My dog won't eat, lost weight, and has a swollen leg. What's wrong?

I am pretty concerned about what you describe. The bloating and edema of the legs would most commonly be due to a low protein level in the blood or right heart failure which causes fluid to leak out of vessels. This can happen for several reasons : heart disease, heartworm disease, liver failure, kidney disease, intestinal disease, and even cancer. This is life threatening and he should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Usang sounds like she us very ill and I recommend you have her seen by a veterinarian immediately. She may be dealing with edema, but there could be many reasons for the edema ( including infection, tumours, trauma, endocrine or autoimmune disease, etc) and the fact that she is not eating and unwilling/unable to stand and walk indicates severe illness. Please have her seen by a vet right away so they can examine her and recommend diagnostics and treatment as needed to help prevent further suffering.

I am very concerned about your dog's condition and highly recommend a veterinary visit. There are a few general categories that fit with what your dog is showing at home. One would be weakness due to a nerve problem in the back end. This can happen if a disc has moved out of place in the spine and is pressing on the spinal cord. This can cause dogs to have trouble walking and placing their feet in an appropriate way. Some have the appearance of walking on their toes. Otherwise they are able to place weight on the back legs but stagger or sway when walking. This can be an emergency situation if the disc slips more into the spinal cord and causes paralysis. Another type of weakness that causes trouble getting up is if there is a lack of proper blood circulation. The lower level of blood in the body causes them to be lethargic due to the decreased oxygen circulating throughout the body. In an older dog, the most common cause of this is with a tumor or mass on the spleen that has ruptured. The spleen holds a large amount of blood and if it has a rupture, the blood leaks out into the abdomen. In addition to the lethargy, we often see pale gums and a pot belly appearance due to the pooling blood. An x-ray or ultrasound would help determine if this is occurring. These are the two most common reasons for such a dramatic change in her appearance. There is also the chance of her eating something she shouldn't. The best thing for her would be to have an exam as soon as you are able to determine what is causing her signs. The vet may recommend bloodwork or an x-ray. Unfortunately. older large breed dogs can lose nerve function in their back legs due to age changes. There is little we can do to help this aside from keeping them comfortable. Due to how sudden the signs showed up, this is less likely, as it is often a more gradual change.

Poor Marshall! It definitely sounds like something isn't right. There are many things that can cause a swollen stomach with weight loss and decreased appetite. Some possibilities would include heart disease, liver problems, cancer, or even internal bleeding. Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so I would recommend taking Marshall to the vet as soon as you are able to. He/she can do blood work and x-rays if needed to help diagnose what is causing these symptoms, and will recommend treatment options depending on what is found.

Your puppy needs to be seen by a veterinarian today as this sounds like an emergency. It is obviously in pain, and it is showing signs of a severe infection such as parvo. Please take your puppy to a PetER now.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is possibly infection affecting the carpal joint. Your Rex will need an x-ray to find out exactly which structures (bones, joints, tendons) are affected. Please, take him to your local vets as soon as possible as it does look serious.

Sheena should be evaluated by a veterinarian right away! If her belly is swollen she could be suffering from bloat (stomach full of air), a GDV (where the stomach bloats and turns on itself) or she could have fluid in her belly or uterus (pyometra). All of these conditions are very serious and require immediate veterinary care. I hope Sheena is doing ok! Please let us know if you have more questions.