As a pet parent, haven’t you wondered how easy it would be if your pets could simply communicate their needs with you? One of the best ways to understand your dog’s needs is to look for signs that may tell you how they feel. Pets tend to communicate feeling poorly by showing unpleasant symptoms or behavior. Thus, if you suspect your dog might be sick, look out for these particular signs.

Vomiting
Often one of the first symptoms of your dog’s sickness, vomiting, can point towards digestive issues and more. The vomiting can be caused by sudden meal changes, viral or bacterial infections, indigestion from eating any unknown object, motion sickness if they are traveling in a car, or even parvovirus in puppies. A detailed diagnosis will reveal if the illness is mild or severe, but it needs a veterinarian’s immediate attention if other unusual symptoms follow.

Check their urine
Signs like straining to urinate, changes in the urine volume, or blood in the urine are signs that you need to look out for to know if your dog is sick. This is especially important for senior dogs as these issues may arise with age. Bloody urine may point to illnesses like bladder stones, urinary tract infections, blood issues, or even cancer in some cases. If you notice any excess urination, it can be due to kidney issues or diabetes mellitus. Same with their potty routine; if you see any change in their stool color or any presence of blood, it could indicate a gastritis illness. Many vets also ask for stool samples if your dog is sick, so it is important to check your dog’s bowel movements.

Loss of appetite
This is very evident, especially if your dog is food driven. If you notice them feeling less energetic and missing their meal times, it is a sign they are probably not feeling okay. This symptom can also occur frequently during summer if the temperatures are too high and the dogs are feeling lethargic, but it could also indicate some stomach issues that should be checked by the vet.

Unexplained weight gain or loss
This sign that your dog is sick is also easy to spot and observe. If your dog has had any unusual weight gain or loss, even though their activity level and food plan are the same, it could indicate some health issues. Get a thorough checkup done by the vet to understand any underlying health conditions that could affect this.