Owning a cute dog at your home brings a lot of responsibilities. You should be quite careful about its health. It may suffer from a number of illnesses and health problems. Since a dog is not able to tell about its illness, it's owner's responsibility to understand the dog's sickness and get it treated by a veterinarian. Some common ailments in dogs are due to viral and bacterial infections, immune abnormalities, metabolic disorders, cancer, trauma, genetic factors or degenerative conditions. Some of the common dog diseases are chronic kidney failure, stomach inflammation, skin allergies and infections, food allergy, cancer/tumor, dental disease, worm infestation, ear infection, urinary infection, obesity, epilepsy, arthritis, diabetes, pancreatitis, to name a few.

Signs that Your Dog is Sick

It is very important for the dog owner to know the symptoms of a sick dog. Some indications are weakness, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, disorientation, weight loss, straining to urinate, bloody urine, unproductive retching, pale mucous membrane, difficulty in walking, persistent cough and difficulty in breathing. Frequent shaking of the head, strong ear smell and discharge indicates mites or yeast infection. Constipation or defecating problems are because of intestinal blockage or a change of diet. Persistent coughing is a sign of kennel cough, pneumonia, heartworm or heart disease. Passing blood in urine indicates that the dog is suffering from urinary tract infection, kidney disease or internal injury. If the dog ingests grass or other vegetation or it is suffering from vomiting, then it may be due to worm infestation or gastrointestinal problems or poisoning.

How to Treat

When a dog is sick, it needs a complete attention and extreme care. When you notice any symptoms of dog sickness, you should immediately take it to a veterinarian. If the dog is suffering from diarrhea and vomiting, make a few changes in its diet. This should be done gradually. Avoid giving the leftover foods to the dog, as it can trigger some serious problems such as pancreatitis. Vomiting indicates abdominal upset as well as other illnesses. Don't allow the dog to drink too much at once. It may result in increased vomiting, which may result in dehydration. Immediately take the dog to a veterinarian to seek an appropriate treatment. Don't feed the dog at least for 12 hours after the last episode. Then give it small amounts of white meat diet such as boiled fish or chicken along with white rice. If the dog is suffering from diarrhea, allow it only water for 12 hours. Then feed it with a mild diet as described for vomiting. If the dog is refusing to eat, don't leave it as it is. Try to feed it with some attractive foods such as ham, cat food, fresh chicken and gravy and pilchards. Serving the warm food or adding garlic is also a good option.

If your dog is suffering from arthritis, provide it with a soft bed and assistance for going up and downstairs. Massage its muscles at the start of the day. Get a heater pad for the dog during the winter. Give only the medicines that are prescribed by a veterinarian. If your dog is suffering from sore skin, then prevent it from licking, using a Buster or Elizabethan collar. Prevent scratching by putting socks on its feet. Bathe it with cool salt water, or apply an ice pack. Use of chamomile or hazel lotion helps soothe the dog's skin.

While giving the tablets to the dog, put it in a small quantity of food including pate, cheese or cat food. Make sure that your dog is hungry at the time of giving the medicine. You can feed the tablets through soft treats, known as tab pockets. Apply eardrops and eye drops very carefully. Cleanliness of a sick dog is very important. Apply the lotions prescribed by a veterinarian in case of skin infections.

Thus, attentive care and appropriate treatment help your dog recover earlier and become healthy and playful again.