My dog is limping, sick, and won't eat. What can I give him?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite and vomiting can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. Lameness can be due to discomfort possibly due to arthritis or something else. This may be related or perhaps may be unrelated and another issue. Lyme disease is a possibility though this is not very common. I recommend that you have Jakey 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!

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. Some male dogs do not lift their leg to urinate so this may be normal for Max. As for the appetite, if you haven't tried canned food I would give this a try or adding cooked chicken breast and chicken broth to the dog food. If he still does not want to eat I would talk to your veterinarian about having his blood tested just to make sure everything is normal. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Limping is a sign of pain, and some dogs will have a poor appetite with higher levels of pain. I would recommend that Jax be checked out by a vet to figure out why he is limping (possible bone fracture, muscle sprain, muscle spasm, etc.) so that he can be appropriately treated. Other causes of a poor appetite in a puppy include nausea from dietary intolerance or indiscretion, food allergy, intestinal parasites, GI blockage, gastroenteritis, bacterial or viral infection, among a few others. These can be discussed at the same appointment that is made to have the limp checked out.

Poor Max sounds sick. Feed him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, he refuses to eat the bland diet, he starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away.

Poor Max. I’m sorry he’s not feeling well. Im suspicious from what I see in the picture that his neck or back hurts. If he is not back to normal tomorrow then I would recommend that he be evaluated by a veterinarian. Then they can decide if dog safe pain medication is appropriate for him or if other diagnostics should be done. I hope he improves quickly.

It’s been a rough few day for Max! It’s not unusual after diarrhea to have a few days without a bowel movement. The limping is concerning. I would recommend that he be evaluated by a veterinarian. They can look for signs of trauma/ fracture, infection, embedded foreign object etc.. They may prescribe some dog safe pain medication as well. Good luck and I hope he is back to normal soon.