5 Signs of Illness and Health Problems in Dogs

Did you know that people grieve the loss of their animals harder and longer than we often do the loss of our friends and family member?! We want them to be happy, but often we don't even know our animal friends are suffering -- until it's too late.

Being able to detect if your dog is sick quickly can mean the difference between recovery or not, in some cases. Our job is to listen to them so we can learn about their experiences and discomforts and then take appropriate action.

Begin by paying attention to subtle cues:

1. Energy levels -- watch out for changes in your animal's energy levels and behavior. I promise you, what your animal does makes perfect sense -- to them! If you notice your friend slowing down or not wanting to go as far or as fast as before, or not wanting to play anymore... this could indicate a pain problem or illness.

For instance, if your dog would happily play fetch for hours, then all of a sudden quits after only 30 minutes of play or won't bring the ball back to you, chances are he may be feeling sore or getting winded, so he doesn't want to run anymore. You might feel glad for the break! But you should also check him for other signs of distress.

2. Hiding or running away/escaping -- this can be a common management problem, such as leaving them alone too long or overwhelming them with too much stress and activity... or this could indicate something unknown, like an undiscovered abuse situation.

One dog I worked with was being teased by the kids in the neighborhood so she escaped from her yard and ran away when they were around. Then she happily came home to wait for her humans to get home from work!

3. Aggression -- growling, biting, not wanting to be touched are all signs that something is wrong. Pay attention to what areas of your friend's body evoke this kind of response, and what kinds of triggers spark the reaction.

Evasive reactions to certain areas of their bodies can mean different things. Ducking the head reaction from a dog can mean either a dominance issue problem, or it could mean they have a headache or vision problem. Sensitivity in the hips or back or shoulders can mean pain, as in "Ouch! That hurts! Stop That!"

4. Refusing food or not drinking water -- be alert for any changes with eating and elimination. Problems here can mean many things, from food allergies to kidney or bowel problems.

It could be the food you're offering them isn't good for them or it is no longer meeting their nutritional requirements, or has been contaminated in some way (remember the pet food recalls). Or they have ingested something toxic. Dogs will often impose a fasting period on themselves while their system works to clean itself up and heal. Or they could have a bowel impaction or are suffering from bloat, which can be a life threatening condition requiring an emergency vet visit. The sooner you notice and start asking them the right questions, the sooner you can take action to prevent whatever is wrong from getting worse.

5. Sad eyes -- always an indication of something wrong. Our animals grieve and feel emotional pain. They also can get depressed and sad about changes in their lives. Or they may just have a headache or other pain issue that you aren't aware of.

Do your best friend a favor and learn what to watch out for. Learning how to communicate with your animal can help you detect physical discomforts and the reasons for their behavior. Then, you can more easily correct the problem through appropriate caretaking, because you need to understand their experiences of illness and health problems. Talking with them can also help to properly prepare an animal for surgery or other medical interventions will facilitate a speedy recovery with less trauma or complications.

Catching these kinds of things early can mean the difference between life and death - literally!

Val Heart, Expert Animal Communicator, Behaviorist, Author, Master Healer -- Providing Communication, Clarity, Balance and Healing for You and Your Animal.

Are you Ready? Take a pro-active approach to improving your relationships with yourself & your animals through improved communication, energy medicine, health & balance for body, mind & spirit. Working with chronic pain, illness, trauma, training, behavior, performance, euthanasia卻pecializing with dogs and sport horses.