Your dog does not speak! It sounds trivial but he will not be able to tell you if he is suffering, let alone where the pain is located, if it is recent, whether it is an illness or simply shock trauma. So it’s up to you to be vigilant, to observe his attitudes, his behavioral changes … all the signs that can alert you and direct the diagnosis of the veterinarian, if your dog suffers from an illness.
If certain signs of illness are clearly visible, such as diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, lameness … and that one thinks easily to evoke to his vet, other symptoms are sometimes more discreet, less known, and they are not connected not necessarily a disease.
Indeed, dogs hide more signs of disease than humans, and even if you think you know your dog well, you may not realize that he is sick. When the animal begins to weaken, it is already sometimes too late!
Finally, it is necessary to be much more vigilant and reactive with an adult or senior dog than with a puppy, well observe it, and do not wait too much, even if the symptoms are discreet!
10. Your dog drinks and urine a lot
This is a major symptom in our dogs. Our animals do not drink much, especially if they eat wet food.
And even though dogs are fed with kibble, they usually drink at most 50ml per kilogram per day.
If they exceed this amount, it can be a sign of many diseases, while many people think, “If my pet drinks well and urine a lot is that everything is fine.”
It is a sign of: Renal Insufficiency, Hepatic Insufficiency, Diabetes, Hypercalcemia, Urinary Infection, Metritis, Hypercorticism (Cushing’s Disease …).
This is an important signal to observe and tell your veterinarian if it lasts a few days.
9. Your dog looks healthy but he vomits often and his stools are often soft
If the animal is fit and properly wormed, then it is a maldigestion, probably related to an intolerance or a food allergy.
The goal of good food is to not have vomiting (1 to 2 times per month maximum), stools very hard and well molded, and no or little smelly gas.
As long as this goal is not achieved, it must be said that the food is not suitable and ask for food advice to his veterinarian.
8.Your dog is always hungry
If this happens sometimes after sterilization, it is often a sign of hormonal disease or maldigestion.
If at the same time, the animal grows, one will think of a disease of the type: Diabetes Sweet dog, Hypothyroidism, Hypercorticism (Cushing’s disease).
If, on the other hand, the animal loses weight, we will think: Hyperthyroidism, Gastrointestinal parasitism (tapeworm or other parasite that will need to deworm the dog), Chronic Maldigestion.
It is therefore an important sign to report during a consultation.
7. What disease if … my dog has very bad breath
The bad breath in the dog is a symptom sometimes discreet, it can be the sign of infection of the gums, a tooth, and even often of alveolar pyorrhea with attack of the mandibular bone.
This is often the case, for example, in small dogs that are not descaled often enough. The dog will then eat normally while swallowing his food, the only noticeable symptom by you being the smell.
One prevention solution: brushing teeth from an early age. And as soon as you feel an abnormal smell, tell the veterinarian, the faster he will act better your dog will be treated.
6. What disease if … my dog is fine but he is losing weight
Except for voluntary dieting, it is never a good thing when your pet loses weight, especially if it is no longer young.
This requires, as soon as you remember, a visit to your veterinarian for a complete clinical examination, as well as a blood test. Indeed, the animal can continue to eat for a long time, even as evolved a tumor or kidney or liver failure. Better to act before!
5. What disease if … my dog coughs at night
Cough often signifies a pure respiratory disease (tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia), but a nocturnal cough or cough on exercise (running, long walks, games …) can sometimes be a sign of cardiac decompensation, which must be reported so that the veterinarian directs his research.
4. What a sickness if … my dog licks his paws and rubs his muzzle on the carpet
The pruritus of the paws and the face is a major sign of atopy (allergy to pneumallergens: mites, pollen …) or food allergy or sign of anxiety.
This is sometimes the only visible sign that you will notice, without any other itch. If this symptom is very common, it should be discussed with the veterinarian because the allergy may worsen, while there are treatments for the cause
3. What disease if … my dog does not jump anymore
It’s a dog with back pain. He may have run into a piece of furniture, or made a wrong move while playing or jumping. It is also sometimes due to age (with age, dogs can develop vertebral osteoarthritis).
Whatever the cause, there are good treatments, anti-inflammatory or not, to relieve the animal, even old.
2. What disease if … my puppy runs like a rabbit
That is to say by bringing back the 2 hind legs at the same time. He also goes and lie on his stomach stretching the two legs back.
These are again, usual signs of a common hereditary disease in large breeds: Coxo-femoral dysplasia (hip).
These signs should be reported immediately to the veterinarian, even if the dog does not limp, because the treatments are more effective than they are early.
10. Rabies
While it’s unlikely that you’ll contract rabies from your pet (it’s most commonly contracted from wild animals like raccoons and bats), it’s within the realm of possibility since it is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal. “The disease is most commonly contracted through a bite, although potentially it could be transmitted through a scratch as well,” says Gary Richter, MS, DVM, a veterinary health expert with Rover.com. “Although human exposure to rabies from a dog is uncommon, it’s worth noting since rabies is almost 100 percent fatal if the person is not treated immediately after exposure.” The best way to prevent it is to keep your pet up-to-date with their vaccines.
Symptoms in pets: Foaming at the mouth is the most common sign of rabies, but other symptoms could include behavioral changes, fever, hypersensitivity to touch, light, and sound, hiding in dark places, staggering, loss of appetite, and seizures.