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My dog won't eat or drink, swallows hard, can't bark. Throat sore?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 2 months old | 10 lbs

My dog won’t eat or drink he’ll only eat baby mashed up puppy food he seems sick when he’s in the house like he’s hurting and hides but when he’s outside he’s running and playing around like nothing is wrong but he swallows hard and he can’t bark how do I heal his throat or get him to eat and drink normally

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Anna M., DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 13th, 2017

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It does sound from your description like something is bothering Casper's throat, but the only way to know what's wrong and make sure we're giving Casper the help he needs is to have a vet take a look. If there's an infection, he'll need antibiotics. If there's an injury or some other issue, it needs to be identified before he can be helped. So, I recommend you make an appointment for Casper to be examined by a vet as soon as possible. In the meantime, if mashed up puppy food is what he'll eat, then keep offering that to him several times a day. You can add some water to make it a slurry, both to make it easier for him to eat, and to help supplement with fluids so he doesn't get dehydrated. Hope this helps and he feels better soon!

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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