Symptoms

According to the theory of natural selection, only the strongest animals survive in the wild. Animals learn early in life to hide weakness or illness—if they don’t they’re destined to become some hungry hunter’s lunch. With dogs, this protective instinct sometimes comes at a cost because you don’t always recognize your furry friend’s pain.

Healthy dogs pant after rigorous exercise or if they’re left outside to sweat it out on a warm day. After all, that’s how they eliminate excess body heat.

If your dog looks like the “before” picture in a dandruff commercial, he may suffer from scaly skin. A few skin flakes are normal, but excessive dandruff is more than embarrassing—it can indicate a problem.

Any time your dog’s rear end feels itchy or uncomfortable, he may scoot his bottom across the floor—even in front of a houseful of dinner guests. An occasional scoot is normal, but frequent scooting or obvious discomfort indicates a problem.

If your dog’s urine is reduced to a trickle, your pet may be straining to urinate. Many conditions can cause urinary tract problems, and most are serious.

Your playful pet’s stopped puttering around your pad. She climbs into your lap instead of jumping, and her endurance just isn’t what it used to be. Your dogs’s weakness could signal an underlying problem.

Finding worms in your pet’s poop is alarming. Although you may want to run screaming, take a closer look. Sometimes you can identify roundworms and tapeworms in fresh feces, and a few eagle-eyed owners occasionally can spot whipworms and hookworms.

You know your dog’s not experimenting with some new crash diet, so why can you feel her ribs and backbone? Sudden unexpected weight loss usually signals an underlying health problem.

Many illnesses can cause your dog to quiver. On the other hand, dogs who shake and tremble may not be sick at all.

Occasionally your dog may let loose with a big “ah-choo!” But if your pet’s rare sneeze turns into persistent eruptions, a medical problem may be the cause. 

What causes vomiting?
Vomiting is not a disease; rather, it is a symptom of many different diseases. Many cases of vomiting improve on their own without medical intervention within 24 hours. Less commonly, vomiting may result from a serious illness, such as cancer. Even when vomiting is caused by mild illnesses, it may lead to death or serious complications if treatment is not begun early enough to prevent severe fluid and nutrient losses.

My dog is losing weight and I don’t understand why?
Weight loss in dogs may be associated with many normal and abnormal conditions. Weight loss is considered to be clinically significant when it exceeds ten percent of the normal body weight and when it is not associated with fluid loss or dehydration. For example, a healthy Golden Retriever weighing a breed-normal seventy pounds would have to lose over seven pounds before the weight loss would be considered clinically significant. Changes in diet, environment, or stress levels, including the addition of new pets, may lead to weight loss that is rarely permanent or significant.

In his prize-fight against cancer, my dog Sam is looking like a champ to me.