When active and healthy, pets can provide extreme comfort and companionship. But a sick pet can leave you desolate. Like human beings, they can contact diabetes, rabies, distemper, kennel cough, arthritis, etc.
The problem is you may not know what to do to your sick pet.
It can even be hard to tell whether the pet’s symptoms signal a minor or chronic illness. Your pet can also disguise its illness to protect themselves from foes.
What can you do when your pet gets sick? Here’s a guide to help you tell when your pet needs medical attention and how to care for them during their illness.
Watch Out for Sickness Symptoms
Your pet is a source of joy and happiness. If you want them healthy, you must observe their behavior every day. There’s always a red flag about an arising sickness in your pet.
Since your sick pet can’t talk, they’ll show behavior changes and symptoms. Some symptoms may signal a minor illness that can ease on its own. Yet, if symptoms persist, reach out to a qualified vet for further diagnosis of the problem.
Decreased Appetite or Overeating
Dogs and cats may stop eating because of pain, stress, or other severe illness. Pets that overeat might have worm attacks. Overeating can also cause canine bloat and obesity. Meanwhile, reduced appetite in cats is risky because it is a sign of a fatty liver.
Dogs can become choosy on the meals on offer, so try to change their meal to test their response. If appetite problems extend past 24 hours, take your pet to a vet.
Vomiting and Diarrhea
Your pet vomiting doesn’t necessarily point to a severe condition. However, if vomiting happens several times in a day, that’s an alarm to something serious. Vomiting and diarrhea can dehydrate your pet and leave your pet weak.
Vomiting and diarrhea can be a sign of ingestion problems or worse diseases. They can occur because of parasitic infections such as roundworms and hookworms. There are many factors that could lead up to these symptoms, so you should find out more about them.
Check your pet’s stool for blood stains to establish if your pet has gastric ulcers. Gastric ulcers can cause frequent vomiting in pets. A pet that continues to vomit throughout the day needs further medical attention.
Lethargy
A drop in enthusiasm in your bubbling pet can mean something is wrong.
The sudden loss of the jovial nature of your pet needs to trigger you. If your bustling dog sleeps more or drags around, you probably need to visit a vet.
Fluctuations in Urinating
Does your cat or dog urinate more often or fewer times than usual? Frequent or lessened urination are symptoms of a sick pet. Thirst and frequent urinating may signal kidney or liver diseases. They can also be a sign of diabetes.
Strained or less urinating can spell trouble for your furry friend. Less and strained urination are signs of bladder problems and urinary tract infections. Keep a nose out for pungent, foul-smelling odors from urine as well.
Loss of Hair
It’s the norm for pets to scratch. But a sick pet can itch a lot and experience hair loss. Hair loss and extreme itching may hint an infestation of mites, ticks, and fleas. Yeast infections can also cause ear itching.
Take Your Sick Pet to a Vet
Some symptoms demand you take the sick pet to a vet straight away. For instance, frequent urination and prolonged appetite loss are out of your control.
Other symptoms that may need immediate vet’s attention include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Non-stop seizures
- Ingested poison
- Nose, throat, and eye swellings
- Inability to urinate
- Broken bones
- Non-stop bleeding
If you don’t have a vet, seek recommendations from friends for a qualified one. Compile the history of your pet to help the vet arrive at a solution faster. Ask the vet relatable questions for more surety about the pet’s problem.
Make sure you learn how to administer the medication. You should also ensure you understand the prescription information. Remember to pick the vet’s contact for any inquiries.
Home Care for Your Sick Pet
After visiting the vet, you must pay extra attention to your sick pet. The pet won’t heal right away and some special care can help raise its spirits.
Follow the exact instructions of the prescription medication (if given). Sometimes getting a sick pet to ingest the medication can be testing. There are sneaky ways you can put it in their food or water to help.
Sick pets might struggle to eat or drink. Offer your pet scented foods to lure them into eating. You can also feed them with your hands if they can’t respond to the smelly foods. Reduce the food portion if you want the dog or cat to maximize the nutrients in the diet.
Keep the pet’s water dish near in case they get dehydrated. Infections that cause diarrhea, vomiting, and too much urination can lead to dehydration.
Sick pets may be too weak to use the restroom or groom themselves. Use damp towels to clean and rub their bodies. Remember to clean their beddings and keep their kennels well ventilated.
Rubbing and petting the sick pet can soothe them and reduce their pain and stress. Cleaning is essential to prevent further contamination.
If your pet is too tired to stand, move them after every few hours to prevent extra pain. Lethargy can cause sores and expose the sick pet to pneumonia.
Caring for a Sick Pet
Many of the pet illnesses can heal if you trace them on time and act fast. It’s vital to keep a close eye on the pet. In case they become sick, the vet can have all the time to treat the ill pet.
After the sick pet heals, take all the measures to prevent future illnesses. Make sure the pet and the sleeping place are clean. The pet should also feed well and visit the vet more often for regular checkups.
For more tips and advice for taking care of your pet, check out our blog.