My dog won't eat and is losing weight. Should I take him to the vet?

It sounds like Archie may be sick. It sounds like he is lethargic and having a decrease in appetite, both of which are signs of illness. He could have a dental problem, systemic illness, infection, inflammation, or injury causing these symptoms. The drooling could be due to dental problems, pain, or nausea. I wold take him into a vet now to get checked out. I hope this helps!

Honestly, it's ok if Archie only wants to eat dry food. It's actually better for his teeth as it can help keep some plaque off of them. It is concerning, however, that he only eats a bit and then leaves it, and that can be a sign of a medical problem such as dental issues (broken tooth or abscess), systemic illness, infection, inflammation, or injury. I would have Archie seen by a vet in the morning if he's still not eating properly for a health check.

It sounds as Kong is suffering from a gastrointestinal condition, possibly an infection. it could also be due to ingestion of a foreign body material. i would recommend taking him to the vet the first chance you get, he will need to be checked first, if the vet thinks it's a simple gastrointestinal infection he will need an anti vomiting injection, antibiotics and a special food for a few days in order to get better.

The weight loss and the not eating may indicate a disease state. At 12 years old, things like kidney disease and cancer become more worrisome. I recommend to have Stitch examined by the veterinarian and plan on running some diagnostics to go looking for any problems. Best of luck.

Thank you for sending your question and the photo of Oakley - he is very cute! Sometimes when our pets suddenly change a behavior, we are (naturally) inclined to look at other evernts to see if there might be a connection. While dogs do mourn the loss of people they are very close to, this typically happens when dogs and their people have lived together for many years, so I’m not sure this is a realistic cause of his sudden loss of appetite. There are just so many things that can cause a normal young dog to stop eating - parasites, a blockage in the intestines, infectious diseases like parvo or leptospirosis- it’s hard to say what is going on, but your instincts to go to Oakley’s vet are 100% correct. I encourage you to get him in and get him checked out - exam and blood work at minimum - to see what’s going on.

If he has lost weight and is lethargic than he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He could have a dental problem, infection, parasite, metabolic/endocrine disease, etc. and your vet can run lab work and take an x-ray, if needed, to help determine the cause. If it caused by stress and anxiety from losing your other dog than your vet can prescribe an anti-anxiety medication, like Prozac or Trazodone to see if that helps.

He definitely looks very thin. The biggest concern with a dog that eats well, but doesn't gain weight is that he has a disease or heavy parasite burden. There are some inherited diseases like liver shunts that can cause them to be unthrifty like this and there are some acquired infections like Babesiosis that can also cause them to look like this. The only way to know is to have him evaluated by a veterinarian. I recommend taking him soon, because he doesn't look like he has much left to lose. It's also good to bring a stool sample to the vet, so they can check for worms. I hope that helps and Wekko gets better soon.