When to take your dog to the vet: the signs that don’t lie

A dog can’t tell you where it hurts, and many hide their pain as long as they can. Faced with unusual behaviour, two mistakes are possible: panicking over a minor knock, or waiting “to see if it passes” when every hour counts. This guide helps you tell an emergency from a visit to plan soon and from simple monitoring.

Know your dog when it is well

To spot what is wrong, you need to know what is normal. Get into the habit of observing your dog in good health:

• its appetite and thirst: how much does it eat, how much does it drink?
• its stools and urine: frequency, appearance, colour;
• its breathing at rest: ten to thirty breaths a minute in a calm dog;
• its gums: pink and moist. Press with a finger: the colour should return in under two seconds;
• its temperature: between 38 and 39 °C, taken rectally;
• its behaviour: energy, wish to play, the way it moves.

A clear and lasting change in any of these habits is, on its own, a reason to consult.

Emergencies: go straight away

In the situations below, don’t wait for the next day and don’t look for a remedy online. Phone the clinic to say you are coming, and go.

• Difficulty breathing: noisy breathing, mouth open at rest, bluish or grey gums.
• A swollen, hard belly, with retching but nothing brought up. This is the sign of gastric dilatation-volvulus, fatal within hours, which mainly affects large deep-chested dogs.
• Seizures, loss of consciousness, sudden inability to stand.
• Suspected poisoning: chocolate, grapes, medicines, rat poison, household products, even without symptoms. See our article on dangerous foods.
• Heatstroke: extreme panting, lethargy, vomiting after exposure to heat or exertion. See protecting your dog from the heat.
• An accident or fall, even if the dog seems fine: internal bleeding can’t be seen.
• Bleeding that won’t stop after five minutes of pressure.
• Being unable to urinate, or straining repeatedly without result, especially in males.
• Vomiting or diarrhoea with blood, or very heavy and repeated.
• Very pale, white or yellow gums.
• A closed, red, swollen or injured eye: eye injuries worsen within hours.
• A birth that goes wrong: more than two hours of contractions with no puppy, or more than four hours between puppies.
• A bite from an unknown animal, because of the risk of rabies.

The special case of the puppy

A puppy dehydrates and weakens much faster than an adult. A puppy that vomits, has diarrhoea, refuses to eat or goes limp should be seen the same day. In an unvaccinated puppy these signs suggest parvovirus, where every hour counts.

See within 24 to 48 hours

These signs aren’t life-threatening emergencies, but shouldn’t drag on:

• vomiting or diarrhoea lasting more than a day, without blood, in an otherwise well adult dog;
• refusing to eat for more than twenty-four hours;
• a limp that persists, or refusing to put a paw down;
• clearly increased thirst and need to urinate;
• persistent coughing, repeated sneezing, nasal discharge;
• intense itching, red patches, hair loss;
• an ear that smells bad, that the dog shakes or scratches;
• pain when chewing, sudden bad breath, drooling;
• a wound, even small, from a bite: they almost always become infected;
• fever, meaning a temperature above 39.5 °C.

Watch at home

A single bout of vomiting in a dog that stays cheerful and eats normally, a soft stool after a dietary slip, a minor surface graze or tiredness after a big day can simply be watched. Give water, offer a light meal, and observe.

Set yourself a limit: if the problem hasn’t gone within twenty-four hours, if it recurs or if a new symptom appears, consult.

The subtle signs of pain

Dogs rarely express pain by whimpering. Look for subtler changes:

• it hides, withdraws or, on the contrary, never leaves your side;
• it hesitates to jump, climb stairs or get up;
• it keeps licking or nibbling the same spot;
• it pants for no reason, trembles, stays hunched;
• it growls when touched, though it is usually tolerant;
• it sleeps much more, or can’t find a comfortable position.

In an older dog we readily put these signs down to age. Arthritis, dental pain or a chronic illness can nevertheless be treated, and quality of life changes completely.

What never to do

• Give a human medicine. Paracetamol and ibuprofen, harmless for us, are toxic to dogs, sometimes fatal.
• Make it vomit with salt or oil.
• Reuse an old treatment or another animal’s.
• Apply to a wound alcohol, henna, ground coffee or ointments not made for dogs.
• Wait several days hoping the problem will sort itself out, especially in a puppy or an older dog.

The annual visit: prevent rather than cure

A healthy adult dog should see a vet once a year, twice from seven or eight years old. The visit is for vaccine boosters, but also for checking the heart, teeth, skin and weight and feeling the abdomen. Many diseases are found at this stage, before any symptom, when they are still easy to treat.

Preparing for the consultation

You will help the vet reach a quick diagnosis by arriving with:

• the health record;
• the list of symptoms, since when, and how they have changed;
• what the dog has eaten, including what it might have swallowed on the sly;
• any medicines or products already given;
• a photo or video of the problem if it is intermittent, like a limp, a cough or a fit;
• a stool sample or the packaging of the suspect product, where relevant.

Carry an injured dog carefully, on a stretched blanket or a board, and gently muzzle it if it is in pain: even the nicest dog can bite when hurting.

Keep the right numbers to hand

An emergency rarely comes in office hours. Don’t wait for that moment to look: save today the number of your usual vet and that of a clinic that provides night and weekend cover in your city. The canin.ma vet listings let you find some near you.

Key takeaways

Difficulty breathing, a swollen belly, seizures, poisoning, heatstroke, bleeding, being unable to urinate: these are emergencies. A sick puppy is always an emergency. For the rest, the twenty-four-hour rule is a good safeguard. And if in doubt, a call to the vet costs nothing and can change everything.