Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

Why is my Lab mix sick with vomiting, diarrhea, and not eating?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | unneutered | 65 lbs

Labrador mix (approx 8 months old, we found 5 weeks ago) has not eaten or had much water in the last day or so. He has a noticeable lack of energy & change in demeanor. He threw up last night (clear/while mucus liquid; also had diarrhea. Today no change. We have a new addition into our home; a black Labrador mix puppy for only 5 days now we rescued. He and his dad are very close and at first we thought he was just being jealous, but know we aren’t so sure. Both dogs do have colds by the way.

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 21st, 2018

I'm sorry Leo isn't doing well at the moment! Given that both dogs have respiratory infection, his symptoms could be due to that. Respiratory infections cause a dog to be lethargic as well as have a decrease in appetite. Vomiting can occur with a respiratory infection because a dog can cough a lot leading to that happening. Diarrhea, however, isn't typically seen with a respiratory infection, and that could be caused by intestinal worms. Puppies typically care them, and if Leo hasn't been dewormed lately, he could have gotten them from your new puppy. Finally, I'm not sure if Leo has been fully vaccinated or not, but if he hasn't, his symptoms could be caused by parvovirus or distemper. Both are highly contagious and very serious. I don't think Leo is being jealous, I think he is legitimately ill. Because I can't see him in person to rule out something serious like parvo or distemper and because I don't know his vaccination status, I do think having him seen by a vet sooner rather than later is best. It's concerning he hasn't eaten or had much water in at least 24 hours, and it needs to be checked out by a vet. Please bring him into a vet today. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Should I take my dog to the vet. He vomited the past two days. But then was better today until he went the bathroom and it was liquid and a very odd color. Just want to make sure he is healthy.
It sounds like Leo is sick and I recommend to have him examined by his veterinarian. Pets can develop diarrhea and vomiting due to many conditions including new food or treats, bacterial over growth, viral infections, parasites or other even organ disease. With continued diarrhea, there are often bacterial shifts in the gut that will make matters worse regardless of the initial cause. Make sure to bring in a sample of fresh stool. The doctor will check him for parasites and bacterial over growth. Many times a bland diet can help and then a slow, gradual introduction to the new food can be done. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. A good diet in general is Royal Canin and I recommend to feed this brand. It is low residue and highly digestible. I hope Leo starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi I was wondering what I could do to help my dog he has been vomiting after eating and has had on and off shivers I am not sure if it is a cold or upset stomach? He has also not been as energetic as he usually is? He is about 10 pounds and is a mix
Vomiting is a very vague sign and could indicate several different things going on. Some of the more common causes of vomiting include intestinal parasites, gastritis (inflammation of the stomach wall), pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, or a foreign body/blockage. If Leo has been sick for more than 2 days I would recommend taking him to the vet. He may be dehydrated and need fluids as well as some antinausea medication to help stop the vomiting. Your vet may also want to run some lab work and take x-rays as well. In the meantime, try withholding food (water is ok) for 12-24 hours to see if this helps settle the stomach. You may also want to try and feed him something easily digestible like plain boiled chicken and rice and see if he can keep it down. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Boop by Petco. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My puppy is boxer/bull terrier mix. He's vomiting his food about 5 min after eating. He did so with 5 meals and now he won't eat his food. I gave him a milk bone and he was gnawing on it. He's drinking water and he's sniffing for food. I noticed he's
Vomiting could be caused by parasites, change in diet, toxin ingestion, infectious viral diseases, blockage in the intestines caused by ingestion of a foreign body, or a mass/growth in the gastrointestinal tract. There is also the possibility of parvovirus infection (a potentially fatal disease that causes gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting and diarrhea) which can be very severe in puppies. Please make an appointment to have Leo seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment, as a puppy who is vomiting and not eating can rapidly develop low blood sugar and dehydration that can be very dangerous and even fatal if left untreated.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My+dog+leo+keeps+throwing+up+and+having++diarrhea;+his+stool+is+like+water.+What+should+i+get+him+to+help++ease+his+stomach+and+get+rid+of+his+diarrhea?
It sounds as Leo is suffering from a gastrointestinal condition, possibly an infection. it could also be due to ingestion of a foreign body material. i would recommend taking him to the vet the first chance you get, he will need to be checked first, if the vet thinks it's a simple gastrointestinal infection he will need an anti vomiting injection, antibiotics and a special food for a few days in order to get better.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello. I have a beagle, he is 8.5 years old and has been vomiting yesterday and had diarrhea. That continued this morning, but later in the day his appetite was back and he ate some light food. What concerns me is that he started falling down, like h
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Vomiting and diarrhea can be observed with conditions such as gastroenteritis, pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion, gastrointestinal foreign body ingestion and obstruction, among other possibilities. I am afraid that these episodes of weakness are caused by severe dehydration. For this reason, I highly recommend that you have Leo evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as soon as possible as I am afraid he is likely becoming dehydrated. They would be able to check for these possibilities and also check his hydration status and give him medications to make him feel better. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 9 year old lab, Leo, started throwing up once in a week or so in March.Tthe Vet was treating him for the minor infection that showed up in his reports. A month passed by but he still threw up and the frequency started increasing to once in 3-4 day
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Leo. In the bloodwork that he had done, do you know of his cobalamin, folate and pancreatic values were tested? These are important tests with chronic gastrointestinal disease. Cobalamin and folate are vitamins used in digestion. If either are low, they will require supplementation. This can help a lot. Next, has he undergone a strict diet trial with a prescription diet? This will help if he has a food allergy, food intolerance or inflammatory bowel disease. These are a few things I think of when hearing of Leo's problems. I hope this information is a good starting point for you.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 2yr old male Golden retriever started diarrhea and vomit when he had rice. I switched to royal canin and he's very fine with that. He has parle biscuits for breakfast and bread, carrot or cashews for snacks. He started to vomit and had diarrhea wh
Poor Leo! The diarrhea could be due to many conditions including eating something he shouldn’t have, bacterial over growth, parasites or even organ disease. If the diarrhea has continued beyond 24 hours, I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian. With continued diarrhea, there are often bacterial shifts in the gut that will make matters worse regardless of the initial cause. Make sure to bring in a sample of fresh stool. The doctor will check him for parasites and bacterial over growth. Many times a bland diet can help and then a slow, gradual introduction to the normal food can be done. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. Here is a link about diarrhea which may also help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/diarrhea-in-dogs/ Royal Canin is a great diet and I recommend to stick with it after Leo finishes his bland diet. It is low residue and highly digestible. I hope Leo starts feeling better quickly!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, Yesterday I gave my four month old puppy a bone to bite on for the first time.From last evening he has been vomiting and he has diarrhoea as well.He seems very tired and he is not eating anything ever since
Hello, I would recommend taking Leo to be seen by his veterinarian. If Leo ingested a large piece of bone, it could become stuck in his intestines and require surgical removal. Ingestion of bones can also cause inflammation of the pancreas, perforate the gastrointestinal tract, break teeth, and more. Puppies should always want to play and eat, so a lack of energy and appetite is very concerning. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
We adopted two female puppies from the shelter a week & 3 days ago, they are about 2mo & 1w old now. They've had 1st round of parvo shots & been fixed. They developed kennel cough so we have been giving them meds they provided. Last day of meds is to
Hello. I’m sorry they are having problems. I am concerned that the vomiting and diarrhea may be from a viral or bacterial infection. Young puppies are susceptible to viruses like Parvo and others. It would be best to have them examined by your veterinarian. They may want to test for Parvo and they can also help with anti nausea medications, fluids, etc.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Golden lab pup 8 weeks old ,has very runny poo after going about 4 times this evening, not eating his food,and vomit once
Baily is so cute! I am concerned though that he is not eating and having such intestinal upset. I would recommend you take Baily in for an exam with your vet as soon as possible. Puppies this young can get dehydrated very quickly and become quite ill. I am worried about the possibility of intestinal parasites, eating something he shouldn't have (dietary indiscretion), or even a bacterial or viral infection (like parvovirus). Baily may need some tests to see what the underlying cause is, such as a parvo test and fecal test. He also may need some anti-nausea medication, antibiotics, or even fluid therapy if he is dehydrated. I hope he gets back on track quickly!
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Food Dog Supplies Dog Health & Wellness Prescription Dog Digestive Medications Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Electrolytes for Dogs Dog First Aid & Recovery At-Home Dog Vaccines Dog Vitamins & Supplements Dog Anxiety Medication DOG by Dr Lisa Dog First Aid & Recovery Metoclopramide Prescription Dog Digestive Medications Lactulose Prescription Dog Digestive Medications Under the Weather Dog Health & Wellness Levetiracetam Dog Seizure Medication Vetnique Labs Dog First Aid & Recovery Vetnique Labs Dog Health & Wellness Viokase-V Prescription Dog Digestive Medications Veterinary Diets Dog Health & Wellness Lactated Ringers Electrolytes for Dogs
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored