Why is my senior boxer gurgling, refusing food, and acting strange?

This is a quite generic but concerning sign. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal diseases (infection/inflammations often dietary related) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. In Boxer, especially of a certain age, spinal pain due to ostheoarthritis can be quite severe and cause the signs you described. The approach must be logic, starting from offering different kind of food. A check up is needed if inappetence last for more than 24hours. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These symptoms are concerning, especially coming from an older pet lIke Blue. His warm feeling body could indicate an internal infection or inflammatory disorder, and his panting and swollen stomach could indicate underlying heart disease, an infection, or even cancer has to be considered here. I would highly recommend taking him in to your vet to have some testing done as soon as possible. The vet needs to do some bloodwork analysis and an x-ray to find out the underlying cause for his symptoms, since there are several disease processes that can cause the same symptoms. I do hope that Blue is able to make a full and speedy recovery with a diagnosis that is readily treatable. I wish you all the best! Take care.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear about Booda, she sounds very sick. Since she is vomiting, acting lethargic, not eating and having neurological signs, I would have her seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Especially in an older Golden, cancer is a top differential for the cause of her clinical signs. Your veterinarian will want to do a complete physical exam, along with bloodwork and/or x-rays to look for evidence of disease. Because she is coughing, I'm afraid she may have cancer in her lungs, or less likely something like pneumonia. Unfortunately, you may have to consider thinking about her quality of life. Vomiting, coughing, not eating and being unresponsive to stimuli are not indicative of a good quality of life. I hope this is helpful, and I'm very sorry to hear about Booda.

I would have Abby seen by a vet for this bulge which could be a mass. Unfortunately in senior dogs, there is always a chance a mass could be malignant. It could be compressing her intestines and colon leading to small amounts of poop being passed. Any suspicious masses 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 mass 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 have Abby seen by a vet first thing on Monday to have this mass examined and diagnosed so it can be treated.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Mojo's symptoms may be indicative of gastroenteritis (a gut infection), gastrointestinal parasites, food intolerance or food allergies, pancreatitis, or inflammatory bowel disease. As you can see, the list of possibilities is long and varied. I would recommend taking him to the vet. They can perform a full physical exam and assess for any areas of pain, which would be supportive of pancreatitis (for example). They may recommend testing a stool sample for parasites, senior blood work, and/or taking x-rays of the abdomen. At minimum, they can prescribe medicine to help with the tummy upset and improve his comfort. In the meantime, I would continue with the probiotic, and try small, frequent meals of a bland diet such as boiled chicken and white rice. This may be easier for his tummy to digest. I would also think back to any new food or treats that were introduced prior to this problem starting, and if so, make sure to eliminate them in case they are contributing to his symptoms. I hope this helps, and that Mojo feels better soon!

Poor Oscar sounds like he isn't feeling well at all lately! He could have a severe GI illness, may have eaten something rotten, could have a foreign body, or could have pancreatitis. It is concerning that he was vomiting before, stopped, and now started again. I'm also concerned that you describe him as pacing because that can be a sign of bloat. Boxers have deep chests and are very prone to bloat, which is fatal without treatment. Given that these symptoms have reappeared and he is prone to bloat, the best thing to do is take him into a vet right away. The vet can diagnose what is causing his symptoms and the best way to treat him. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

I would recommend taking Basil to see a veterinarian. Without a complete physical examination it is very difficult to say if it is time for Basil. The veterinarian can discuss with your friend if treatment or diagnostics is something that would help Basil or if something worse is going on with her that cannot be treated. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.