My shih tzu is about 14 years old and hasn't eaten for the past for days. I got him to eat three bites of a fried egg today but then he threw it up. He stumbles when he walks, seems very disorientated, has a dry nose, and is breathing oddly. I can't afford to take him to the vet, what do I do? I've tried feeding him wet food, fried egg, plain rice, rice with chicken, hell I even tried a hot dog just to tempt his appetite (he loves hot dogs) but he wouldn't even eat that. I don't want to lose my baby!
I can't tell you what is wrong. It could be anything from kidney trouble, or pancreatitis,to infection, or it may be no more than a badly upset tummy. But he needs veterinary care immediately. No doubt the vet will need to do his bloodwork, to get a picture of how his organs are functioning. That is often a first line in diagnosis with dogs, as bloodwork shows up many things.
Of course, this costs money. Can you get "Care Credit"? (You would need to ask about this at the vet's office)
Otherwise, is it possible to borrow this money either from someone you know who trusts you, or on your credit card, or via bank overdraft?
There are some helpful resources someone posted here a while ago, for assistance in paying vets' bills. I'll see if I can find the post, and I'll be back with the link to it.
Take him to the vet straight away.