Common Dog Health Problems: Learn the Symptoms Right Away

An owner of pets like dogs and puppies should be aware of the various dog health problems that his or her pet dogs could acquire during the course of their pet’s lives. There is an old wives’ tale that many people still believe that the way to tell if a dog is healthy is if their nose is cold and wet. The plain truth here is that no one can tell with any scientific certainty from how cold or wet a dog’s nose is, whether or not the dog has any hereditary heart issues, parasites, worms, deafness or any other health condition.

Responsible owners should disregard such beliefs without scientific basis and focus on looking at the overall condition of the dog including regular physical checks of the eyes, teeth, ears, mouth and skin for any abnormalities that could be signs and symptoms of a particular disease. The dog owner should also be responsible to make sure their dog eats well, gets regular checkups and is groomed on a regular basis so that their dog will stay healthy for a long time to come.   

Signs and Symptoms of Dog Health Problems

There are several dog health symptoms that signify certain canine health problems and particular diseases. Dog owners need to make sure they are familiar with symptoms of potential dog health problems so they can take quick action and avoid bigger problems later on.

* The dog’s coat should be shiny, soft and full. If your dog has a wiry coat, the strands should spring back up whne touched and should be thick. Types of dogs that have double coats need to show zero indication of thinning in the undercoats.

* Redness, sores, scabs, scales, flakes, lumps and growths on the dog’s skin can be signs of health problems. Its importatn that both your dog’s fur and skin remain free of parasites – little organisms like fleas or ticks or mites. Frequent scratching or even biting of the skin is an indication of potential parasites.

* Just like in humans, bright and shiny eyes are a sign of good health. In dogs, there is an area in the eyes particularly in the perimeter of the eyeballs that should always have a health pink color. This spot is called the conjunctiva and a pale color may mean some health problems. There should also be no abnormal discharges from the eyes, particular yellow or green colored fluids.

* A foul odor and some bloody discharges from the ears is indicative of underlying health problems. Your dog’s ears need to be kept clean and free of signs of parasites.

* Dog gums that maintain a healthy rosy pink color and which might have a bit of black color as well is a pretty good indication of good health. Pale or very light colored gums could mean your dog has anemia. Reddish gums that leak droplets of blood can often be signals that there is something amiss peridontally and this combined with a rank breath odor can spell trouble with a hidden health problem.

* Remembering back to hearing about the belief about a dog’s nose, that a healthy canine almost always has achiily, damp nose but this is really caused only by a relatively clear and runny nasal discharge that is fairly common in dogs. If your dog has a bad smeling and icky colored discharge coming form the nose, you need to have your dog looked at right away. Discharges like this in puppies could spell signs of distemper and may be fatal if not cared for immediately.

A few other things that indicate a healthy dog are the weight – normal for the breed, body temperature – dogs get fevers just like children, and how the urine and feces look and smell. The important thing here is to know and understand these signs and symptoms of health problems so that the moment you notice something abnormal, you can immediately take action.