Home Based Dog Training

It is very essential to catch early signs of illness in your pets as it can lead to hectic bills of the veterinarian. If your dog is healthy it will be eager to play, will have shiny skin, healthy coat and all the normal eating and drinking habits that a healthy dog should have. But the fact is, dogs have their own talent to hide their sickness or illness. A good owner is one who instincts the illness of his pet and consults the vet before it becomes severe. Illness can be of many types, it can be some bacterial infection or it may be any viral infection.

The normal temperature of new born puppy is in between 95- 98 degree Fahrenheit which eventually increases with the increase in age. When the puppy becomes 4 weeks old, the temperature remains around 100- 101.5 degree Fahrenheit. Take a note of your puppy’s temperature as if it goes above 105 degrees or goes down to 96 degrees, it means that your pet surely needs a veterinarian.

You should check your dog’s heart rate and respiratory rate if you feel that your dog is not feeling well. The heart rate of adult dog varies between 85 – 125 beats/min and the respiratory rate lies between 15 – 20 breaths / min. You can check the duo by placing hand in the chest rib case, but don’t panic if you find their heart beat irregular as compared to the human’s heart beat; several dogs have irregular heart beats.

The changes in behavior like jealousy from the new pet or any new member of family can also be an indication of illness of your dog. The sudden changes in the behavior of the dog are due to depression, fatigue, trembling, anxiety, sleepiness and stumbling or falling. You should keep a close eye on the activities of the dog for some days if they are showing any of these signs.

Dogs have their own language to tell that they are in pain. For example if your dog is suffering from abdominal pain it will continuously look and remain licking and biting towards that area. Also the dog will not leave the bed for a long time if it feels pain in the abdominal area. But there are some breeds that have high capacity of pain tolerance and the owner should have to keep close watch on these types of breeds.

Some other symptoms that can be seen in dogs are bad odor, crusted tips, debris, scratching, shaking or twitching on ears. The redness or swelling in eyes are also the common symptoms of illness. Coughing, vomiting, gagging and sneezing, breathing problem, prolonged breathing or heavy panting are common symptoms seen in sick pets. Drinking less water or lack of appetite, weight loss, change of urine color, dribbling, bad smell from mouth, skin or ears, hair loss, tumors and wounds are the symptoms that require proper medical attention and one should not avoid it to keep the pet healthy. Only regular check ups will keep your dog away from all infections.