My puppy is lethargic, not eating, and has dark urine. What's wrong?

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Based on your description this could be a number of things. She is a large breed growing puppy so they often go through spurts of sleepiness where they may not eat as much of their food. With that said, this should then be followed by a spurt of activeness and engorging in her food, within a 24 hr period. If she is lethargic and not eating well for more than a day, then she may have an infection and should be checked out by your vet asap. Pets also don't often pee on themselves, even at this age. This concerns me for a possible urinary tract infection, which causes her to have an inflamed bladder, which then causes her to not be able to pee in a designated area. At almost 3 months of age though, she may still be potty training. At any rate, it is best to get her seen with such vague symptoms, just to make sure she doesn't have an infection and to get her treated right away if there is one present. I hope that your fur baby Sansa feels better soon! Best wishes and take care.

I am sorry to hear about Sheena. These symptoms are concerning especially in a young dog. Lethargy and inappetance make us concerned about ingestion of a foreign object and parvovirus if your dog hasn't had all her vaccines. Certain parasites can also cause these symptoms. Combined with dark runny stool (a dark tarry color can indicate bleeding in the upper GI tract), these signs indicate that she needs to see a vet today for an examination. They will likely check the stool for parasites (bring a sample of you Gabe one) and do a parvotest and may recommend an X-ray.

From the sign you are describing it is quite difficult to determine the underlying problem. General signs of lethargy could be commonly due to high temperature which may be related to an infection. In puppies gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections are by far the most common type of infections. If the signs do not resolve in the next 24hours or if Luna is showing any inappetence, more evident lethargy or any other signs (vomiting and diarrhoea for example) I would strongly advice a veterinary check up.

It sounds like she might be suffering from a urinary infection, you will have to take her to the vet, bring a fresh urine sample with you, a urine analysis will be done and if an infection is found- she will be treated with antibiotics.

Typically dark colored urine is an indicator of blood, which is often seen in pets with a urinary tract infection. It is very unusual to have this occur in a puppy so young. If puppy is eating and healthy otherwise I would monitor him to see if this dark urine is repetitive. If you see it again and again, then it is best to take pup to your vet for a quick check of the urine to confirm and further treatment (i.e. antibiotics, etc).

Hi, thanks for usingPetCoach! Poor Tuffy! At 4 weeks old I worry that he isn’t eating, dehydration and low blood sugar can occur quickly in such young puppies. The urine being yellow is normal but I’m assuming you mean it’s darker yellow than normal which can indicate dehydration, bilirubin, blood or infection. Causes of not eating: intestinal parasites, from the mutton, viral or bacterial infections, an intestinal obstruction, toxin ingestion, metabolic conditions like liver or kidney problems. Tuffy needs to see a Vet. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Irati is exhibiting symptoms of illness. Lethargy and loss of appetite are non specific symptoms with many causes. To determine the cause, she should be examined by your veterinarian. She may need bloodwork and a fecal exam to reach a diagnosis. Supportive care may be indicated until she is eating and drinking on her own.