Illness Symptoms in Dogs
| Print | By Caroline Coile | June 11, 2009 1:12 PM

Illness Symptoms in Dogs

"Tell me where it hurts, boy." Good luck. Dogs tend to be John Wayne stoic when they're ill, and getting them to fill out a questionnaire with their symptoms just isn't going to happen. But as your dog's first line of defense against serious illness, it's your job to know him better than anyone else, and to catch it when he's telling you something's not right. He actually can tell you a lot about where it hurts--as long as you know what to look for.

Has his behavior changed?

Lethargy is the most common sign of illness. Sick dogs often lie quietly in a curled position. Dogs in pain may be irritable and restless, and may hide, dig, pant, and tremble. Dogs with abdominal pain often stretch and bow. A dog with breathing difficulties may refuse to lie down or if he does, will keep his head raised. Confusion, head-pressing, or seizures may indicate neurological problems.

Has his eating, drinking, or elimination changed?

Sick dogs often lose their appetite. Some endocrine disorders can cause increased appetite, however. Increased thirst and urination may indicate kidney disease or diabetes. Frequent, sudden attempts to urinate, especially if only small amounts are produced or if accompanied by signs of pain, may indicate a urinary tract infection. Painful urination, straining to urinate, or blood in the urine may indicate urinary stones. Inability to urinate is a life threatening emergency.

Is he regurgitating or vomiting?

Regurgitating food right after eating can indicate an esophageal problem. Vomiting food after it's been in the stomach can indicate poisoning, blockage, or a host of problems. Consult your veterinarian immediately if your dog vomits feces-like matter (which could indicate an intestinal blockage) or blood (which may resemble coffee grounds), has accompanying fever or pain, or if the vomiting lasts more than a few hours.

Does he have diarrhea?

Diarrhea can result from nervousness, a change in diet or water, food sensitivities, intestinal parasites, infections, poisoning, or many illnesses. It's not uncommon for dogs to have blood in their diarrhea, but diarrhea with lots of blood, or accompanied by vomiting, fever, or other symptoms of illness warrants a call to the veterinarian. Bright red blood indicates a source lower in the digestive tract, while dark black tarry stools indicate a source higher in the digestive tract.

Is he coughing?

Coughing can be caused by foreign bodies, tracheal collapse, tumors, kennel cough, and heart disease, among others. Coughing that occurs mostly at night or after exercise may suggest congestive heart failure. Kennel cough is characterized by a gagging or honking cough, often a week after being around infected dogs.

Is his gum color off?

If you suspect a problem, check the gums. They should be a deep pink, and if you press with your thumb, they should return to pink within 2 seconds after lifting your thumb. Very pale gums or slow re-pinking may indicate anemia, shock, or poor circulation. Bluish gums or tongue can mean a life-threatening lack of oxygen. Bright red gums may indicate overheating or carbon monoxide poisoning, and yellow gums jaundice. Tiny red splotches may indicate a blood-clotting problem. Tooth and gum problems will often cause bad breath and pain.

Is his temperature abnormal?

To take your dog's temperature, lubricate a rectal thermometer and insert it about 2 inches (5 cm) into the dog's anus, leaving it there for about a minute. Normal is from 101 to 102 o F. If the temperature is 103 oF or above, or 98 oF or below, call your veterinarian for advice; if it's 105 oF or above, 96 oF or below, go to your veterinarian.

The best way to notice when something's wrong is to get to know your dog when everything's right. Check your dog all over so you know what's normal for him. It's the best way to know when he's trying to tell you something. Besides, he'll love the attention!

Comments (23)

Anonymous June 14, 2009 10:23 PM

my dog havent ate in 2 days he drink water but no alot he was very playful none he is laying around he did bark alot he havnt bark n 2 days what is tha problem

pinkygirl June 19, 2009 7:05 PM

I would take him/her to the vet.

Anonymous July 13, 2009 7:00 PM

i have a german shorthair pointer. i feed her twice a day; after each feeding she drinks a lot of water. lately, since she sleeps w/me at night...she's been wetting the bed....when she urinates she is not in any pain. there usually seems to be a good deal of it. She does do quite a bit of stretching lately. I'm just concerned. It's only been the last few days where she has wet the bed.

samantha August 17, 2009 1:17 PM

maybe she has a infection.

i have a pomeeranian mix and we left for a for four weeks, and after two weeks my step dad said hes blind in his right eye.it looks really bad and he only yelps a couple of times. can someone help me?

samantha August 17, 2009 1:19 PM

maybe she has a infection.

i have a pomeeranian mix and we left for a for four weeks, and after two weeks my step dad said hes blind in his right eye.it looks really bad and he only yelps a couple of times. can someone help me?

Brenda Taylor September 15, 2009 5:20 AM

My blue-chihuahua is sick,he will not eat anything, fever, loss weight, inactive and had a little diarreah but he will drink a little water. He is not himself. I took him to the vet, and they took x-rays and could'nt find anything, but I know something is wrong he will not eat at all and he is losing weight. when I got back from the vet his head start shaking as if he was going to have seizures and I called the vet back and they told me to give him corn-syrup. They told me his blood count was find and they could'nt find anything. I hate to see him sick like that I love him and he is the joy of my life. I pray that he will overcome this.

Ambie38 September 22, 2009 11:54 PM

I have a spaniel mix that has thrown up 3 times over the last hour. She was fine all day but, when I came home from work n let her out she threw up then had some water and threw up again. She isnt aying around she still follows me around everywhere I go! Any Ideas?

Biff September 25, 2009 4:05 PM

I'm sitting with my daughters border collie/ aussie mix. He's about 11 weeks old and has had a runny eye for a couple of days. I thought it was just allergies from the fires. The white of his eye is a bit pink but the colored part of his eye actually looks cloudy. Yesterday he started having diarrhea, I think because I switched his food. The food my daughter left ran out so I gave him some dry that I feed my dogs. What should I do?

Diana September 29, 2009 8:11 AM

my dog has been vomitting clear liquid but a little thick(flem). what should I do he eats a little and that doesn't come up just when he drinks

johana October 2, 2009 7:14 PM

Hello, I hope someone could give me a clue on whats wrong with my little Nugget. She is a 5-6 month old rat terrier mix.She is always very happy,playful and alert. But this morning I noticed her mood was down. She seems to not be feeling very well. She gets weird hyperness all of a sudden and hops desperately onto the bed/couch,but then lies down curled up and sad looking for a long while. I also noticed that when she's standing looking up at me her body sota "wobbles"a little it looks like if she's going to colapse but she doesn't. No vomiting or diharrea so far but she didnt even approach her food bowl as usual after I took her out..Does anyone have advice??..

HjP October 6, 2009 10:02 PM

Brenda & Johana
My chihuahua, Kira is having the same symptoms, wobbly when she walks, hasnt had any appetite, diahrea this morning...but she also seems feverish now. I tried to spoon feed her some water a little while ago but she just choked & coughed it out. Did you figure out what the problem may be? I dont know of a vet to call at this hour. Does anyone know if its safe to give a little bit of baby aspirin or tylenol?

derek October 7, 2009 11:41 PM

my dog mood has change, she is not moving much and she is laying dowm some vom.

teresa October 8, 2009 1:37 PM

Woke up this morning and there was blood all over the house some of it was mixed with brown. Don't know if it is throw up or diareaha.the dog iS 15 yeArs old acting fine .am observing her and gonE to see what's going on before I call the vet.dog is drinking and eating no fever I wander if its just old age ..she is eatting treats right now and doing tricks for her treats maybe she got a hold of something redand it didn't agree with her

kathy October 12, 2009 10:31 PM

when my do urinates she has a small amount of blood in her urine. she is eating and drinking and doesn't act sick.

Jen October 15, 2009 9:23 AM

My rottweiler is 6 months old. Today he has been throwing up whit foamy stuff. Does anyone know what this means?

Maddie October 25, 2009 3:54 PM

My dog is been vomiing once or twice a day, phlem, not food and has dirrhea. Does anyone know what I can do to stop this til vet apt time.

dawn November 6, 2009 9:26 PM

I have a 12 year old shepard/husky mix recently he is howling, whinning and barking at all times of the day. He hasn't been eating. He has joint problems and the vet gave him pain meds and subliment tablets. He says its the joints bothering him. I am having a hard time beleaving that is what it is. He goes outside for long periods of time not like him. He won't sleep just lays around whimpering and howling even we give him attention. Any suggestions?

Anonymous November 29, 2009 7:53 PM

my dog has been lying around for 5 days, she eats little to nothing and has a temp no other probs. we took her to the vet but nothing but shes not getting better HELP

Teresa/Tiny November 30, 2009 6:07 PM

My 7 year old Rat Terrier,Tiny, has not been feeling well she has had several bouts of ear infections with a dark brown almost black waxy stuff coming out of her ears when i used the ear drop medications she has had several antibiotic shots and i have read that dogs can get a yeast infection in their ears has anyone else had there dog in this situation or similar > i just want her to get better and i live in Mexico now, so it has been hard finding a decent vet that can give me correct advice please anyone who has any kind of ear situations with there own dog let me know what to do HELP!

texas December 2, 2009 9:15 PM

my dog is not eating she eats everything i think she ate some thing that she cant pass and she is throwing up

texas December 2, 2009 9:16 PM

can someone please let me no wat i should do i think she going to die

Amy December 3, 2009 9:39 AM

my 11 year old dachshund became ill 2 days ago. He felt feverish, not eating, shaking and vomiting. I took him to a vet and left him for the day to get examined and still no real good answer, said his disc might be hurting him and gave him a anti-inflammatory shot. First of all he can walk, not acting like his back hurts and wants to drink water and lots of it. after drinking he vomits and the stomach contents is clear, slimey snot and lots of it. I feel like I just wasted 208.00 on a vet that doesn't have a clue. He still not eating, fatigue and not focused. Any suggestions.

Amy December 3, 2009 10:24 AM

I think you should get your dog to a vet immediately...


texas December 2, 2009 9:16 PM

can someone please let me no wat i should do i think she going to die

Amy Virginia February 7, 2010 7:47 AM
Flag

13 month old peekapoo. vomitting, bright red diarrhea....alot of it....pools of it, then a solid #2 with obvious blood in it. Throwing up foamy stuff, shaking, trembling, went hiding under a bush in our yard (we just had a blizzard....and he was just laying under a bush on snow....wouldn't come out)
This is after he was throwing up the foamy stuff in my room....and went in hiding under a stool, and would not come out....just curleds up shaking. Won't drink, Won't respond when given a treat...when he normally goes wild when offered his treat. He just dropped it and went and hid. Help.....Any thoughts! Thanks!

Amy Sorrell

Reply
Linda Miner February 21, 2010 8:22 AM
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I have a German shepherd 11years old. Last nught it started when Scooter was trying to get up He acted like he was drunk when he did walk a few feet it was to the right. I could not stand. His eyes are glassy and breathing very heavy could not hold anything down I hope you can help Iam on a fix income

Reply
Erik Cisneros March 5, 2010 9:54 PM
Flag

My dog has a ball in the bottom of his neck I need help
He hasn't for a while and i cant afford taking him to the vet is there something i could give him or has anybody experieced this that could help me

Reply

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