My dog won't eat, lost weight, and vets found nothing. What to do?

That duration of inappetance is very concerning. Did you family vet prescribe some therapy, anti nausea medication? It sounds like your kid needs to see a specialist. For a case like this an internal medicine specialist would be the best person to see. A full abdominal ultrasound with an experienced ultrasonographer (either a radiologist or internist) is likely the first step if blood work and xrays are normal. Unfortunately some pets cases are complex and some disease processes require more advanced testing then what family vets can provide. Likely your family vet has ruled out some common things but an internist will look for the uncommon things. Unfortunately decreased appetite is a very non specific symptom because in animals when they do not feel good for any reason they can stop eating. Your family vet should be able to provide a referral for you if you are interested in this option. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that Bufford is having a problem with his diet. This happens occasionally due to a few reasons including boredom with the same diet, loss of satisfaction from the food, oral discomfort, jaw pain, among others. Your veterinarian can perform a physical exam and then advise some diet recommendations or advise some testing to evaluate his health (fecal exam, blood tests, x-rays, etc). Unless you can find an appropriate diet they he likes I would let your vet take a look at him and go from there. Good luck with Bufford.

I am so very sorry to hear about your dog. This must be very stressful. If your vet has found nothing on x-ray or bloodwork and Chiquis is not improving it sounds like it is time for more advanced diagnostics, such as endoscopy or ultrasound, or referral to an internist. This vomiting is very concerning and we need additional testing to determine why it is happening.

I'm sorry you are having such problems with Smudge. The vet may not want to give him an appetite stimulant because it could interact with any other medications he is on currently, or it may not be appropriate for him. It sounds like you are having a really tough time, so I would take him into another vet for a second opinion. Best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Coby is lethargic and not feeling well, I would have him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. He may be dealing with an infection or have something else going on that needs to be diagnosed by a vet. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Teddy! Since you are describing him as skinny I worry about medical causes for his anorexia. I would deworm him even if the stool is negative and have a stool sample checked. I have blood work ran to check his kidneys. If all the blood work comes back normal I would do a maldigestion/malabsorption profile (B12, folate, TLI, PLI), a bile acid to test liver function and test him for Addison's disease. Then I would ultrasound him to look for enlarged lymph nodes and thickened intestines that would suggest Inflammatory Bowel disease. I hope this helps and I wish you and Teddy the best!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lady. I'm sorry to hear that she is having these problems. I need a bit more information regarding any other symptoms she is having in addition to the decreased appetite and what testing has been done so far to make a more detailed recommendation. But I can outline my thought process for you. The first thing I would want to rule out is any source of pain on her physical exam. Pain from dental disease, arthritis or back pain can all affect the appetite. Then I would do blood work and a urinalysis. The blood work should include a complete blood count, chemistry panel and a test for pancreatitis known as a cPL. Next, I would do chest x-rays and an abdominal ultrasound. I may consider a trial course of pain medication or an anti-nausea medication. I hope this information is a starting point for you and I am available for a consultation of you want to discuss Lady in further detail.