My 12 year old dog got up this morning and could not steady himself. He was shaking a little and could not balance. I did start him on a new dog food this past Friday. He is walking very slowly now, is drinking water, but will not eat chicken and rice. I am very worried... any ideas about what is wrong??

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Originally Posted by micnic2

My 12 year old dog got up this morning and could not steady himself. He was shaking a little and could not balance. I did start him on a new dog food this past Friday. He is walking very slowly now, is drinking water, but will not eat chicken and rice. I am very worried...any ideas about what is wrong???

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Yeah maybe your dog got bad food, you need to get him to a vet asap

I highly doubt the food is a problem. There is some chance a sudden switch was a problem, but that usually shows up as a digestive upset. Even if it is a larger breed, it may not be an aging problem. You need to get him to a vet and find out what the problem really is. It is hard to say if you need to seek emergency care today or wait until tomorrow. A day or 2 without eating is no problem for most dogs, but whatever is causing him not to eat needs to be found and fixed.

If you have any of the old food around, you might offer it to him, but other than that, I wouldn't offer him anything else until talking to the vet. If what you are feeding him now is one of the common brands of dry chow, it is highly unlikely it is the problem.

I am sorry I wasn't around to answer this question when it was posted yesterday. I agree with labman in that I don't think the food is the problem. I hope you were able to get your dog into the vets office today. Frankly, the unsteadiness on the feet, shaking and inability to balance himself sound like he might have had suffered a small stroke. Whenever your dog is physically not acting his usual self, it is better to err on the side of caution and get him medical treatment asap. Please let us know how he is doing.