Dog Symptoms

There are way too many potential causes to cover in this article, but we will look at the more common ones. Obviously if you do notice any changes to your dog's behavior, appearance, or if he appears to be unwell, seek veterinary attention immediately.

Abdominal distension:

• Abdominal mass (tumour)
• Cushing's syndrome
• Obstructed urinary tract
• Pregnancy
• Pyometra

Aggressive behavior:

• Hyperthyroidism
• Rabies
• Brain injury

Painful conditions including:

• Gum disease
• Abscess
• Arthritis

Alopecia (hair loss):

Pruritic (itchy)

• Flea allergy dermatitis
• Food allergy
• Inhalant allergy
• Mange
• Ear mites
• Psychogenic
• Pyoderma
• Abscess

Non pruritic (non itchy)

• Pyoderma
• Abscess
• Hyperthyroidism
• Stress (surgery, illness etc)
• Cushing's disease
• Ringworm
• Drug reaction (topical, injected)
• Telogen defluxion (hair loss which occurs during the resting phase of the hair growth cycle)
• Anagen defluxion (hair loss which occurs during the growing phase of the hair growth cycle)
• Sunburn
• Seborrhea
• Squamous cell carcinoma

Anorexia (not eating):

• Abscess
• Addison's disease
• Anemia
• Bacterial infection
• Certain medications
• Coccidiosis
• Dental or mouth pain (gingivitis, tooth abscess, tumour, stomatitis)
• Diabetes
• Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
• Gastrointestinal disease
• Glomerulonephritis
• Heartworm
• Histoplasmosis
• Hypercalcemia
• Injury or trauma
• Intestinal obstruction
• Ingestion of poison
• Kidney failure
• Neoplasia (abnormal cell growth)
• New or unpalatable diet
• Pancreatitis
• Portosystemic shunt
• Pyometra
• Stress
• Viral infection

Ataxia (unsteady gait)

• Brain trauma
• Ear infection
• Neurological disorder
• Pelvis fracture
• Poisoning
• Spinal trauma

Bad breath:

• Cancers of the mouth
• Diabetes
• Foreign body trapped in mouth
• Gastrintestinal problems (obstructions, cancer, infection)
• Gingivitis
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Tooth abscess
• Tooth decay

• Kidney stones
• Kidney tumour
• Glomerulonephritis
• Trauma
• Bladder stones
• Bladder tumour
• Bladder infection
• Idiopathic (no known cause)

• Dehydration: Water is re-absorbed from the colon & if the dog is dehydrated, the body will try to conserve water by removing additional water from the stool.
• Obstruction of the colon. There are many possible causes of obstruction including birth defects, hairballs, tumours, polyps, ingestion of a foreign object.
• Dietary: Diets which are low in fibre can cause constipation. Ingestion of food containing hair & bones which cause a blockage.
• Drugs & medications: Antihistamines, diuretics & antibiotics are some drugs which can cause constipation in the dog.
• Painful defecation: Causes include impacted anal glands or perianal bite abscess.
• Neurological: Including damage to the nerves in the colon & anus, spinal cord injury, paralysis.
• Hypothyroidism.
• Pelvic injuries from car accidents which lead to fractures narrowing the pelvic canal.
• Metabolic/hormonal: Low potassium, kidney failure, diseases of the thyroid & parathyroid glands.
• Idiopathic. Sometimes it is not possible to find a cause of the constipation.

• Heartworm
• Lungworm
• Roundworm migration
• Asthma
• Chylothorax
• Lung tumours
• Nasopharyngeal polyps
• Fungal infection
• Paralysis ticks

Decreased appetite:

See anorexia

Dehydration:

• Vomiting & or diarrhea
• Sickness - A sick cat may go off it's food & water & therefore not receive enough fluids & become dehydrated.
• Increased urination - Medical conditions such as diabetes & renal failure in which the cat urinates more often may cause dehydration.
• Heatstroke
• Lack of available, fresh drinking water.
• Shock
• Blood loss
• Fever

Diarrhea:

• Addison's disease
• Bacterial infection
• Blockage (foreign object)
• Colitis
• Diet: There are several diet related possibilities. A sudden switch in your dog's food can cause diarrhea. Food allergies & food intolerances may also cause diarrhea. Cows milk or dairy products being a common cause as many cats are lactose intolerant. Other foods may also cause a food intolerance in your dog.
• Dietary indiescretion.
• Drugs or toxins (plants, poisons etc).
• Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
• Hyperthyroidism
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Intestinal tumour
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Malsorption
• Neoplasia (lymphoma, carcinoma & others)
• Pancreatitis
• Parasitic infection
• Viral infection (parvovirus, distemper)

Drooling:

• Poisoning
• Oral problems (bad teeth etc)

Ears:

• Scratching head or ears - External ear infection
• Shaking head - Ear mites
• Swelling of the ear flap - Aural hematoma, infected ear flap
• Crusts and scabs along edge of ear flap - Fly bites
• Thickened ear flap - Acute allergic reaction

Eye discharge:
 

• Bacterial or viral infection
• Conjunctivitis
• Foreign body in the eye

• Bladder stones
• Bladder tumour
• Cystitis

• Acromegaly
• Certain medications
• Cushing's disease
• Diabetic ketoacidosis
• Diabetes mellitus
• Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
• Hyperthyroidism
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Pregnancy
   

• Anal sac disease
• Worms

Itchy skin:

• Dermatitis
• Fleas
• Flea allergy dermatitis
• Food allergy
• Inhalant allergy
• Mange
• Psychogenic
• Pyoderma
   

Lameness:

• Arthritis
• Bone tumour
• Cervical lesion
• Fracture
• Hip dysplasia
• Hypertrophic osteodystrophy
• Lumbar disc disease
• Luxating patella (kneecap)
• Panostetitis
• Ruptured cranial cruciate ligament

Lethargy:

• Anemia
• Acute or chronic kidney failure
• Addison's disease
• Cancer
• Certain medications
• Constipation
• Depression
• Dietary (inadequate amount of food, poor quality food)
• Glomerulonephritis
• Heart failure
• Heartworm
• Heat stroke
• Hepatic lipidosis
• High blood pressure
• Hypetrophic cardiomyopathy
• Hypocalcemia
• Hypothyroidism
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Jaundice
• Liver disease
• Nutritional disorders & or deficiency
• Pancreatitis
• Poisoning
• Pregnancy
• Pyometra
• Recent viral infection
• Ruptured bladder
  
   

Nasal discharge:

• Foreign body in nose
• Nasal infection
• Nasal tumour
• Sinusitis

Seizures:
 

• Brain tumour
• Canine distemper
• Certain medications
• Epilepsy
• Head trauma
• Heat stroke
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
• Kidney failure
• Liver failure
• Poisons
• Vitamin deficiency

• Upper respiratory infection (either caused by a virus or bacteria). This is the most common cause of sneezing in dogs.
• Allergies
• Household irritants (cigarette smoke, dust etc)
• Foreign object (grass seed etc)
• Dental abscess
• Nasal polyps
• Nasal cancer
• Nasal mites
• Fungal infection

Straining to urinate:

 

• Bladder stones
• Kidney failure

Swollen abdomen:

• Cancer
• Cushing's syndrome
• Hemorrhage into abdominal cavity
• Obesity
• Obstructed urinary tract
• Pregnancy
• Pyometra

Swollen breast:
 

• Lactating
• Mammary cancer
• Mastitis

Swollen eye:

• Conjunctivitis
• Foreign body in the eye
   

Vomiting:

Food/Diet Related:

• Eating too fast

• Rapid change in the diet. If you are going to switch brands or type of food, gradually introduce the new type over a few days

• Eating inappropriate foods such as old or mouldy food, food inappropriate for dogs etc. 

• Food allergies

• Food intolerance

• Foreign object. Bones, wool etc. 

• Ingestion of toxins such as antifreeze, drugs, poisonous plants etc.

Parasites

• Intestinal worms

Miscellaneous

• Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)

• Heat stroke

• Renal failure

Diseases

• Liver disease

• Pancreatitis

• Ulcers

• Intestinal lymphoma

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Lymphosarcoma

Endocrinopathies

• Hyperthyroidism

• Diabetes Mellitus

Infections

• Salmonellosis

• Giardia

• Coccidiosis

• Canine distemper

Food/Diet Related:

Miscellaneous

• Acute metritis

• Coccidiosis

• Diabetes

• Endocrinopathies

• Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)

• Heat stroke

• Hyperthyroidism

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Infections

• Intestinal lymphoma

• Liver disease

• Lymphosarcoma

• Pancreatitis

• Renal failure

• Ruptured bladder

• Salmonellosis

• Ulcers

• Abscess
• Addison's disease
• Anemia
• Bacterial infection
• Certain medications
• Coccidiosis
• Dental or mouth pain (gingivitis, tooth abscess, stomatitis)
• Gastrointestinal disease
• Glomerulonephritis
• Heartworm
• Histoplasmosis
• Hypercalcemia
• New or unpalatable diet
• Pancreatitis
• Portosystemic shunt
• Pyometra
• Stress
• Viral infection

Also see:

Cat Symptoms

Please note:

The medical articles on this site have not been written by a veterinarian & should not be considered a replacement for a veterinarian visit. The articles are provided for informative purposes only.

Always seek immediate veterinary advice for any problems (health or behavioral) in your pets. 

While great care has been made in the creation of these articles, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or omissions on these pages. If in any doubt whatsoever, seek professional medical advice. aaa