My 8-year-old dog won't eat and has stomach lumps. What should I do?

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sasha is gorgeous! Some dogs can develop lethargy and inappetence within 1-3 days post vaccination. Even if she has tolerated her vaccines well before, she can still develop side effects at any time. Her clinical signs are unlikely to be related to her mammary tumors. I would mention this to your veterinarian tomorrow when she is in for the surgery so that they can run some pre-operative bloodwork to make sure that everything looks right before anesthesia. Have your veterinarian submit the masses to the laboratory so that a diagnosis can be reached. If they turn out to be malignant (only about 50% of them are), feel free to set up a consultation with me for further information on that type of cancer. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed that it is something benign and nothing to worry about!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These could be benign or malignant growths. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I think it would be best to have her evaluated before considering euthanasia as this may be able to be treated. I recommend you have Savano evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Poor Spazz. I would talk to you vet about the nature of these tumors. Your vet should be able to do a cytology and tell you whether or not they are cancerous and whether they are infected. Your vet will be able to advise whether they need to be surgically removed and whether she needs any antibiotics or pain meds. If your vet thinks it is cancer, I would discuss with them about whether or not they think it has already spread as this may affect your decision on surgery. Your vet will also be able to prescribe her an appetite stimulant if she isn't eating right now. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better really soon.

I'm sorry to hear that Boo Boo is so sick! There signs you've described could be related to a number of issues including (but not limited to) pain, infection, constipation or other intestinal diseases, internal organ problems, or endocrine problems. It is impossible to say what the cause of Boo Boo's issues are without doing an examination on him. I strongly suggest you take him to see a veterinarian right away so he can be assessed. Blood work and X-rays may also be needed to get a diagnosis. The lump that Boo Boo has can be evaluated and if necessary a small needle sample obtained to see if it is benign or problematic. I'm concerned that Boo Boo sounds like he is in pain and will likely need pain medication. From what you describe he could have a back, neck, or hip injury. Please remember there are no safe over the counter pain medications for dogs so you will need to have these prescribed by a veterinarian. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I hope Boo Boo can get the care he needs and is on the mend soon!

I would recommend that you have Shanova Maye checked out by a vet. Dogs can get mammary (or breast) cancer and it can look lumpy or cystic. Some types of cancer are metastatic and can make the dog very ill. There are lots of other causes for her poor appetite, including stress, dietary intolerance or indiscretion, intestinal parasites, GI blockage, gastroenteritis, bacterial or viral infection, IBD, pancreatitis, among others. Your vet will do a thorough physical exam and may recommend diagnostics such as bloodwork and x-rays so they can get a complete picture of would could be ailing Shanova.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry Champ isn't feeling well. Lethargy, trouble walking, not eating/pooping are all signs of weakness and being generally unwell. This can be due to many causes however for a dog that is 2 years old I would be concerned about things such as fungal disease, parasite disease, heartworm, Addison's disease, or sometimes it can be more simple like an abscess. The wheezing is concerning that he has trouble in his lungs or heart, so heartworm is a concern. The squishy lump could be an abscess (pus filled pocket) and this could cause all the signs you are seeing as well. Either way, I recommend you get him to a vet right away, even a simple thing such as an abscess, which is fixed fairly easily, can be fatal if not treated in time. Best of luck with Champ! I hope he feels better soon!

This lump on Siu q could be a benign tumor, a cyst, an abscess, or a lipoma. It would be rare for such a young dog to have a malignant tumor, but it is possible. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would take Siu q into the vet today or tomorrow to have this lump examined and diagnosed so it can be treated as needed. As for the lack of appetite and lethargy, those are very general signs of illness in dogs, and it could be caused by systemic illness, infection, inflammation, or injury. Because Siu q is going to see the vet for this lump, I would have a health check done on her as well to diagnose the cause of the lethargy and lack of appetite.