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My dog is vomiting, not eating, and lethargic. Should I call the vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Lhasa Apso | Male

My dog is 5 year old Lhasa . He was fine till yesterday evening but in the night he vomited he is not eating anything, he is very playful but not playing, he has become lazy I have checked his fever it is 102 degrees Fahrenheit. What could be the reason what should I do should I take him to the doctor

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 17th, 2018

Hello, sorry to hear about Bob. There are many reasons why he may not be eating and acting lethargic. A temperature of 102 is normal for a dog.

Potential causes include a dietary indiscretion (getting into something that did not sit well with him), ingesting foreign material, having a viral infection or parasites, having pancreatitis, liver or kidney disease.

If his signs persists longer than 3 days, or if he gets worse, then he should be evaluated by a veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on June 23rd, 2018
Poor Tarja! She sounds very ill at the moment, and when a dog has vomited multiple times during the day, refusing to eat, and acting lethargic, I consider their signs serious enough to see a vet. I strongly recommend taking her into a vet now for treatment. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on October 7th, 2018
I am sorry to hear about Tiddles. It sounds like he needs veterinary care if he is lethargic and cannot keep water down. We worry in dogs with his symptoms about infections, pancreatitis, foreign body ingestion, and more. The vet will examine him and may recommend testing such as fecal testing, bloodwork or x-ray depending on his symptoms. He may need IV fluids to help rehydrate him and special injectable medications initially since he is vomiting.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on July 25th, 2019
Hi, and thanks for your question.
These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed.
Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Related Questions

My dog is sick, won't eat, and lethargic. What can I do without a vet?

The cause of Bobby's sudden discomfort is pretty hard to determine without diagnostics or a physical exam. If going to the vet at the moment isn't an option, just make sure that his temperature is normal (rectal temp between 99.5 - 102.5), that his gums are pink / moist, and that his skin has relatively appropriate elasticity. This will give you a good idea of general stability. In terms of at home remedies, depending on the extent and nature of the vomit you might be somewhat limited. Obviously giving oral medications to an animal that is going to vomit them up is not very useful. If you feel that he can keep anything down, medications like pepsid and prilosec are good at treating upset tummies. The use of this plus a 24 hour fast might be the best thing to do for now. However, if matters continue to go in a downward trend, I would encourage you to find means to get Bobby in for an exam at the very least. Hope this makes sense.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog is lethargic, won't eat, and won't move. Is it an emergency?

It's hard to advise you with this small amount of information, but if Bob is not moving or responding to commands or treats, I would take him in to your nearest emergency veterinary clinic for evaluation. They will check him out, and likely run blood work as a starting point.

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My dog is lethargic, not eating, and not moving. Is he very sick?

These are signs that he is either in a great deal of pain, or is very sick. There could be many possible causes of this, so it's difficult to say what exactly this means, or how easily this can be treated, but it's worth a visit to the vet. The vet will be able to help narrow-down the cause and at-least give treatment to make him feel better. Given his current condition, I reccomend he go to the vet within the next 24 hours. I hope that helps and Bobby gets better soon.

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My dog won't eat, is tired, and seems feverish. What should I do?

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I recommend that you take your dog to see a veterinarian. It sounds like he needs immediate care if he is not eating, he is lethargic and may have a fever. This sounds like a serious condition that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Your veterinarian will perform a full physical exam and determine what additional testing may need to be done (xrays, bloodwork) to give you a better idea of what treatments are needed. Good luck.

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Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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