short time.

If only Jackie could talk! Just like people, there are many conditions that can make pets feel sick. This could range from bacterial over growth to intestinal blockage. Also like us, diseases are best addressed early and this may result in a better prognosis. I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian today if the behavior has lasted beyond 24 hours or if he is not eating or drinking. The doctor will need to learn the underlying cause in order to give appropriate treatment. Bring in a stool sample in case the doctor needs to test it. I hope Jackie starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Given that this is a change to his behavior a quick check up to rule out underlying medical causes such as heart disease or early arthritis would be recommended. If all clear then limiting the exercise to 50-60% of the current time and reducing the intensity by throwing them less far should keep him interested and excited without tiring him completely

Hi, and thanks for your question. This is a quite generic but concerning presentation. Differentials are many, from any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. The approach must be logic, A check up is needed if signs last for more than 24hours. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!