Should You Diagnose Dog Health Symptoms without a Vet?

As a dog owner you may notice certain dog health symptoms that can indicate your dog is ill. The best thing to do is to get a clear diagnosis from your vet. Misinterpreting your dog’s symptoms may cause complications and you may worsen your dog’s condition by administering the wrong over the counter medications.

Dog Health Symptoms

When your pet is ill, he will display certain symptoms, such as lethargy, coughing, sneezing, hiding behavior, aggressiveness, seizures, pale gums, yellow eye whites, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, lack of coordination, difficulty to perform certain movements, hair loss, rashes, itchy skin or dull coat. It is important to be able to identify these symptoms at home and know if they are urgent.

Some symptoms such as occasional vomiting or diarrhea may be no cause for concern, as these may be a normal reaction to an unusual diet. However, chronic vomiting should be considered a symptom of a more serious illness and a vet must be consulted.  

Diagnosing Your Dog at Home

Diagnosing your dog’s health symptoms at home shouldn’t be done as the diagnosis may be wrong. Doing a diagnosis at home is not recommended for several reasons:

  • You may not notice all symptoms and get a wrong diagnosis
  • Some dogs don’t show typical symptoms for diseases, each dog’s organism may react differently to the disease and display various symptoms
  • There are a lot of conditions that require testing to get a clear diagnose; internal problems cannot be diagnosed judging only by some symptoms
  • A few diseases show similar symptoms and it is difficult to identify the precise cause (i.e. symptoms of allergies are similar to symptoms of canine respiratory infections)
  • The dog may have secondary diseases which also need attention
  • If you misdiagnose your dog and get over the counter medication, you may only aggravate your dog’s condition and complications may arise

How Diagnosis Is Done

The proper diagnosis is done judging by the symptoms that you notice in your dog; these will be used as guidelines, as the vet needs to have some clues about what may be wrong.

Depending on the suspected disease, the vet will perform some tests which may include a complete blood count or individual blood tests, urinalysis, electrocardiogram (EKG), x-rays, ultrasounds, MRI or allergy testing (intradermal or blood testing).

Some of these tests will show the general health state of the pet, while others are specific to certain organs or functions.

The tests will need to be interpreted by the vet and if needed, additional tests should be performed to get a clear diagnosis. The test results will greatly depend on the dog’s age, breed, so the interpretation of the tests should be done by a specialist.

Consequently, you can use the symptoms you notice in your dog as a guideline to identify a possible health issue; if the symptoms are urgent, you should get help from a vet and get a clear diagnosis.

 

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