Dog

Nothing is worse than discovering your pet has a serious illness, and finding that if you had gotten attention earlier, it would have been less severe. Sometimes the smallest change in personality or behavior can signal the onset of an illness, so knowing what is and is not normal for your pet can be essential. When you see something abnormal, it can be helpful to know some basic things to watch for.

Always remember that early detection of health problems is a key in successful treatment. To detect things early pay attention to even small changes in personality or behavior. For instance if your pet is normally outgoing and friendly and all the sudden is hiding beneath the furniture or whining when you pet him that is a good indication he may be sick. The better in tune with your pet you are the better health detective you will be. You will also be prepared with times and dates should your veterinarian need them.

There are a few symptoms that unquestioningly need medical assistance and one of them is blood in the urine. Blood in your dog’s urine can be an indication of kidney disease or failure. If that is the case, he will need immediate medical treatment. Your quick action could save your animal’s life so do not delay even a moment. Similarly, blood in the feces can point to a common illness called parvo. This virus if caught early can be cured but if left to long will be fatal.

If your dog is throwing up, you’ll find that you need to think about taking him to the vet. Dogs will throw up mildly when they have eaten something that has disagreed with them, but if you notice your dog throwing up repeatedly and seems to be fevered or in pain, this is a sign that veterinary attention might be required. Remember that dogs have evolved to continue looking healthy as long as they can, so keep in mind the fact that you need to pay attention to how they are doing.

When looking for symptoms of poor health in your dog do not overlook their coat. A dogs coat should feel thick and look relatively glossy. If you reach down to pet your dog and find that the coat is oddly dry and brittle or there are bald patches you should check into the cause. One common cause of a bad coat is worms; this parasite robs the dog of nutrition and therefore leaves the coat unhealthy. Of course, if you have a dog whose hair is naturally coarse, like a wirehaired terrier then this rule does not apply.

These are only a few basic health problems that your dog might be facing, so take the time to figure out what is normal for your dog and what is not; this is the best way to figure out how healthy he is!

For information on dog health symptoms and dog health diagnosis to keep your dog healthy, go to HealthierDogs.com