My dog is shaking, panting, and not eating. Should I go to the vet?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bonita! She is adorable! There are many reasons for panting, shaking and hiding. She could have been scared by something, have a fever or she could be painful. If she is not eating or drinking and this behavior continues I recommend that you take her to the Vet for an exam. If they find that she is painful they will prescribe appropriate medications for the condition they diagnose her with. I hope this helps and I wish Bonita a speedy recovery!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Panda 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 there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Ariel is not eating and is shaking, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would recommend having her blood tested to see if there are any abnormal levels that need to be addressed. If she is shaking, this is likely a sign that she does not feel well. You can try and offer her several things from the bland diet list below and see if she has more of an interest in the food. If not, I would get her examined by a vet sooner rather than later. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry Layla is not herself! There are many possibilities for the symptoms you are describing: Not eating, panting, lethargic, restless. Some things that could be wrong: she could have a fever, she could be in pain (in her belly), she could be in heart failure, have pneumonia or other lung or heart issue, she could have eaten something that is now stuck in her intestines or stomach, lyme disease, she could be bleeding some where or she could have a metabolic problem like kidney failure, liver disease, etc. The possibilities are long and some are serious. The most serious symptom you are reporting is the trouble breathing, that alone is a reason to take her to your Vet today. I wish you the best of luck!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Although Mya is still eating, drinking, and having normal bathroom habits, the shaking and lethargy is a concern. Shaking can sometimes be an indication of pain or discomfort in dogs or can be a symptom of certain endocrine diseases. I would recommend having her seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. In this case, it is very hard to say for certain what is going on with Mya without examining her first. A veterinary exam would be a good place to start so she can be evaluated head to tail. Your veterinarian may recommend blood work and/or x-rays be run on Mya as well to help determine a diagnosis. I hope this helps and thanks again for posting!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the symptoms you are describing, it is difficult to say for sure what the cause could be. It sounds as though Sugar is not feeling well. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction and that Sugar gets better soon! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello. Making any kind of assumption or diagnosis is very difficult just based on panting & shivering, but I can tell you this can be typical signs of pain & an elevated temperature. Since he has periods of normal behavior, my concerns is there is some underlying pain that JosLouis is experiencing. It could be from any area, so even if he quits the behavior, I would recommend having your vet check him out, just to make sure. Hope all is well soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.