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My dog won't eat, is itchy, and has anal gland issues. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 10 years old | 100 lbs

My dog has not eaten her breakfast or dinner 2 days in a row. At first we thought she was feeling spoiled so we put chicken in it and let her eat inside. She still didn’t eat. She has also been very itchy, even afree 2 flea treatments, and has secreted her anal gland twice. What could be going on? She is quite a fatty so it is very unlike her to not eat.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on January 15th, 2018

Not eating or more than just a day is definitely concerning, particularly if this is highly unusual and she's turning away things like chicken. I would be concerned about some sort of infectious or inflammatory process going on, a primary or secondary gastrointestinal issue, or one of her organ systems (liver or kidney) acting up in some fashion. If she also isn't taking anything to drink, I would definitely be worrying about dehydration setting in. If she hasn't taken anything for you by the morning, get her into the veterinarian for a check up. Unless they are able to make a determination which is obvious based on physical exam, they will want to likely run some diagnostic blood work and perhaps imaging. Hope this makes sense.

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 28th, 2017

    Hi there. I'm sorry to hear that Tofu is not feeling well. At his age I would be worried about a virus, parasites or an intestinal obstruction. Those are going to be the most common things. Other possibility is that he was born with a problem with his kidneys or liver. My best recommendation is to take him to the vet for an exam and some bloodwork. That can rule in/out many of the things I mentioned above. Of course more testing may be needed like a fecal test or x-rays. It will depend on what the vet finds on the exam. Unfortunately his symptoms are very vague and could be a sign of any of those diseases (and more). They are not specific signs for any one disease process so I cannot pinpoint exactly what is happening just based on your description. If he is sick, you need to get him to a vet as soon as you can. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you and Tofu. I hope he is back to feeling better soon!

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