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Pet Health :: Dog Cat Illness
Dog and Cat Illness
No one knows a pet better than its owner. When your cat or dog throws up, has loose stools, acts lethargic and continues to demand your physical attention, those are usually signs of an illness.
If your cat or dog has never been ill before, you might not know what to do. You’ve considered calling your vet, but you’re not sure if the symptoms are serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor.
So you go online and search for the symptoms your pet is exhibiting. It’s then that you see hundreds of things that could be associated with just one illness symptom. It becomes overwhelming. What if you choose the wrong remedy or treatment?
Give Your Dog or Cat a Quick At-Home Checkup
Perform this quick pet exam to help you determine whether to call the vet or to wait a few hours to see if your dog or cat’s illness symptoms improve.
- Glide your palm along the cat’s or dog’s fur to determine if it feels greasy. If not, proceed to Step 2.
- Separate the animal’s fur and look at the color of the skin to see if it’s a grayish-white color (normal) or dark pinkish-red color (inflammation). If the skin’s inflamed, call your vet. If not, proceed to Step 3.
- On your pet’s skin, do you see dead flaking skin (like dandruff scales) among the fur? If yes, call your vet. If no, proceed to Step 4.
- By separating the hair around your pet’s face, are tiny black dots visible? If the dots are moving, it’s probably fleas, and you should have seen your pet scratching that area. If that’s true, call your vet. If not, proceed to Step 5.
- Rub your fingers through your pet’s fur and against the skin. Smell your fingers. Do you detect an odor that’s fishy or rancid smelling? If yes, call your vet because unless the animal has rolled in dead fish, it’s sick and needs attention. If your fingers don’t smell like fish or rancid, then proceed to Step 6.
- Wash your hands before beginning this task. Closely examine your cat’s or dog’s eyes. What you’re looking for is sticky and discolored matter or eyelids that are red on the inside with the appearance of an irritation at the edge of the eye. Your pet could have an eye infection. If you found anything as mentioned in this step, then call your vet. If the eyes look normal, then proceed to Step 7.
- Cradle your pet’s head in your arms or lap and get ready to inspect the gums. What you’re looking for is a red line that goes along the base of the teeth. You don’t have to open the animal’s mouth to do this. Just lift up the side skin and lips to have a look. Do you see any inflammations or redness around the teeth? Now inspect the teeth. If your pet has a toothache and you touch the tooth that’s causing the pain, you’ll know it. If this appears to be the problem, then call your vet.
As with any quick-step exam or checkup, the best rule of thumb is to schedule an appointment with your vet whenever you’re in doubt about your pet’s health.
Don’t guess about the validity of an illness in your pet’s body. Consult your CareFirst vet and learn what you can do for your cat or dog today.
