We all know how much we care for our dogs and want to make sure that they’re in perfect health all the time. However, when a dog does get sick, it wouldn’t be able to tell us; instead, we’re supposed to be able to tell by looking for any signs or changes in their behavior.
Similarly, when a dog is in good health, we would only be able to tell by keeping an eye on its behavior. Many people who have recently adopted a dog might not be able to tell or pick up signs that help them know whether their dog is sick or in good health.
Luckily many signs can help keep us updated on pet health conditions. Earlier, we have discussed on 8 Health Condition for Senior Dogs and Methods to Treat Them. Now, here we are here to discuss some common 5 signs that indicate that your dog is healthy or sick:
1. Clean Mouth
One of the main signs that a dog is healthy is the cleanliness of its mouth. For instance, if you’re planning to adopt an F2B Goldendoodle, make sure to inspect their teeth for tooth decay or tartar buildup.
You should even check your dog’s breath for any rotten smell. If your dog shows any of these signs, then that means that it could have periodontitis or oral melanoma, which should be treated as soon as possible.
To avoid this, make it a habit to clean your dog’s mouth yourself and have frequent trips to the vet’s clinic for oral exams. Supervise what your dog eats and give it hygienic toys to play.
2. Check your Dog’s Urine and Poop
Another way of checking if your dog is in good health is by checking its poop and urine. Your dog’s poop should not have mucus, blood, slight white color, or a black tarry color.
If it does have any of these signs, then it could be due to several reasons such as bacterial infection, stress, allergies, viral infection, diarrhea, pancreatitis, and even cancer.
The color of your dog’s urine should be a transparent yellow and not orange, bright or dark yellow, or pink. Any of these signs could indicate that your dog has dehydration, jaundice, pancreatic issues, and liver disease.
That’s why many vets recommend to dog owners to bring their dogs for frequent visits to their clinics. In these visits, vets also conduct urine and fecal tests that help determine whether a dog has any health issues inside its body.
3. Scratching, Licking, and Biting
Most times, if someone’s dog starts to show any of these signs, they dismiss because they think it’s common among most dogs. This is wrong because these signs can indicate serious health issues for your dog that must be treated immediately.
Although these signs may be common among dogs, they all represent different health issues. Here are a few examples:
Allergies
One of the most common reasons for a dog to start licking or scratching is due to some allergy or an allergic reaction. Dogs can also get skin irritations because of these allergic reactions. Many things can cause or trigger a dog’s allergies, such as food, pollen, or fungus.
Dry Skin
Dogs experience dry skin due to many reasons, such as cold winter air, bacterial infections, excessive washing with soaps, and malnourishment. Hence why they start scratching, licking, orbiting their skin.
Parasites
Another common reason for dogs to start licking and scratching is because of parasites such as fleas, mites, and ticks. These parasites are very difficult to spot, so many dog owners often assume that their dogs don’t have them.
4. Diarrhea
This is something that most dogs end up experiencing at some point in their lives. If your dog is experiencing diarrhea that is bloody and isn’t stopping, then this could indicate a serious health condition such as cancer, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, or parvovirus.
This is why you must bring your dog to the vet immediately. The vet may also ask you to take a sample of your dog’s stool to test it for any diseases or parasites. The process of curing diarrhea consists of many things that you can do, such as:
Water
Most of the time, the cause of diarrhea is dehydration. So, make sure to provide your dog with plenty of water so that it stays hydrated.
Rice water
Another way of helping cure diarrhea for your dog is by boiling rice and making your dog drink the water that the rice was boiled. This helps to reduce dehydration by providing your body with the fluids that it needs.
Plain white rice
Plain white rice is the perfect thing to eat for dogs when they have diarrhea. This is because white rice is easier to digest than brown rice, and it helps provide them with the energy that they need to get through their day.
Yogurt
This can be given along with some boiled rice or chicken. It helps the dog to digest easily when it has diarrhea. However, it’s been recommended to give just yogurt first because it serves as a natural probiotic.
5. Clean Ears
Having clean ears is another sign that your dog is in good health. However, it’s important that you make it a habit to check your dog’s ears every so often.
When you check your dog’s ears,they should be a pale pink color and should have little wax in them. You should also make sure that there isn’t any type of bad smell coming from your dog’s ears and that they’re not moist.
If your dog has any of these signs, then it means that your dog might have an ear infection. It would be best to take it to the vet and get that ear infection treated quickly to prevent it from spreading.
Conclusion
Dogs just like us require consistent healthcare so that they can live a healthy and active lifestyle. Conducting routine checkups of your fuzzball is vital for preventing a buildup of serious diseases.
While conducting a checkup yourself, keep a lookout for any of the above-mentioned body signs that can indicate that your dog is unwell. Remember to make frequent visits to the vet toensure your dog’s wellbeing.
