Basic Health Information for Pet Dogs

Posted Oct 14, 2009 by BePositive /

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How can an owner truly know if their dog is sick or healthy? A shiny coat does not mean a dog is healthy, it may only indicates a high fat content in a food, so how does an owner know?

Sadly the way most people determine if their dog is sick or healthy is solely by its “shiny coat” or lack thereof. Even a veterinarian cannot simply look at a dog and make claims to its health. Here are the proper methods of determining canine health.

Normal Health

A dogs normal rectal temperature is between 100 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit, if taken in the ear the normal temperature is between 100 and 103 degrees. If a dogs temperature is lower than 99 degrees, or over 104 degrees, a veterinarian should be contacted.

Heart rate may be hard to determine, but pups and small dogs have faster heart rates, about 125 – 160 beats per minute. Larger dogs, or older dogs, have heart rates between 60 and 125 beats per minute.

Most resting dogs take between 10 and 30 breaths a minute, a dog who is panting, of course, takes many more breaths, up to 200 per minute.

Another easy check an owner can do is to look at their dogs gums, this only works if the dog has pink gums, as opposed to colored gums. Pale, yellow, or blue, gums are a sign of problems. You can also push down on the gums for a second, then release, the gums should return to their pink color in a couple of seconds, failure to do so indicates the dog is in distress.

You can also gently pinch your dogs skin on its paw or leg, the skin should return to normal immediately, rather than remaining in the pinched form, which would indicate a problem, note though, that older dogs have less elastic skin so it would not return to normal as quick.

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Normal for your Dog

Get to know your dogs normal stool (poop) pattern. Some dogs only defecate once a day, particularly if they are eating high quality food. Puppies and old dogs may have less control of their bowels and may mess more. Diarrhea can be a sign of problems, illness or parasites. Bloody or excessively fowl smelling diarrhea should not be ignored.

Most dogs urinate first thing in the morning and 3-6 times throughout the day, again more for pups. If your dog is urinating more it could be a sign of problems, such as an infection. If your house trained dog suddenly starts “forgetting” their training, it can be a medical issue.

Get to know your dogs usual sleep pattern, anything out of the ordinary should be noted, especially if your dog seems more lethargic than usual.

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Warning Signs

Bad breath can be an indication of internal problems or bad teeth.

Excessive gas is not normal, and can be a sign of health problems, or a low quality food.

Cloudiness of the eyes should never be ignored.

Itchy skin could mean fleas, lice, ticks, or food allergies. Typically causes of food allergies are beef, pork, soy, wheat, and corn, ingredients in some dog foods.

Hair loss my be a sign of poor health, allergies, or mites (mange).

Obesity is a problem, but can also spin into other problems,or be a symptom of problems, so should never be overlooked.

Shallow breathing, or heavy breathing without reason may be signs of problems.

Sudden aggression can indicate the dog is in distress. Rabies is another thing an owner should consider if their dog should bite them or behave erratically, NOTE: If an unvaccinated dog bites anyone it should be placed on a rabies hold.

Smelly ears can be a sign of ear infection, food allergies, or health issues.

Vomiting is a sign of an immediate problem, if there is blood the situation is urgent.

Self Help for a Sick Dog

A lot of harm can be done in the name of trying to do the right thing. If you do not know what the right thing to do is, call a professional. Most veterinarians have 24 hour emergency services, while care in the middle of the night might be more expensive, it is purely a part of being a good owner to provide your dog with proper care when needed.

Most over the counter medicines, such as worming products, are not very effective. Worming products do not kill all types of worms and without knowing what kind of worms your dog has, why waste money buying a product that may not help?

Provide the dog with food, water, cool it down, or warm it up, keep it comfortable until you can get to the vet.

Preventative Medicine

Dogs who receive regular vaccinations may still get sick but the vaccinations often lower the level of severity.

Dogs who are spayed or neutered have fewer risks of some health problems.

Dogs should receive regular veterinary check ups, once a year, especially if they are over six years of age for large dogs, over ten years of age for small ones.

Feeding a good food may be one of the best things you can do for your pet, to determine if your dog is on a good, safe food, click here.

Note some breeds are more prone to some problems you should be aware what problems your dog is most likely to encounter. Also if you got your dog from a reputable breeder they should be contacted if you ever have a genetic problem occur in your dog.