My dog not eating and no energy

[Bytoey]

I have a male golden retriever, he is 11 years old and I'm extremely worried.
My dog hasn't been eating properly for the past few weeks, he refuses to eat his  normal food so we've been cooking him rice/eggs/meat/liver etc. Then after a while he doesn't eat himself unless we feed him by hands..and now he doesn't eat at all.  Though he does eat some type of snacks. Now, he doesn't seem to have the energy to get up. He would try to get up but his legs seems to be weak or something. I tried helping him up and everything but I don't know what is wrong. Just now, he got up to drink some water but I noticed that he was sort of limping. I'm really worried and I don't know what to do. Please help me figure out what could be the problem and why is he sick. Is he depressed? Bored of food? Thank you so much for your time.

[peekawho]

This is beyond what anyone online can really help you with.  Your dog needs to go to a vet, and soon.  If money is an issue, I posted some hints a few posts down about how to help pay for vet bills.

But you really can't let this go on a lot longer.  Please post back and let us know what you find out.  I know what its like to worry about your best friend.

[MomOfTwoGrls]

You need to take him to the vet.  There are so many possibilities that could be wrong with him.  Did you feed him any of the recalled pet food? Could he gotten into any poisons?  It could be his time, the life expectancy for a golden retriever is 10 to 13 years.

Take him to the vet and Good Luck!

[Brown Eyed Gurl]

My young puppy just went through this and ended up being a stomach like flu he gave her some intestinal med to calm her stomach and after 2 days she's eats like normal

[SarahWilson]

ASAP.

A golden puppy who is weak and not eating well - and been going on for weeks - needs immediate medical attention.

[tmv]

Has he had any teeth cleanings lately? This is close the age where annual cleanings are necessary to remove tarter buildup. Take him to the vet and they can check his jaw teeth along with many other things as there can be many things that can cause loss of appetite. Let us know how he is doing.

[Sick Puppy07]

Please help me.  My dog isn't eating his food and I do not have any money to take him to a vet.  I saw that you said you would post something regarding this, but I didn't see anything.  He also has mucous in his eyes, at first I thought it was parvo but now he is drinking water and his nose isn't dry at the moment.  Can you please email me at ***@****.

[ToddZander]

Did you ever hear back with an answer to your question? My golden will be 12 on June 5th. He has the exact same issues as you mentioned in your first post.  I don't have money for a vet and dont know anyone. I just moved to Chicago from San Diego. So I can't even go to his normal vet.  I'm really scared. He wouldn't even eat bacon that I made about an hour ago.  
Any response would be very much appreciated.  
Right now I'm trying to infect child Pedialyte into his mouth hoping to get his some sort of energy.
My name is Todd Zander
214-563-8266
***@****.

Thank you in advance for anything you can share with me.

[bmcd]

My Rotweiller, at age 5, demonstrated the same symptoms.  I took him him to the vet immediately, in Feb. 06.  He had an enlarged prostate gland.  He passed on May 4, 06.  Turns out he had prostate cancer that eventually moved into his lungs.  Don't want to scare you, but the symptoms sound so familiar to me.  The dog needs to see his doctor.

[momoftwogoldens]

My 10 year old female Golden Retriever is doing exactly the same thing.  The last few weeks she was having a few days of not really wanting to eat then she would perk up and gobble down a big bowl of food.  It has been about two weeks now that she has not perked up.  Today she seems very week and is breathing hard. She is having a hard time going up and down the stairs and is just staring into space.   I took her to the vet a few days ago and he said to try to feed her wet food and to wait another week.  I am going to call tomorrow since it is only getting worse.  She ate the wet food for one setting and now wont even look at it.  I made her a steak last night and she did eat that but I am not sure if it didn't shock her system.  She is 10 but I am not ready to face the reality of this.  I will post what I find out at the vet.  I think they start with blood test, then utlra sounds and x-rays.  He did bring up the C word but we are hoping for the best.  Also, her eyes have been goopy for a year or so and the vet hs said not to worry too much and gives me drops.  Our other Golden (9yrs) has polyups on the bladder they found last year and it is so expensive for just the tests alone.  What do you do though?  Our credit card companies are having a good year.  Advise to all young dog owners - get pet insurance.

[Jaybay]

You will probably get more responses if you create a new post with your topic.  That said, definitely get some basic labs done to check liver, pancreas and kidney function.  If at all possible, bring in a first-morning urine sample as well.  Just put her on a leash and pop a cup underneath her as soon as she squats.  If you can't get to the vet within an hour or so, put the sample in the fridge.  There's no need to jump to the cancer conclusion just yet.  In the meantime, don't feed a bunch of fatty foods.  If you feed steak, cut off any excess fat.  If your dog has a pancreas problem, fat can be deadly.

Are there any other symptoms you've noticed?  Increased or decreased water intake?  Constipation or diarrhea?  Bowel noises?  Gas?  Any observations will help your vet with a diagnosis.

One thing you can do for a dog with tummy troubles is feed chicken (canned, boiled or roasted) with white rice.  Swanson's low-sodium broth can also be helpful for tempting sickly dogs into getting a little appetite worked up and fluids inside.  Not much in the way of calories, but it's better than nothing.  Unless kidneys are an issue, reglan is a great short-term medication for nausea that is also very cheap.

[momoftwogoldens]

Thank you for your advise.  We took Zoe in yesterday and she had a tumor on the spleen and was hemmoraging.  They took her into surgery and she made it until they stapled her up then rolled her over and her heart gave out.  My pretty baby girl is gone and it is unbareable today.  Just looking for her in the spots she lays and hoping she will be there.  My other dog was out following her tracks in the snow this morning which broke my heart. It seems so quite without her.  I wish the vet had done the tests last week when I took her in.  They could have removed the spleen before it hemmoraged.  We are very sad and my heart goes out to all of you who have ever lost a four legged family member.  She was our first born and 10 years old, her bother is 9 and the cat is 8.  We don't have any human kids and they truly are the meaning of our lives.  

[Jaybay]

Oh!  I am so sorry for your loss!  What a horrible experience for you.  The one blessing in all this is that Zoe didn't suffer long.  I know how difficult it is right now, but try to focus on the wonderful long years she had with you.  When animals and people die, it's usually a messy situation.  Not many of us are blessed to just go in our sleep.  Time really will heal the wounds on your heart.

[momoftwogoldens]

Thank you - it is sad and we were very blessed to have her for 10 years. I am now the crazy lady that is talking to my imaginary dog.  I am sure it will get easier but I will never forget her and she will always be in my heart.  Every day the tears have been less and I know I will meet her again at the Rainbow Bridge.  Thank you for taking the time to respond to everyone and for truly caring about these wonderful furry friends of ours.  

[suzi-q]

I had to put my dog down on Saturday, the 15th of December.  My heart is broken.  How are you doing? My dog was 12 and had advanced heart disease and (without knowing) the beginning of kidney disease.  She was a slow dog at this point but very content.  2 weeks ago she was attacked by a german shepherd while my husband was walking her.  She survived the bites, but within the next week she stopped eating completely and her kidney values were very high.  Treating the heart disease and kidney disease contradict each other so we felt it best to put her down before she wasted away from not eating (her joy of her life!) or gasping for breath from her heart condition.  It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and I have peace and yet guilt at the same time.  I miss her soooo much...I was was wondering how you are handling the loss of Zoe.  May  God bless her!!  I wish you peace.

[minpinrocks]

the best bet is the vet if u wait u might do more harm than good and ask about his teeth

[norbert976]

I have a 16 yr old doberman and from last two weeks he refuses to eat anything , he has gone weak on his legs  and only eats if we force him to eat but very very less . he needs help to get up , sleep and walk , whole night he moans . almost every alternate day he is on IV . He keeps his mouth shut and very tight and head is always bent downwards . at times he keeps on crying . Doc says he is too old to do anything . Any suggestions please . Feel helpless and can not see him suffer like this . I think this would not go long like this .

[Jubilada1947]

Hi,
Just found your post and saw that no one had replied to you. It may be late but I think that at this stage the only things you can do to help are to keep him nice and warm and to give comfort and love.  I'm sure dogs, like humans, can hear you even when they don't seem to be responding so just talk to him, tell him how wonderful he is and thank him for the 16years of devotion. Eventually you have to make a decision whether his quality of life is good enough and, if you feel it isn't, then you have to let him go with dignity. It's an amazingly hard thing to do but remember that it is something that we have to do for the dog we love so much, not for ourselves. I do hope that by now your dog will have rallied and you will not need my advice, but if not I hope it may help. God Bless

[sstone920]

My 12 year old female has been so sick, I have taken her to my vet her blood count has been normal for months and she has been on several antibiotic.  Yesterday I took her to another vet, who was very aggersive with her testing.  She has a very high white count, but no reason for the count to be so high, yes I have spent over 800 dollars to try to help her and I do not care about the money, she is my best friend.  She is on another antibiotic, the problem is she is not eating and I have tried anything to get her to eat, if anyone can suggest what I can fix her please let me know, thanks

[Max20611]

We have a almost 15 y/o female Golden; she is not doing well.  Stopped eating, everything!  She just turns her head.  I have tried everything in the kitchen.  She moans alot and breathes hard.  She has very little energy and severe diarhea.  I am the step mom to her; my husband rescued her from an abusive home nearly 13 years ago.  She is his heart and he wont deal with this.  We need to put her down so she suffers no more.  We are suppose to go out of town on Friday and return Sunday.  We have someone coming to stay with her at the house.  I don't think she will make it through the week.  My husband said he can't put her to sleep prior to the trip (it is business related for him).  I don't want her to die with out us being here for her.  How do I convince my husband the best thing for Chrissie is to let her go now?  She is suffering so.  She had an accident in the house last night.  I have been up with her since 3 this morning.  She is so tired.  I tell her everyday it is okay to let go.  This is such a difficult time for her and I don't know how my husband is going to handle it.  This is his favorite child (no 2 legged children for him).  Our other pets, 2 cats, are now avoiding her; I think they smell the death on her.

Thank you for letting me vent!

[rootietootie]

Hi, first of all I am so sorry for what you are going through.  I know how it feels all too well.  Can you try to take him to the vet before you go?  They might be able to give you good advice about what to do.  They might also determine she is so sick that she needs to be put down now, and then your hubby might be convinced easier.  I think if she died when you were out of town, you might deal with some guilt over it.  It is easier to ignore the problem when it is painful, (your hubby) But you don't want him to have any guilty feelings later.  You should tell him that too.  Keep us posted  and good luck, Hugs Shannon

[rootietootie]

Hi, first of all I am so sorry for what you are going through.  I know how it feels all too well.  Can you try to take him to the vet before you go?  They might be able to give you good advice about what to do.  They might also determine she is so sick that she needs to be put down now, and then your hubby might be convinced easier.  I think if she died when you were out of town, you might deal with some guilt over it.  It is easier to ignore the problem when it is painful, (your hubby) But you don't want him to have any guilty feelings later.  You should tell him that too.  Keep us posted  and good luck, Hugs Shannon

[rootietootie]

You may want to make a new post so you will get more replies.  This is the end of an old one....

[reena_medina]

Hi, My dog Max is not eating.  He is a mixed breed, german shepperd and lab and will be 8 years this February.  He is a beautiful black dog and the entire neighborhood loves him! About a month and a half ago he began to lose his appetite... SO UNLIKE HIM! He has lost 30 pounds and is bony and weak.  For the past three days he has stopped eating altogether.  She has had blood labs, xrays, ultrasounds, etc. The vet wants to perform "experimental surgery" on him after stabilizing him... but I am afraid he is too weak and will not survive it.  We have tried everything: broth, chicken, babyfood, treats, rice, i mean.. everything!  I am terrified because we are watching him starve himself to death! Please tell me what to do, anybody.  He has an apt with a Holistic Doctor on Monday but it is Saturday evening and he hasn't eaten for the past 3 days... I am scared he won't make it.  He could hardly get up and is soooo weak.  I even tried to blow marijuana smoke in his face, to calm his nausea and give him an appetite, as I read may help, but it did not. He throws up, drinks water, and chews on grass... so I know it is not his teeth.  Sorry for going on but I am really scared, he is the heart and soul of this family!!! Please help, please reply... thanks

Korina Medina

[xxgawjuzuxx]

i dont know if this will help but maybe you should get a blood test done, i found that my 8 year old dog had severe kidney failure in january & this sounds much like what she was like.

[efalefa]

well
my 1yr old yorkshire terrier has completely stopped eating any form of dog (even cat) food i give him, ive tried every brand under the sun but he stil doesnt eat it , now, he will eat the odd bit of steak or chicken or rasher ect ill hand him or even cheese but hes now stopped eating those too. hes getting lifeless and im wondring what i should do. he also was knocked down by a car in may yet when i brought him to the vet they xrayed him and said he was fine , maybe this could be related ?? and i dont want to bring him to the vet as i payed €100 4 him last time when there was nothing wrong.

please help me !! :( :( :(