Dog ownership comes with responsibilities and one of them is to learn how to tell if your dog is fine or is probably sick with illness. I have come to know many dog owners who are not aware of early signs of health problems and when they have found out, it becomes more challenging to heal the condition. To prevent that from happening to your pet, read on to get yourself more intune with Shadow’s health condition.

1) Are the gums pink?
A Healthy dog should have a deep pink gum. When you press your thumb on the gum, the pink should return in 2 seconds after lifting your thumb. Very pale gums are signs of illness such as poor circulation. Bluish gums is life threatening and shows lack of oxygen. Bright red gums is also a bad sign as it means overheating or some other poisoning. Do bring Shadow to the vet immediately if gums are not looking good.

2) Is she eating less then normal amounts?
Like humans, dogs who are not feeling well will have poor appetite. They either eat very little or do not have thte appetite to eat at all and overtime, this can cause weight loss and lack of proper nutrition. A thorough vet check should be planned.

3) Is she acting differently?
If you observe that Shadow is lethargic, acting strange or not their usual self in terms of activity levels, reaction to your calls and even physcial difference (e.g. bloating, loss of hair suddenly, vomitting, etc), do bring Shadow to the vet immediately. Some conditions are life threatening if not adressed quickly.

4) Drinking or urinating normally?
If Shadow is drinking more excessively even with similar activity level, it is an indication that something could be wrong with her kidneys or she could be diabetic. Run a thorough health check on her quickly with your vet. Urinating blood could mean an infection or Shadow is harbouring kidney stones and if Shadow is not urinating at all, pls call the vet in or visit the vet immediately as this could be life threatening!

5) Shadow having diarrhea?
Having loose stool is quite common especially when you have just changed Shadow’s diet or when you have fed him something in her stomach is unable to handle. Observe the stool, if it goes away quickly after one day, he is fine, just give him more water to drink to avoid dehydration and add sprinkle some sea-salt in her next meals to supplement some minerals she lost. If there is blood in the stool, do bring her to the vet for a check as it could mean intestinal problem.

6) Coughing more then usual?
Dog heck once a while to remove hairballs especially for longer haired coat dogs. However if Shadow is coughing excessively for a few days already, do bring him to the vet as he could be having kennel cough. Kennel cough virus is air-borne and it is spread from having close contact with dogs who are sick with the cough.

7) Is she Scooting or licking it’s rear?
Dogs have anal sacs which contain brown fluid that is discharged normally after excretion or fright. If normal excretion is unable to excrete this brownish discharge, it may start to get bigger and uncomfortable for Shadow and that explains the Scooting or licking behaviour. If you are not confident to excrete the anal sacs, do bring Shadow to the vet and asked your vet to teach you how to perform should it be necessary again. It will be good to learn as this could be a long term issue for some dogs.