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My dog is sick, lethargic, vomiting, not eating. Does he need a vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 3 years and 4 months old | 85 lbs

My dog appears to be sick. He is lethargic, did not eat his food yesterday and only ate 1 meal the day before (night time meal). It's been pretty hot lately and I'm concerned because he doesn't want to drink water. And he also has thrown up. My family and I were sick last week. Is it possible he caught something from us? Should I take him into the vet? Is there anything over the counter I can give him?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Catherine Stecyk

Answered By Catherine Stecyk

Veterinarian

Published on June 5th, 2019

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Dogs do not get sick from people, as viruses that cause people to be sick to not affect dogs. It sounds like Ruger may be ill based on the clinical signs you are describing, so I highly recommend contacting your veterinarian and seeing when he/she can have him seen. Your veterinarian may recommend bloodwork or imaging such as x-rays to look for a reason for him to be sick and vomiting. In the meantime, you can offer him a highly digestible, bland diet such as boiled chicken and rice in a ratio of 2 parts rice to 1 part meat. I hope this is helpful!
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