Having a dog with you can bring joy inside your home. Nothing feels better knowing that someone will always be on your side and do everything they can to cheer you up. With that, as a dog owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that they’re healthy, happy, and well. While you can always feed them with proper meals and ensure that they get the exercise they need, there might come a time wherein they need to seek professional help.
As a dog owner, you should ensure that your pet has enough meals during the day. Along with this, it would be beneficial if you could feed them with the right nutrition, of course, according to their age and weight. Moreover, you shouldn’t forget to take them for daily walks, especially if you don’t have a yard to let your dog roam around with.
No matter how careful you try to be, dogs can get sick as well. While doing home remedies might be helpful, there might be cases wherein you need to bring them to the vet. Moreover, listed below are the warning signs you need to look out for if you need to drive your dog to the vet:
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Avoidance To Eat
You can’t expect your dog to be overly excited with their food all the time, especially if the temperature outside is warmer than usual. However, if your dog has no complete reason to skip a meal, you may want to alarm yourself about bringing them to a vet.
When you notice that your dog changes their eating habit, such as being disinterested in any meal, including their favorite snacks, you should observe them for the whole 24 hours and see how they would respond to every mealtime. If an entire day has passed and they still choose not to eat, you should immediately bring them to the vet to make a proper diagnosis about your pet’s condition.
For your dog’s health, it’ll only be wise if you could bring them to the best vet near your area. This way, you can ensure that they can have the right treatment they need. You can look for vet clinics online, like Sunnysidevetclinic.com, and try to check out reviews about them so you can end up with the right clinic or health practitioner.
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Change In Water Consumption
Your dog should be drinking water regularly to keep their body hydrated all the time. With all of the movement they do for the whole day, you can just expect how thirsty they could get. However, you should be mindful of how your pet consumes water.
While it’s normal for your dog to consume as much water as they’d like, if you notice that they’re drinking an excessive amount of water, it could be a sign for you to bring them to the vet. However, you should also check first the current temperature of the environment. If the weather is too hot, you might want to turn down the heat inside the room and try to give your dog colder water. But, if the temperature is all right, but your dog still drinks excessively, you should immediately bring them to the vet.
On the other hand, if you notice that your dog doesn’t like to even get near their bowl, you should alert as there’s something wrong. When your dog doesn’t drink water, they might not be able to urinate as often as they’re supposed to. Along with this, it could a sign that they’re having a digestive issue.
To avoid further complications, you should immediately bring your dog to the vet, especially if the habit has been running for more than a day.
Border collie Australian shepherd dog canine on brown leather couch under blanket looking sad bored lonely sick tired exhausted hopeless
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Lethargy Or Lack Of Energy
Depending on your dog’s breed, some may be more playful than others. However, if you notice that your dog lacks energy intensively, you should consider taking a day off and bringing them to the vet.
Ideally, your dog should respond to your commands or your presence. If your dog doesn’t get up on their feet every time they try to wake you up when your alarm goes off, you should be cautious about their actions and observe them for the whole day. Preferably, your dog should be excited when you put food into their bowl, take out their favorite toy, or take them for a walk. However, if nothing seems to interest them, you should bring your dog to the vet right away.
A lethargic dog can indicate that they feel unwell or have a medical condition that causes them pain. To prevent any further damage, you should bring them to the vet for proper medication and treatment.
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Obvious Sign Of Pain
Once you start playing with your dog and notice that they don’t feel comfortable moving their feet or any part of their body, you shouldn’t hold back; rather, bring them to the vet immediately.
As you observe your dog, try to feel their body by doing a soft pushing motion to every part of their body and waiting for their reaction. If your dog squeals in pain, given that you only pressed it lightly, you should bring your dog to the vet as it could be a sign of injury or illness.
Apart from checking any physical pain from your dog, you should also observe how your dog walks on their feet. If you notice that they’re not properly walking as they tend to lift a paw or two, it could be a clear indication that they’re in pain. While allowing them to rest would benefit them, seeking professional help can guarantee their health.
The earlier you can bring your pet to the vet, the better. Early treatment will help your dog feel better and get back on their feet as early as possible.
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Coat And Skin Changes
Ideally, your dog should have a smooth coat, with a little bit of shine. However, this may vary depending on your dog’s breed. You can’t expect a Golden Retriever to have intact fur as they shed heavily. Apart from eliminating their usual coat appearance, you should be on the lookout for fur changes.
While dog coats vary, your dog fur should be intact and not have any blank batch due to shedding. When you notice that a part of their body keeps on losing its fur, it could be a sign of skin infection that you need to address immediately.
Moreover, if you notice that your dog scratches their body more often than usual, you might want to inspect and look for the area where they usually graze their body. When you observe any redness or slight rash, bringing them to the vet would be a good idea.
Upon the onset of a skin problem, you should treat it away as it be infectious. With that, it may harm other members of the family, which can be dangerous, especially if you have children around.
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Continuous Vomiting
While it may be normal for your dog to vomit occasionally, you should be aware if they frequently vomit during the day. Sometimes, dogs vomit to get rid of something in their body that they don’t like. While vomiting can be quite alarming, you should try to be calm first and observe their behavior throughout the day.
Moreover, when you notice that your dog is vomiting more frequently than usual, has a fever, or their vomit includes blood, you shouldn’t hesitate to bring them to the vet immediately. When you choose to postpone your trip to the vet, you could put your dog’s life at risk, along with the possibility of developing dehydration or diarrhea.
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Irritated Eyes
Ideally, your dog’s eyes should look a little teary, which indicates that they still have enough water to hydrate their eyes. However, your pet’s eyes shouldn’t be too watery or have excessive discharge. Furthermore, their eyes should have a solid color as cloudy eyes could indicate an infection, which might require surgery.
When you notice that there’s something odd with your dog’s eyes, you should bring them to the vet, no matter how playful they seem to be. Even if their eyes don’t physically hurt them, treating them would be better rather than allowing the infection to stand still and damage their eyesight.
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Sudden Weight Loss
Even if you’re feeding your dog properly and they seem to be in a great mood all the time, you should consider bringing them to the vet if you notice weight loss.
If you didn’t put your dog on a strict diet, they shouldn’t be losing any weight at all. Ideally, if you notice that your dog is getting lighter and lighter, you should bring them to the vet to conduct a proper lab test. This way, they can determine if there are internal issues that your dog is having, not making them gain or even maintain their normal weight.
Conclusion
Taking care of a dog is a huge responsibility that you should never take for granted. While you can always observe your dog’s behavior at home, if you notice that it’s more serious than how you expect it to be, bringing them to the vet would be the best choice.
As a dog owner, you need to be aware of every change they have with their bodies as your dog can’t speak for themselves. All they can rely on is your observance of their health.
