My old dog won't eat, vomits, and has low protein. What should I do?

I am so sorry Chi hasn't been feeling well. If all the tests were clear then I would recommend having an abdominal ultrasound performed. This would look at the architecture of the intestines and stomach and see if there is anything else that could be going on with Chi. She could have pancreatitis, a foreign object, a bad gastrointestinal upset, and much more going on that may or may not show up on the blood work and might not even show up on X-rays. I would also recommend a bland prescription diet to help settle her stomach also. I would have a ultrasonographer or an internal medicine specialist to perform the ultrasound. I hope Chi feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I am so very sorry to hear about your concerns for Pinky, it sounds like she is not doing well. If her bloodwork was normal, the next step would be additional diagnostics such as abdominal x-ray and ultrasound. I would be concerned with this ongoing weight loss about something like a malabsorption issues due to intestinal abnormality such as unfortunately cancer (we would also worry about protein loss from the kidneys but if they checked her urine they hopefully would have seen whether or not she was losing protein this way). I would discuss the possibilities of additional diagnostic imaging with your vet to help determine why Pinky is losing weight and if there is anything that can be done to help her.

The next step for Cody is an abdominal ultrasound. This is going to look at the architecture of the organs. If this was performed or nothing was found then I would recommend biopsies of the stomach and potentially intestines. Thank you for using PetCoch.

More testing needs to be done to find out what is going on. You cannot allow her to continue to barely eat food. I suggest x-rays and/or abdominal ultrasound as the next steps in finding out what is going on.

The bilirubin is a bit high, as is the ALP (alkaline phosphatase) but neither of these values is super specific in terms of what the cause or the best treatment is. We can see the ALP be elevated with stress, age, and sometimes even normal cell regeneration within the liver. The bilirubin can be slightly elevated when the blood sample is what we call "hemolyzed," which can sometimes happen when blood is spun down for a blood test to be run. Therefore, if he is still showing symptoms of illness, I would echo what Dr Ana said; it may be time to consider imaging. Either X-rays or an abdominal ultrasound maybe helpful in identifying the problem and therefore identifying the best way to treat it. Take him back to the vet if he's still having troubles, as he probably is in need of some more fluids as well. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, I hope he's feeling better.

In a senior dog, a concern is always cancer. It could be Bella has a tumor that is causing her to stop eating and causing vomiting. Some types of cancer don't show any blood work abnormalities, so I think doing an ultrasound as the next step is a good idea. Best of luck.

That is very concerning that she is not eating, vomiting, and losing weight. If blood work is normal than your vet could do x-rays and/or an abdominal ultrasound to look for abnormalities. Your vet could also do an ACTH stim test to make sure she is on the correct dose of vetoryl. Your vet could also treat with an anti-nausea medication called Cerenia and an antibiotic called Metronidazole to see if that helps with the vomiting and diarrha. Hope she feels better soon.