My neighbor called me and said that her dog has been feeling bad since yesterday. He is not eating or drinking, is cold to the touch and has blood in his stool. Any suggestions, please?

Why hasn't she called her Vet? Cold to the touch, not eating or drinking and blood in the stool. Hopefully by now she has called and talked to the Vet and gotten the dog in for a good exam and tests. That is my best advice.

Sounds like it may have been parvo or possibly poisioned... worms or any number of things... bless its heart...

"Comments on this post
TeeJayGee agrees: She as many ohters can't afford a vet, but she did call animal control to see if they could come and have him put down. I was just wondering if anyone knew what might have made him this sick."

TeeJay, this is very sad. Unfortunately, no one online can tell you exactly what was wrong with the dog. We don't know his age, and we can't examine him here. As dpb states, it could be any number of things.

How many animals does your neighbor have? If she can't afford a vet when they become ill, can you possibly help her to adopt out a few of her pets so that she can manage the situation better? Sometimes people don't realize that even though their intentions are good, they are doing more of a disservice to their pets when there are too many for them to manage both physically and financially.

While I can understand some of this I have a real hard time with the notion she cannot afford a Vet. Sorry, but owning a pet involves establishing a good relationship with a Vet. There are shots, exams, maintenance things that need to be done. Anything less is irresponsible.

I am sorry that this dog is feeling so sick. Could be parvo, could be a disease, could be... You get the idea. Hopefully this dog does not suffer much longer.

Shy, from her "agree" notation to you, it appears that the neighbor has "many other" pets. I don't know what that means but if she has "many other" pets and it has gotten the point that due to that, she cannot afford to get them medical attention, she may have gotten in over her head either by taking in too many or allowing her pets to breed. Maybe Teejay can enlighten us as to exactly what is going on and, if Teejay has a good relationship with the neighbor, and is willing to help the lady, Teejay might be the only person able to get the neighbor to begin looking for new homes or reach out to a local rescue operation or animal control for help. It sounds like she needs to pare down her animals to a manageable number.

You are right, Ruby. I also worry that this sick dog, if there is something contagious, could infect the other animals. Distemper is catchy. If this neighbor of hers cannot care for the animals properly then it is time for someone to step in and take the animals to a safe and healthy environment.