Monitoring the health of your dog

Early detection of a health problem in your dog is of great importance.

Every dog owner or breeder should learn what is normal, so as to facilitate detecting when something abnormal occurs.{{more}}

Here are some signs of ill health in our canine friends: A subtle change in his behaviour, in that it is quieter than usual and its appetite is lost. Since dogs, like us, have their “off days”, you should keep an eye on this sort of change for a day or two. If it continues, then seek professional advice.

Having more than three vomits within a 12-hour period. Vomiting is a defensive mechanism geared at eliminating the stomach content.

Stooling more than five times within a two-hour period; frequent bowel movement in a liquid form indicates a possible gastro intestinal complication.

A runny nose – this occurs in cases of alteration of the respiratory system. This nasal discharge may vary in colour and volume.

Regular appearance of ocular (eye) discharge. This is referred to as “cold in the eye”. This is indicative of conjunctivitis, a common cold, or as a result of a general infection.

Next week’s article will deal with causes of diarrhoea in dogs.