What causes non-healing lip sores and lethargy in my old dog?

Causes include infection, inflammation, periodontal disease and possibly autoimmune disease. Keep an eye on her and if she is rubbing, place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent further rubbing or trauma. Ideally, she should be physically examined by your veterinarian to diagnose the underlying cause. Infection can be treated with a course of antibiotics. PeriodontaI disease will need to be addressed with a complete dental cleaning. If necessary, your vet can biopsy the area to collect samples for pathology.

I would be concerned that this lymph node enlargement potentially represents lymphoma. Hopefully one of the vets in your area can do a fine needle aspirate or biopsy of the node to see whether this is indeed cancer, or perhaps an infection that is not responding to the particular antibiotics being given. I would also consider a biopsy of the ulcer on the lip, as that may be a cancerous process which is causing secondary lymph node enlargement.

The picture unfortunately does not actually show the area but I would recommend having any ongoing lumps checked by a vet, especially in an older dog as ulcerated masses can occasionally turn into tumors and removal is often recommended

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zeus. I would recommend having some bloodwork checked on him. Rarely, severe kidney disease can cause ulcers in the mouth. If this is not the case, he could be reluctant to move due to joint, muscle or abdominal pain. Unfortunately, his signs seen more complex than when he was originally evaluated so it is worth having seen again. Good luck!

A non-healing wound is often cancer. There are other possibilities: it could be a resistant bacterial infection. a foreign object in the skin (like a small piece of wood, grass or a bone fragment) that is causing it not to heal, it could be an auto-immune disease, etc. He needs to see a vet for an exam and some testing. There is no way we can give you a definitive diagnosis over the internet. The wound needs to be cultured an biopsied.

It could be that Rocky has ruptured his anal sacs, and it's concerning that he is very lethargic and in pain. This really does have to be treated by a vet now. I would see if there is a low cost clinic in your area, if the vet accepts payment plans, or if you can borrow money from family and friends to afford the vet.

Poor pup! I'm sorry to hear that she's having this problem. There are a number of different things that could cause problems with closing the mouth and excessive drooling like this, so it's hard to say what might be wrong without being able to examine her. Some common possibilities would include an injury to the mouth or jaw, a tumor or infection in the mouth, or a neurologic problem such as a stroke. I would recommend taking your dog to the vet for an exam today, if possible, since some of these problems can be quite serious. Your vet can do a complete neurologic exam and may also sedate her so that a thorough oral exam can be performed as well. Once a diagnosis is made, he/she can talk to you about what treatment will be needed.