My senior dog won't eat, breathes fast, whimpers, and can't stand.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Marley is pretty sick, and I'm worried about him as well. Not eating or drinking can be signs of a systemic illness that is causing him to feel ill. Examples are liver disease, kidney disease, hormonal imbalances, and even cancer. Walking hunched is an indication of back pain and/or abdominal pain. He may be panting despite the normal room temperature because of this pain or discomfort. For all of these reasons, I would recommend having Marley evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. They will likely recommend blood work, a urinalysis and abdominal x-rays to look for evidence of underlying disease that could make him unwilling to eat or drink. These tests may also give some insight into why he is walking hunched over and sensitive to you touching him. They will also allow your veterinarian to develop the most appropriate treatment plan to get him feeling better as quickly as possible. I hope this is helpful, and best of luck to you and Marley.

Panting heavily when it is not hot in the environment is usually a sign of pain or discomfort. If Mia has had a poor appetite for a few days, it is possible that she has a chronic condition such as liver or kidney disease that can be diagnosed on routine screening bloodwork. Unfortunately at age 12, especially for a large breed dog, serious/not curable conditions such as cancer (usually diagnosed on chest/abdominal X-rays) is a possibility as well. Less scary possible causes of the panting could be discomfort from pancreatitis which is often caused by table food and treated with fluid therapy +/- anti-nausea medication, or pain from arthritis which can be treated with pain meds pending screening bloodwork to rule out pre-existing liver/kidney issues. Especially since Mia seems uncomfortable, it would be best to bring her to your vet for an evaluation. Good luck!

It does sound like your pup is sick, and there are a lot of different things going on with her at the moment. The breathing hard can be a sign of pain, and throwing up is a sign of GI illness, eating something rotten, a foreign body, or pancreatitis, which all can also cause pain. These would make her not want to eat as well. Licking her paws can be a sign of allergies. Your dog has to see a vet as soon as possible for a physical exam, blood tests, and urinalysis. Doing all these tests will help diagnose what is causing her symptoms so she can be treated. I would bring her into a vet now.

I know it can be scary when thinking about possible cancerous masses in your pet. But really the only way to know for sure is to have these masses tested through your vet. They can be cancerous masses, inflammatory reactions or benign tumors (non-cancerous). The heavy breathing that Allie is doing does concern me a bit. This can either be a sign of pain or an underlying lung or heart disease. So a vet visit although no desired, is probably the bext best thing to do for Allie in figuring out what's going on with both concerns. Best of luck getting some answers and take care.

Poor Ruka sounds very ill at the moment. Anorexia (not eating) is a very general sign of many illnesses, which could be caused by dental problems, systemic illness, infection, inflammation, or injury. She could have have a hard time breathing because she has a respiratory infection or cardiac disease. Being quite sick would lead her to seem very weak. I strongly recommend a vet visit as soon as possible for her. The vet can diagnose what is causing her symptoms, and can treat her for it. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. You need to seek veterinary care for her. Her symptoms have gone on long enough that they will unlikely resolve without treatment. The difficulty breathing is worrisome as well. She will need fecal testing and possibly laboratory work depending on her exam findings. Based on these results, treatment can be prescribed. I would discuss the probiotic with your veterinarian as well. There is a large variation in quality and some have actually been found to contain pathogenic bacteria. I hope this information helps and she is feeling better soon!

Hello, sorry to hear about Marley. It sounds like she could have pain from another source. Another potential cause for pain that you can speak with your veterinarian about is back or neck pain. These can have very subtle signs and typically present as reluctance to walk, use the stairs, or jump on furniture. Intermittent whimpering or yelping, especially when being carries. In severe cases, some dogs could begin to drag their limbs or carry their head low. If you note these, then Marley likely has some form of back/neck pain and truly may need anti-inflammatory medications. Hope this helps and best of luck.