Stray puppies only drinking water, not eating; one died. What to do?

Hi. This sounds very serious. It is an infectious cause it seems. Upper respiratory infections, viruses, parasites, poisionings, parvo, etc are all potential causes. I would take the puppy to the ER Right away

Ideally, they should be seen by your veterinarian. They may need supportive care (IV fluids, anti-emetics, anti-diarrheals, etc.) until symptoms resolve. If this is not possible right now, try warming the food slightly or mixing in a teaspoon of plain baby food to stimulate the appetite. Continue to offer water or unflavored PediaLyte. If they don't start eating again in 24 hours or if they develop stomach upset or abdominal pain, then they should be seen by your vet or at the nearest veterinary ER.

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). Considering your suspicion, a clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

I am sorry to hear about your puppy. In a puppy that size we do worry about hypoglycemia, which can present with these symptoms. A severe liver shunt, a cardiac defect, and a toxicity would also be suspected. If you have other puppies I would recommend getting a necropsy done on the puppy who died to try to help identify the underlying cause in case it is something you need to monitor in the other puppies.

I recommend to have your puppy examined quickly by the veterinarian. Whatever killed his sibling could be effecting him as well. Parvovirus and poisoning would be on the list of possible causes but you cannot know without testing. Sometimes puppies can make it if they are treated early and aggressively but you have to know whats wrong. Have the puppy examined quickly. Best of luck.

Poor pup! It definitely sounds like something is wrong. There are many things that can cause dogs to lose weight, not eat or drink, and not want to move, so it's hard to say what might be wrong without being able to examine him and run some tests. He may have an infectious disease such as parvo, a systemic illness like liver or kidney disease, or may have ingested something toxic. This does sound quite serious, so I would recommend taking Boy to the vet for an exam as soon as possible. He/she can do blood work and x-rays if needed to help diagnose the problem and get him started on appropriate treatment.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Joplin is very very sick. She might have a condition called "Parvovirus" which is a very serious virus that affects puppies, and is more likely if Joplin is unvaccinated. The other possible causes in a puppy include an obstruction in her gut (a blockage from a foreign object (ex. ball) that she ate, or an intussusception (the intestines telescoping in on each other). Also, depending on her age, pyometra is possible along with many other conditions. With what you are describing, I am very concerned that she could die without aggressive care. I strongly recommend you get Joplin to a vet right away, and if your vet is closed go to your closest emergency clinic. They will recommend a test of her poop, as well as possible bloodwork and x-rays, and will likely want to keep her in hospital on IV fluids and medications. Best of luck with Joplin, I hope she feels better soon!