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.

[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.