My Shih Tzu suddenly can't move, lost voice, and is limping. Why?

Oh dear! I'm afraid this sounds like a serious problem. If Oreo seems paralyzed on one side, cannot stand up, and is not eating, he needs to be taken to an emergency clinic right away to be seen. He may have sustained some type of head trauma or ingested something toxic, or may have a serious neurologic disease such as meningitis or encephalomyelitis. The ER veterinarian can do a complete neurologic exam to help determine what is causing his symptoms, and may also recommend blood work or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem so he can be started on appropriate treatment.

There could be lots of causes for this, including severe anemia or heart or lung disease causing profuse weakness, tick paralysis, neurologic disease, etc. I can't make a diagnosis without examining the puppy, so I would recommend that you have it evaluated by a vet for possible treatment options.

Please ocntact your vets office for a recheck or arrange for a second opinion - such severe weakness is very concerning and must be treated by a vet as soon as possible. Blood tests to check for internal medical causes such as liver disease would be recommended at this stage given his lack of recovery

Hello, sorry to hear about Lucky. He could be limping for multiple reasons and may be difficult to determine this without a physical examination. Lucky may have something stuck in between his toes or could have sprained a joint. Without any history of trauma (falling, being stepped on, being hit) its unlikely he could have a significant injury such a broken bone, but he could still have a soft tissue injury. If Lucky's lameness does not improve in the next 2-3 days, then you should have him evaluated by his veterinarian immediately. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Poor girl. She is likely in pain from the leg and that is why she was shaking. As long as she isn't screaming out in pain, having a seizure, or having severe lethargy, you should be able to wait until morning to get her seen by your regular vet. Until you can get her in, just let her rest in a cozy quiet area of the house and leash her whenerever she goes outside to keep her from causing further injury to the leg. The vet will likely do an x-ray of her leg or bloodwork if the issue seems to be neurologic in nature. I hope that Sasha's injuries get resolved soon! Best of luck and take care.

Oh my. Poor guy. His symptoms unfortunately aren’t specific for one disease process to speak ok. Lethargy, shivering and weakness can be caused by just about any disease process including: toxin ingestion, underlying heart disease, or even anaphylactic shock is a possibility. But one thing is sure, Snoopy is in need of medical care if this has been going on for more than 6 hrs or so. He will need some diagnostic testing (bloodwork analysis to start) to determine what the underlying problem is so that we know how best to help Snoopy get better. I would recommend getting him seen as soon as you can. I hope that he is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Best of luck to you and take care.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the symptoms you are describing, I would recommend having Zeus examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. He may be in pain from a leg injury causing him to not want to move much and also could be affecting his appetite / thirst. Another possibility is that Zeus is currently dealing with Tick Paralysis. There are also other possible causes but these are just a couple. I would get him in sooner rather than later and if that means taking him in as an emergency, I would certainly do so. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.