How to Care for a Sick Dog - Recognizing Symptoms of Illness

It is no fun seeing your best friend feeling poorly. He relies on you—his owner—to be his advocate when he is ill. Your first step is to recognize when your dog is sick, and secondly, to recognize the severity of the illness. Some illnesses can be treated at home under your careful observation, while other illnesses require the prompt attention of a veterinarian. Whenever you are in doubt, don’t hesitate to call your veterinarian for advice. Sometimes it can be a matter of life and death.

1. Monitor your dog's daily activity. Keep a notebook of when your dog relieves himself, when his symptoms occur, when he eats and drinks, and so on. This helps to establish a pattern to the symptoms. It can also be a very useful tool for the veterinarian to diagnose your dog’s illness. [1]
- If your dog is mildly sick (not eating the best for a day, restless, vomiting once or twice, a bout of diarrhea) you can carefully observe your dog at home and phone your vet for advice.

2. Seek prompt veterinary attention with certain symptoms. There are several severe symptoms that require immediate medical attention.[2] Never wait on these symptoms and call your vet right away:
- Unconsciousness
- Profuse bleeding
- Known ingestion of a toxic substance
- Unrelenting vomiting and diarrhea
- Broken bones
- Breathing difficulties
- Seizures that don’t stop within one minute
- Unable to urinate or not producing urine
- New or recurring symptoms in a dog with a medical condition (diabetes, Addison’s disease, etc.)
- Large swellings around the face, eyes or throat

3. Get advice from your vet on less severe symptoms. Some symptoms of illness can be uncomfortable for dog and may indicate conditions that need to be treated. Call your vet to get advice on treating the following symptoms:
- Isolated seizure that lasts less than one minute
- Occasional vomiting and diarrhea lasting longer than one day
- Fever
- Lethargy lasting longer than one day
- Not eating for more than one day
- Difficulty defecating
- Limping or acting painful
- Excessive drinking
- Swelling that comes on gradually
- Lumps or bumps that suddenly appear or current ones that grow
- Any other odd symptom or behavior (shivering or whimpering)