My newly adopted dog is sick, lethargic, and trembling. What's wrong?

Cough can be caused by an infection, heart problem or lung condition, it is important to first know the cause before treating it as treatment is different from condition to another. The most common disease causing cough is a viral/bacterial infection called Kennel cough, this disease usually resolves without treatment within a couple weeks but if the cough is too severe it is recommended to go to the vet in order to get cough medicine and antibiotics.

Poor Baby! I am sorry she isn't feeling good. The symptoms you have mentioned make me concerned that Baby may have some sort of respiratory issue-kennel cough, pneumonia. I would recommend contacting your regular vet and arrange for her to be seen today. Advise them she has just come from a shelter situation, as repsiratory diseases can be quite contagious. They will likely ask for you to keep Baby in the car until they are ready to bring her into an exam room. Your vet will do a thorough exam, listen to Baby's heart and lungs. They may recommend some diagnostics such as X-rays and bloodwork too. Depending on the issues identified treatment may range (assuming it is a respiratory issue) from oral medications and rest at home, to hospitalization with IV fluids, oxygen therapy and injectable medications. I hope Baby starts to feel better soon!

It sounds as though Vito has been through quite a bit over the past week! It is concerning that he is now lethargic, not eating, and coughing, after being normal for a week after his procedures. My main concern is that he may have developed kennel cough or canine influenza after being in a shelter situation. To answer your question, yes, I do think you should take him to the vet for evaluation. In addition to a physical exam, Vito may need to have chest x-rays taken or blood testing performed. I hope this helps and that he's feeling better soon!

This sounds like a pretty complex situation, and I'd agree that an infection of some sort seems likely with a high WBC. I'd be worried about something viral, perhaps even meningitis, especially if it seems that she has neck pain, but that's basically a guess on my part. She should be tested for tick-borne diseases (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, ehrlichia, babesia, Lyme) if that hasn't been done. I'm not sure how far you are from a specialty hospital, but it sounds like she's still not out of the woods, and in the absence of a definitive diagnosis, I too would be worried. I would recommend taking Sky to a specialty hospital, where they might be more capable of diagnosing the problem and getting her the appropriate treatment.

He is very cute! Congrats on the adoption. Frequently, these rescues may have a low grade illness. The stress of transport and a new home can cause a worsening of symptoms. Since he is "new" to you, have him examined by your veterinarian to diagnose and treat any pre-existing conditions. Consider blood work and a fecal exam to make sure the weight issue does not have a serious underlying cause. At the very least, he will get a clean bill of health and you can likely chalk up the symptoms to the stress of transport and a new home. Monitor for other signs such as coughing, vomiting, diarrhea or a loss of appetite. It may take him a few days to settle in.

This may be a good case to choose a Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach Consult as there are a lot of variables we would need to know to help you the most. Causes for low white cells could be severe, overwhelming infection, viral, or even something like cancer. Many medications would take longer than 5 hours to see a positive response, but it varies based on the presumptive diagnosis your vet has made and the particular medication. Some medications can be dual purpose and treat pain. There are many diagnostics I would recommend based Kent he bit of information you gave us, like other tick testing, blood chemistry, urinalysis, x-rays, ultrasound, fecal testing, etc.

Low white blood cells can be a sign of overwhelming infection, sepsis or cancer, and along with a fever I would be very concerned. I'm wondering if both chest x-rays and abdominal radiographs were performed, or if an ultrasound was performed because those might help determine what is causing these symptoms. I don't think there is much else you can do at home if you are unable to afford hospitalization, but you should definitely continue to recheck with your vet and if Aute seems to be taking a turn for the worse in any way you should have him rechecked immediately.