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Why is my senior dog weak, not eating, drinking lots, breathing hard?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 40 lbs

My dog, (a black lab pitbull mix) won't eat, and just drinks unnatural amounts of water. She's around 7 years old. She has a hard time breathing, and snores while she's awake. She seems to be very weak, and lays down for hours at a time, but is otherwise her normal sweet self. Do you know what might be the problem?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on June 24th, 2018

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!
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