My puppy is whining and not eating. When should I see a vet?

Hello, sorry to hear about Rocky. It sounds like he is feeling unwell but these signs are non-specific. It may be caused by multiple reasons, most often a dietary indiscretion, ingestion of foreign material, or in puppies this young an infection with a virus or parasite may cause this. If Rocky is not eating by tomorrow, or if he begins to vomit, have diarrhea, or lethargy then he needs to be evaluated by his veterinarian immediately. You can offer him a bland diet tomorrow of plain white rice, skinless and boneless boiled chicken and cottage cheese low fat. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It could be that Rocky is ill causing him to make the painful noises and not eat. Anorexia is a very general sign of illness, and it can be caused by systemic illness, infection, injury, or inflammation. Given that he hasn't eaten in three days, I would have him seen by a vet right away for a physical exam, blood tests, urinalysis, and possible x-rays to diagnose what is causing his symptoms. Once the cause is found, the vet can discuss treatment options with you.

Rockie is adorable and I'm sorry to hear that he isn't feeling well. After eating a heavy, greasy meal, he may have developed gastroenteritis (inflammation in his stomach and intestines) or pancreatitis. Aside from assuring that he is drinking water and offering a bit of a bland diet (boiled white meat chicken and rice) as you have done, there isn't anything more that can be done at home. Young puppies are more susceptible to the effects of dehydration than adult dogs and need to be treated a bit more urgently. At this point, Rockie needs to take a trip to the vet for an exam, diagnostic testing and supportive care (IV fluids and medications). I hope that he is feeling better soon!

Your pups are so cute! Diarrhea and reduced appetite could be caused by parasites, change in diet, toxin ingestion, infectious viral diseases, blockage in the intestines caused by ingestion of a foreign body, or a mass/growth in the gastrointestinal tract. Parvovirus is also a possibility, particularly in a dog as young as Rocky, as you mentioned he is too young to have had all his boosters yet. Please make an appointment to have Rocky seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible, as diarrhea can easily lead to dehydration in such a young pup, and can be very dangerous if left untreated. In the mean time, if he is not eating well, you can try boiling boneless skinless chicken in water, shredding the chicken, and feeding her small amounts of the resulting chicken broth and cooked chicken with boiled plain white rice once it has cooled. I recommend taking in a fecal sample from Rocky to your vet as well, as that may aid them in making a diagnosis. Good luck, and I hope he feels better soon!

This sounds serious. You need to get Rocky to a vet as soon as possible for treatment. This is not something you can "fix" at home. The two main possibilities for his symptoms are: 1) vaccination reaction or 2) parvo virus however, there are any numbers of things that could be the issue. Without examining him myself it is too hard to say. Please get Rocky to a vet ASAP. A puppy his age will get severely dehydrated with all that vomiting and not eating.

I am sorry to hear about Rocky! What concerns me most about his symptoms right now is the fact that he is wheezing. This would warrant a visit to the vet right away. With wheezing we would worry about things like a respiratory infection (which can also cause runny nose) as well as other lung abnormalities and heart problems. He needs to be examined by a vet, have his heart and lungs listened to with a stethescope. Depending on their exam findings they may recommend testing such as x-ray of the chest. They can look down into his ears while he is there to check for signs of infection or foreign bodies.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Thank you for posting pictures, these are helpful! Rocky is very thin, and you are right to be concerned. He should not be this thin. I would be very worried about some underlying disease condition that is preventing him from either being able to eat the food, or from being able to absorb the food. Possible causes are GI parasites (worms, giardia, coccidia, etc.), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), other GI absorbtive disorders (IBD, GI lymphoma, etc.), partial obstruction or foreign object in the gut, persistent right aortic arch or hiatal hernia causing vomiting/regurgitation, food allergies, etc. I would try feeding him boiled rice with boiled/boneless/skinless chicken breasts, as well as a high quality canned puppy food. I would also strongly recommend getting him to a vet where I would discuss a fecal test, a deworming trial, x-rays or preferably ultrasound, testing for EPI depending on the quality of his feces, and x-rays of the chest to look for congenital malforations there. Best of luck with Rocky, I hope he feels better soon!