Why is my senior dog lethargic, not eating, panting, and swollen?

Question

I have a 9 year old cairn terrier named Blue who has been acting about strange for the last month or so. At first it didn’t seem entirely out of the ordinary, he would eat one meal a day and leave the other. But lately he hasn’t wanted to eat altogether. He seems lethargic, considering I go to school and work and am not home much sometimes. I do exercise him though. He also seems to be a bit warm and is panting heavily just laying down, his torso feels a bit swollen too. What should I do? Pet's info: Dog | Cairn Terrier | Male | neutered | 8 years and 11 months old | 20 lbs

Destini R. Holloway, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These symptoms are concerning, especially coming from an older pet lIke Blue. His warm feeling body could indicate an internal infection or inflammatory disorder, and his panting and swollen stomach could indicate underlying heart disease, an infection, or even cancer has to be considered here. I would highly recommend taking him in to your vet to have some testing done as soon as possible. The vet needs to do some bloodwork analysis and an x-ray to find out the underlying cause for his symptoms, since there are several disease processes that can cause the same symptoms. I do hope that Blue is able to make a full and speedy recovery with a diagnosis that is readily treatable. I wish you all the best! Take care.

Why is my senior dog lethargic, not eating, panting, and swollen?

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