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My senior pug won't eat, is losing weight, and sleeps all the time.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pug | Male | unneutered | 5 years and 6 months old | 24 lbs

My pug who is seven now by the name of Gum has lost his appetite and needs to nearly be fed by hand to eat.He refuses to eat on his own and is losing weight.He experienced the loss of his partner Bubbles and to replace her I adopted another pug but a male. They often play and seem to love each other and I do take them out on long walks twice a day. Gum has been given the most attention by me to try and make him more active as he was once. He ends up though sleeping more and I am worried.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Catherine Stecyk

Answered By Catherine Stecyk

Veterinarian

Published on March 4th, 2019

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Gum seems to have a decreased appetite and is more lethargic. While these are vague clinical signs, these may be due to some sort of underlying disease of either the gastrointestinal tract, liver or kidney disease, and/or a possible neoplastic or cancerous process. Since he has had a decreased appetite long enough to lose weight, I recommend having him evaluated by your veterinarian at their next available appointment. Your vet can perform bloodwork to look for any evidence of systemic illness that may be contributing to his clinical signs. His clinical signs are unlikely due to behavioral changes alone. I hope this is helpful - best of luck with Gum!
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