German Shepard not eating not the same dog

[JameyZ]

We just recently noticed our 10 yr old german shepard is not really eating.  I was albe to get him to eat last night by warming him up with some treats.  Overall he is moving slowly (he has always been a bit lazy, but quick to respond to playing) he lags behind on walks and doesnlt seem to have many bowel movements.  He is starting to look down his eyes are goopier than normal and he just doesn't seem interested in anything and looks to be having some trouble getting around.  We plan to take him to the vet first thing Mon., but we don't have a alot of money to spend on him.  I love him dearly, but unfortunately we need to take care of the reast of the family too on a very limited buget.  Anyone have ideas on what I can do to ease his unhappines over the weekend and be able to afford the care he might need???  Thanks......

[KikiMay]

Jay is right, the vet can check him up real quick and found the reason why he's not eating. It could be some type of diabetes too...so you did good to go to the vet and not to wait.

[Jaybay]

I'm glad to hear that you'll be taking your dog to the vet.  There are many things that could be going wrong at his age, and some pretty routine blood and urine tests should get you an answer.  Since it sounds like he's got an upset tummy, you can try giving him a Pepcid or a Zantac tablet in the morning, and maybe even a Tums for good measure later in the day.  Since he's lost his appetite, you'll probably have to pill him - just stuff it down his throat until it's past the point where his tongue rises against the roof of his mouth.  If you're really quick, it shouldn't bother him a bit.

You might call your vet today if they're open, and see if they'll do a payment plan or if they accept Care Credit.  You can also go to the Care Credit web site and apply yourself.  CC is a line of credit to be used only for medical bills for humans or animals.  Make sure you read the fine print, as I recall that any missed payments result in an outrageous interest increase.  It's nice to know it's there in case of emergency though. :-)