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My senior dog won't eat for days and is panting. What's wrong?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 58 lbs

My lab is about 12 yrs old. I feed her home cooked food. She has not wanted to eat for 3 days. She did have some canned food yesterday but not much. She is drinking. Now she us panting quickly and loudly. It's very hot during day but not so much at moment. What could be wrong?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lotus Altholtz

Veterinarian, Board-Certified Lab Animal Medicine Specialist

Published on March 2nd, 2019

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!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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