Dog Illness Symptoms - Common Symptoms of Dog Ilnness

All dogs are at the mercy of lethal and disabling illnesses. As a responsible owner, it is vital to your pet well-being that you realize and understand that many dog illness symptoms are much easier and cheaper to prevent then to treat.

Many dog illnesses are airborne, while others can be transmitted through contact with other pets, pet waste, or through parasites. One of the biggest jobs as a pet owner is to simply take notice of your pet’s behavior patterns and habits. Learn to be observant of these things so that you will know when something is not “normal”. This will be your first step in knowing what illness symptoms affect your dog

There are many different dog illness symptoms to watch out for. Many of these can also be caused by less harmless problems, so it is important to contact your veterinary office for clarification or further testing in the event you detect any of these signs.

Canine Bordatella: is a bacterium that can cause respiratory tract infection known as “Kennel Cough”. Canine Bordatella symptoms include eye and nasal discharges and a loud, rough cough or hacking.

Canine Coronavirus: is contagious viral illness that is quite common in dogs. Canine Coronavirus will cause sickness with signs of diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss. Coronavirus can mimic or coexist along side of Parvo, making it tricky to detect.

Canine Distemper: is another common and threatening viral infection of dogs. Early Canine Distemper symptoms include: fever, sneezing, coughing, fluid discharge of the eyes and nasal cavities, and more severe symptoms include: pneumonia, convulsions or paralysis.

Canine Parvovirus: is an example of the most fatal viral illnesses for dogs. Canine Parvovirus symptoms include: sudden and inexplicable weight loss and vomiting, dehydration, and bloody diarrhea. Parvo can be fatal if not treated immediately.

Infectious Canine Hepatitis (ICH): is a virus that causes a contagious form of hepatitis in dogs. Early symptoms of this virus include: weakness, loss of appetite, cough, and eye and nasal discharges, and more advanced stages may include: yellowing of the gums and other mucus membranes, and death.

Lyme Disease: is a bacterial infection transmitted through other Lyme infected parasites, most often through a tick bite. Lyme Disease Symptoms include loss of appetite, pain when moving, fever, lameness and lymph node enlargement. This is a dangerous disease as a tick can leave your dog and still bit you.

Rabies: is a heavy and perilous illness of most mammals, including humans. The infection is spread by the bite of another infected animal. Rabies symptoms include unusual behavior, unprovoked attacks and foaming at the mouth. Most animals that are found to have rabies will likely be euthanized.

Note: While puppies will often have a much more serious forms of the illnesses listed above, they all can and do affect dogs of all ages.

I did make reference to “sudden and inexplicable” signs like vomiting and diarrhea. Use your head people. If you feed your dog a lot of carrots, which are notorious for causing diarrhea in dogs, then do not panic and think your dog has Parvo simply because he is pooping a lot. Some common dog illness symptoms are easily explainable, while other less common dog illness symptoms are not.

On the other hand, if your dog’s diet has not changed for months, they start vomiting suddenly and often, and have diarrhea, then you should take your pet to the vet anyways. While it still may not be Parvo, your pet could still have a problem. This is where doing your best to be observant comes in handy.