The more you know, the better prepared you will be to keep your dog healthy ... or maybe even save his life.
Sometimes illness strikes without any warning signs. But quite often there ARE signs along the way. If your dog has a health problem and you know what to look for, you will be able to recognize the symptoms and get help.
This is really important because the sooner you begin treatment the better. An early diagnosis gives your dog a much better chance of recovery.
There are certain symptoms that you should always be on the lookout for - and they should never be ignored. If you were to call your local emergency clinic and report these symptoms, they would most likely tell you that it was an emergency situation and recommend that you bring your dog in as soon as possible.
A symptom is a sign of a disease. It is not a disease in itself. Oftentimes, the same symptom can be a sign of multiple illnesses. For example, breathing difficulties. If your dog has trouble breathing that is a very significant symptom. It can be a sign of heart failure, lung diseases like pneumonia, bleeding into the chest cavity, trauma and more.
Here are the first 5 symptoms you should never ignore:
1. Pacing and restlessness. In dogs, pacing and restlessness can indicate pain, discomfort or distress. Restlessness can be associated with a life-threatening condition call "bloat" in which the stomach becomes distended and twisted. Left untreated, it results in death. Pacing and restless can be an indicator of a serious problem, so be on the lookout.
2. Unproductive retching. Another common sign of "bloat" is when a dog attempts to vomit but is unable to bring anything up. If your dog does this you should call your veterinarian immediately.
3. Collapse or fainting. Acute collapse is a sudden loss of strength that causes your dog to fall and be unable to rise. Some dogs will actually lose consciousness (this is called fainting or syncope). Some dogs recover very quickly and look essentially normal just seconds to minutes after collapsing, whereas others stay in the collapsed state until they get assistance. There are many reasons that a dog may collapse or faint, and all are serious. If this happens to your dog, see your veterinarian immediately
4. Pale gums . Paleness in the gums or mucous membranes can indicate blood loss or "shock". The possible causes for blood loss or shock are life threatening so you need to act quickly. Have your dog evaluated by a veterinarian immediately.
5. Lethargy or weakness . Lethargy is a state of drowsiness, inactivity or indifference in which the dog shows delayed responses to external stimuli like sound, sight or touch. Lethargy is a nonspecific sign that can be associated with many possible conditions. Sometimes it will have little to no impact on the dog's health but sometimes it can be a sign of a severe or life-threatening illness. There's no way to know without an exam. Lethargy of more than a day's duration should not be ignored, especially if it persists.
I hope this information will help keep your dog healthy.
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Excellent information - 3 weeks ago I took my cocker to the vet for a very slight cough. She had been diagnosed with a heart murmur a few months back. After being examined - it was determined her heart murmur had gone from a grade 2 to a grade 4 and a blood count revealed a platelet count of '4' (normal is 145) and a chest xray revealed fluid and/or blood in her lungs and she had petechiae on her gums. She showed no outward signs of being short of breath. She is currently on Prednisone, Imuran, Enalapril, & until yesterday Furosemide. She is currently doing well - platelet count is normal and we a decreasing the prednisone. She was a very ill dog but you would never have known it to have looked at her. We still are not sure why the low platelets - tests were done for all the tick diseases - she had tested positive for anaplasma last fall and was treated at that time and the recent tick panel also tested positive so she is also receiving doxycycline currently. I fell fortunate that I took her in and that my vet took the time to really examine her and make a referral to the Massachusetts Vet. Referral Hospital. I encourage anyone who owns a pet to go with your gut instinct - if you feel your pet needs to be seen by a vet he/she probably does!
ReplyDeleteI do hope for the best for your cocker Becky.. had to be awfully scary.... I always insist.. we know our dogs better than anyone.. if you feel something is "amiss" take them and have them looked at... thank you for your input... would like for you to update on her progress if you care to. ;-)
ReplyDeleteBuffy is doing better. We are weaning her off the prednisone over the next 9 weeks with a CBC 1 week after a decrease in medication. She is off the Furosemide. The platelet count this week was in the 300 range. So, much better. When she is off the prednisone we will work on getting her off the Imuran. Just a slow process. I am so thankful to have a vet that is intelligent, caring, has a state of the art practice and knows when to make a referral. She is in touch with Buffy's vet at Massachusetts Vet. Referral
ReplyDeleteat least on weekly basis. Again, I encourage pet owners - if you feel there is something wrong with your pet - get help, see your vet. When you see your vet take a list of current medications, what type of food are they eating, and any symptoms they are having (no matter how strange or insignificant you may think it is). It may just make the difference in a diagnosis or treatment.