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How to Know When Your Pet Is Sick

Signs to watch out for

By Paisley HansenPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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Behavior

The first sign is when the dog has a change in their behavior. This means that the dog is going to be acting in a strange way. Some of the things that you will need to look for are clingy or needy, withdrawal, irritability, lethargy, and agitation. All of these things could be a sign that your dog is very sick and the dog will need to go to the doctor as soon as possible.

Breathing

The second sign is when the dog is having trouble breathing. Sometimes, this could be very obvious or subtle, depending on what might be causing the dog to have trouble breathing. Some of the things that could show that the dog is having trouble breathing are wheeziness or breathing that is noisy, a honking cough, persistent gagging, breathing that is labored, a cough that seems to last more than 24 hours or disrupts the dog's sleep, and any discharge from their nasal cavity like mucus or blood. If you notice that the dog is having trouble breathing, then you will need to check their gums and tongue to see if they are pink. If the gums have a blue tint to them, then something is seriously wrong, so you are going to need to seek emergency help immediately.

Potty

The third sign is when the dog is having issues going potty. If your dog has any changes in its bathroom habits, then it can indicate a major problem. If you notice that your dog is having trouble defecating or passing urine, you will need to call the doctor. Major problems could be if they are urinating a lot more than they used to or if they are having urinary or fecal accidents when they were previously house-trained.

Tummy

The fourth sign is when the dog is having troubles with their tummy. Most of the time, it is not a big deal if the dog has diarrhea or vomits every once in awhile. This is because there is a possibility that the dog just ate too many treats or table food that gave a dog stomach ache. But if the dog has the symptoms for a long period of time, with the combination of a poor appetite or lethargy, then you should call the veterinarian immediately. This is going to be especially true if the dog has bloody diarrhea, swelling or pain in their abdomen, or dry heaves.

Appearance

The fifth sign is the outward appearance of the dog. Most of the time, this will be something that is very noticeable to you. Therefore, if you are worried about them, then you should call your vet immediately. Some of the changes that might happen are new bumps of lumps on their body, loss of hair, rash, sudden gain or loss of weight, lumps that start to bleed or ooze, scratching at ears, shaking their head a lot, or a persistent itch.

Fever

The sixth sign is when the dog starts to run a fever. Most of the time, you will notice that your dog will have a wet and cold nose. Therefore, if it is warm and dry, then there is a possibility that there might be something wrong, but this is not always the case. Therefore, it is a good idea to check your dog's temperature with a thermometer to make sure that your dog actually has a fever. If the dog is acting like they are sick and they have a temperature of 103 and above, then you are going to need to call your veterinarian immediately. If it is 104.5 or above, then there is a chance that your dog is having a heat stroke and this could be life-threatening to your dog, so you should try to cool the dog off.

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About the Creator

Paisley Hansen

Paisley Hansen is a freelance writer and expert in health, fitness, beauty, and fashion. When she isn’t writing she can usually be found reading a good book or hitting the gym.

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