Sick Dogs
Basic Signs of a Sick Dog
You don't have to be a trained veterinarian to know when you have a sick dog on your hands.
As a dog owner, you know how your buddy acts, smells, and feels when he's healthy, and any change from that norm should be a tip-off that something is wrong.
It is a gut feeling, that your dog might be sick. Here are some signs to look for.
What's the norm?
First, like humans, dogs will often show signs of fever when their bodies are fighting off infection. Although exact norms vary by breed, most healthy dogs will have:
A rectal temperature between 101 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
A respiratory rate between 15 and 20 breaths per minute.
A heart rate that falls between 80 and 120 beats per minute.
Pink mucous membranes on the gums, the tongue, the insides of the eyelids, and inside the lips.
Clean-smelling skin and ears, and clear, bright eyes.
When should I call the vet?
The short answer is: whenever you suspect there is a problem with your dog that you don't know how to treat.
But there are also specific signs to look for, that should trigger a call to the vet, because they can indicate serious illness.
Do a quick check of your dog if you think something might be wrong.
Check the eyes: Is there redness, discharge, or swelling?
Check the nose: Is there discharge, running, or crusting?
Check the ears: Is there odor, debris, or discharge? Are they twitching or shaking?
Is your dog scratching at them?
If your check reveals anything out of the ordinary, call your animal health care center.
Warning signs
Warning signs that your dog is unhealthy and needs medical attention
Coughing, vomiting, gagging, and retching.
Heavy panting, shortness of breath, or irregular breathing patterns.
Discolored bowel movements, diarrhea, or constipation without a known cause.
Discolored urine, frequent urges to urinate, or straining during elimination; out-of-character "accidents."
Unexplained changes in body weight, thirst, or appetite.
A change in your dog's odor.
Lumps, cuts, scratches, or bite marks on your dog's skin (self-inflicted or otherwise).
Hair loss or excessive dander, often accompanied by excessive licking.
Any evidence of parasites.
Even if there are no outward warning signs, changes in your dog's behavior can be indicative of a serious problem.
Talk with your animal health provider if your dog displays signs of anxiety, depression, lethargy, fatigue, trembling, falling, stumbling, or sleepiness.
These behavioral cues, which may only be noticeable to you, may be your sick dog's way of telling you he needs help.
Knowing your dog
You won't always know the cause of your dog's medical problem- but simply by caring for your dog and knowing his personality and daily routine, you will more often than not be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of pain, discomfort, and illness. Watch for changes in behavior, appearance, and appetite. Even if he can't tell you why his stomach hurts, he will try to let you know - listen and watch, and you'll get the message.
Lizzie Novotny R.N has an informative website about dogs, especially the hunting dog breeds. She raises, trains and shows dogs and horses, and is familiar with all aspects of their care. Find answers to your dog-related questions by visiting her website at http://www.the-hunting-dog.com
Sick dog who is throwing up, and not eating?
So before anyone says anything, my dog has been to the vet. She was fully checked out, blood test, urine test and everything came back fine. Before all this happened I had to buy a adult dog food just for a bag. Well she started acting weird so we took her to the vet told she was fine. By weird I mean she lost control of her bladder and was peeing as she walked. She was having difficulty walking. But vet said the test came back fine and she seemed fine. So 225 dollars to be told I was over reacting. My dog has since stopped eating her originally puppy food. She only eats her treats and cat food, and wet food. She has now started throwing up all the time. Shes not eating anything to throw up!!!
Idk what to do, took her to the vet told shes fine and yet shes clearly not fine????
She is a 5 month old Husky Shepard
Get the answers...
What is wrong with my sick dog?!?
I have a one year old Maltese and he's been very healthy since I got him and always very active. His diet consists of Science Diet dog food and occasionally some human food but i'm careful to make sure it is low in fat and healthy for dogs. Last week is when some things started to happen and he is still very sick. Here is the timeline:
Monday 2/27: Threw up twice but was acting normal
Wednesday 2/29: I took him to get groomed. Afterwards one of his eyes became swollen shut for a few hours, but by the end of the night the eye was back to normal, but he was a bit lethargic.
Thursday 3/1: Lethargic all day and threw up again so I took him to the vet. They have him some fluids for dehydration and some medicine for vomiting/diarrhea as well as some food. He ate the food that night and seemed to perk up a little that night
Friday 3/2: Started to refuse to eat anything, but still would drink water and lethargic again
Saturday and Sunday 3/3-3/4: He continued to refuse to eat anything and stopped drinking water. He threw up bile again Sunday night
Monday 3/5: Took him to the vet again and got xrays and blood tests done along with a fecal sample. His blood work and fecal sample were fine and the xrays didn't show anything abnormal. They kept him there during the day since he was dehydrated again and to monitor him. When I picked him up he was still very lethargic and continued to refuse to eat or drink water that night. The vet told me he believed it was Pancreatitis and gave me medicine to give him but that if he didn't eat anything tonight or Tuesday morning to bring him back
Tuesday 3/6: He refused to eat or drink any water this morning so we brought him back to the vet. His abdomen was a bit hard today which is hasn't been the past visits, but they still think its Pancreatitis, but the medicine is not working. They are keeping him again today and overnight tonight and have him hooked up to an IV for fluids but he still wont eat the food they have out for him.
Any idea what it might be if its not Pancreatitis or why it is taking so long to make him well again or how much longer? I'm getting really worried since he has never been this sick and hes losing a lot of weight since he wont eat or drink anything!
We have tried to get him to eat a variety of foods since this began. The vet gave us ID food that is supposed to be easily digestible which is what he ate on Thursday but nothing since. We've tried plain roasted chicken, rice, egg, broth, etc...
Get the answers...
What can I feed my sick dog, she's refusing to eat?
She's already been to the vet and on meds to treat an infection. She was nibbling on food until yesterday and now she outright refuses to eat. She normally eats Blue Wilderness dry food and when she wouldn't eat it I cooked up some chicken and she was eating it for a few days. She refused to eat it so the vet told me to go buy chicken/turkey/beef baby food with no cornstarch which she ate for 2 days and now she is refusing that also. All she wants to eat is the honey I put on a spoon with bee propolis mixed with it.
Any suggestions on what I can give her? I was thinking about boiling eggs and feeding her those but I'm sure she'll get sick of that also at some point.
I should mention that all of my dogs only eat dog food. We do not give them people food and no scraps. It was the vets idea to tempt her with the cooked chicken and baby food.
Get the answers...
what dog disease includes the symptoms of diaherra, aggresion, fatigue and constant urination.?
my other dogs growl and now fight my sick dog what disease is that?
Get the answers...
My stepdad dumped my moms rescue dog on the side of the highway!?
My mom does a lot of rescue on dog at a time. And we ended up with a brindle lab mix that we had for almost a year. He was very timid and my step dad never liked him. So one day he said a guy from his work was interested and wanted to keep him on his farm. He took him to work with him and the guy took him and my step dad said he was doing great. He would come home for weeks and tell us all of these great stories about how he was doing. Well after a few weeks my mother got a call from the pound saying that they found Phoenix (the dogs name) and that he had gotten into a bin of tar and was covered from head to toe. My stepdad admitted that he was sick of the dog and just dumped it in hopes he would hit by a car so that no one would have to deal with him. And it wasn't the first time. He took our cats kittens to the pound, took our sick dog with parvo to the pound (while he was supposed to be taking him to the vet) and took my border collie to a dirt road and dumped him after he ates the neighbors breeding Chihuahua. They are divorced now because of his constant lying. What would you have done if your husband or stepdad did this?
Get the answers...
|
Next page: Sick Dogs Symptoms
Bookmark/Share This Page:
|
|
||
