Sick Dog Diagnosis

The word 'sick dog' does not tell you anything about the medical condition of the dog. Dog may become sick due to several reasons. Sickness in dogs may not be as evident as sickness in humans. The fact that a dog cannot communicate his discomfort makes diagnosis and detection of dog's sickness even more difficult. However, if you have experience with dogs or pets in general, you must have seen that they have their own way of conveying their illness. Vigilant dog owners can detect even smallest changes in dog behavior. A sick dog will behave as differently as possible from a healthy dog. The nature of behavior is mostly dependent upon the underlying health problem.

Sick Dog Diagnosis Chart

Diagnosis of a dog's illness can be done based on the symptoms exhibited by the dog. Given below is a detailed chart for dog illness symptoms and corresponding sickness.

Symptoms	Causes
Abdominal Pain	Canine Hepatitis, Dog Constipation, Canine Enteritis
Abdominal Swelling	Canine Bloating, Roundworms (puppies)
Aggression	Rabies
Anemia	Roundworms, Tapeworms, Whipworms
Bad Breath	Canine Bad Breath
Behavior Changes	Hookworms, Canine Arthritis, Canine Heart Disease, Rabies, Red Mange - Demodectic, Canine Parvovirus, Tapeworms, Whipworms
Bloating	Canine Bloating
Blood in Urine	Canine Kidney Disease
Blood in Feces	Dog Constipation
Bloodshot Eyes	Canine Eye Infections, Entropion
Breathing difficulties	Canine Heart Disease, Heartworms, Rabies, Canine Parvovirus, Dog Allergies, Ruptured Diaphragm, obstructed Airway, Lungworm, Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Heatstroke, Poisoning
Change in body weight	Canine Heart Disease, Heartworms, Hookworms, Roundworms, Whipworms
Coma	Rabies
Constipation	Dog Constipation, Intestinal Obstruction, Hernia
Convulsions	Canine Epilepsy
Coughing	Canine Distemper, Canine Heart Disease, Heartworms, Canine Hepatitis, Kennel Cough, Roundworms, Canine Parvovirus, Dog Allergies, Lungworm, TB, Pneumonia
Deafness	Canine Deafness
Dehydration	Canine Parvovirus
Depression	Canine Parvovirus
Diarrhea	Canine Diarrhea, Distemper, Canine Enteritis, Canine Hepatitis, Hookworms, Canine Kidney Disease, Canine Parvovirus, Roundworms (puppies), Whipworms, Dog Allergies, Food Poisoning, IBS, Addison's Disease, Pancreatic Disorder
Drinking excessively	Canine Kidney Disease
Ear Scratching	Dog Ear Infections (Otitis Externa), Fleas, Dog Allergies
Eye Problems	Distemper, Canine Eye Infections, Conjunctivitis, Entropion, Kennel Cough, Dog Allergies
Fainting	Canine Heart Disease, Heartworms
Falling	Canine Epilepsy, Wobbler Syndrome
Fever	Kennel Cough, Rabies, Red Mange- Demodectic, Canine Parvovirus, Distemper, Canine Hepatitis, Lyme Disease, Canine Kidney Disease, Heatstroke, Food Poisoning / Toxic Poisoning, Canine Diabetes, Heart Disease
Fits	Canine Epilepsy
Hair loss	Mange, Red Mange - Demodectic, Scabies - Sarcoptic Mange, Dandruff - Cheyletiella Mange, Dog Allergies, Cushings Syndrome, Over-Active Thyroid, Fleas, Ringworm, Dog Allergy
Head Shaking	Dog Ear Infections (Otitis Externa), Fleas
Inflammation	Canine Arthritis, Mange, Inflamed Joints, Canine Arthritis, Lyme Disease
Itching	Fleas, Dog Mange, Scabies - Sarcoptic Mange, Tapeworms, Ticks, Dandruff - Cheyletiella, Mange, Dog Allergies
Loss of appetite	Canine Heart Disease, Heartworms, Kennel Cough, Lyme Disease, Rabies, Red Mange - Demodectic
Lack of coordination	Wobbler Syndrome
Lack of response to sound	Canine Deafness
Lameness	Canine Arthritis, Hip Dysplasia, Lyme Disease, Patellar Luxation, Rabies, Wobbler Syndrome, Interdigital Cysts, Poisoning (Warfarin), Aortic Thrombosis
Lethargy	Canine Arthritis, Canine Heart Disease, Hookworms, Kennel Cough, Canine Kidney Disease, Lyme Disease, Canine Parvovirus, Roundworms, Scabies - Sarcoptic Mange, Tapeworms, Whipworms
Nasal Discharge	Distemper, Kennel Cough, Dog Allergies
Pain on movement	Canine Arthritis, Hip Dysplasia
Panting	Canine Heart Disease (refer breathing difficulty for additional causes)
Paralysis	Rabies
Rectal bleeding	Dog Constipation
Retching	Canine Bloating, Kennel Cough
Salivation	Canine Bloating, Rabies, Heatstroke, Poisoning, Epilepsy, Scabies - Sarcoptic Mange, Dandruff - Cheyletiella Mange, Dog Allergies, Scaly Skin, Red Mange - Demodectic, Scabies - Sarcoptic Mange
Scratching	Fleas, Mange, Red Mange - Demodectic, Scabies - Sarcoptic Mange, Tapeworms, Ticks, Dandruff - Cheyletiella Mange, Dog Allergies, Seizure, Distemper, Canine Epilepsy, Canine Hepatitis, Canine Kidney Disease, Rabies
Twitching	Distemper
Urinating problems	Canine Kidney Disease
Vomiting	Canine Bloating, Distemper, Canine Enteritis, Canine Hepatitis, Canine Kidney Disease, Canine Parvovirus, Tapeworms, Roundworms, Dog Allergies, Food/Toxic Poisoning, Diabetes, Addison's Disease, IBS, Over-eating, Food Allergy
Weight Loss	Canine Heart Disease, Heartworms, Hookworms, Roundworms, Whipworms
Wheezing	Kennel Cough

The above sick dog symptom checker is provided only for information. Do not refer to it for diagnosis or treatment of your own. Every dog is different and may have unique symptoms for a particular illness. Hence, it is best to take him to a vet if he exhibits any of the above symptoms.