Can my pet get sick or die from not eating or drinking enough?

That is a very severe condition and prolonged starvation can lead to critical clinical status. Nutritional support, fluid therapy and investigations of the underlying cause of chronic anorexia are required immediately. I would strongly recommend a check up at your local vets whatever is the cause of the signs you described.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This depends on a lot of factors including if she is otherwise exhibiting any symptoms of sickness, if she is eating canned food which already has water in it, how much water she is actually having, among other things. If she is not drinking anything especially if having other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and/or lethargy, she should be evaluated as soon as possible to prevent dehydration and to investigate the cause. If she is otherwise doing well and is eating canned food, it would be ok to monitor her for another 12-24 hours and if not improved to have her evaluated by a veterinarian then. Hopefully she returns to normal and there is no need for a veterinary visit. Have a great day!

Poor Zoie! I'm sorry to hear that she's sick. There are many different things that could cause these symptoms, so it's hard to say what might be going on without being able to examine her and run some tests. This does sound like a serious problem - if she's very weak, dehydrated, and not eating or drinking, she may die without immediate veterinary care. I would recommend taking her to see a vet right away. He/she can do blood work or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment.

An adult dog that has no other medical conditions can usually go for 12-24 hours without eating as long as he is still drinking water and is alert. He may just have a bit of an [upset stomach](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-treat-your-dogs-upset-stomach) from something he ate (that he wasn't supposed to) or he could have a touch of gastrointestinal infection. Continue to monitor him. If his symptoms worsen - he stops drinking, becomes lethargic, develops a fever, or begins [vomiting](https://www.petcoach.co/article/vomiting-in-dogs) or has [diarrhea](https://www.petcoach.co/article/diarrhea-in-dogs), then you should [contact your veterinarian](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-handle-a-pet-emergency/).

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am very concerned about any dog that will not eat or drink and recommend Hurley see the vet as soon as possible. This could be anything from a simple arthritis flare up to organ failure to cancer. For the first, some pain medication is often all that is needed while the others may require other treatments. Best wishes to you and Hurley.

While extreme heat can cause heat stroke or heat exhaustion that could result in vomiting or diarrhea that doesn't sound like the case for Oskar. Heat stroke also causes weakness and difficulty breathing, and animals do not typically recover without intervention. Something else may have triggered the vomiting and diarrhea - it's possible that Oskar ate something he shouldn't, or that he has one of the other numerous diseases that can cause these signs. If he still is not eating or drinking I'd recommend seeing a veterinarian. Some of the tests they may recommend to determine what is causing Oskar's illness include blood work, abdominal x-rays or a fecal analysis. They might also recommend symptomatic treatment for his lack of appetite.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry Prince isn't feeling well! Unfortunately, those are quite nonspecific symptoms, and could be consistent with almost any illness. If Prince isn't eating or drinking, and is vomiting, he really needs to be evaluated by a veterinarian. Your vet can determine quite a lot by a good exam, and will then be able to recommend any appropriate diagnostic tests to determine what's wrong. At the very least, your vet can help Prince feel better with supportive care to control his nausea, and give fluids to correct his dehydration. I worry especially with his young age and being such a little guy, he can become dehydrated quickly. I hope he feels better soon!