How You Can Tell if Your Puppy is Sick

How can you tell if your puppy is sick? Puppies can fall ill for a variety of reasons but their symptoms aren’t always easy to detect.

Diagnosis of sick puppies can be challenging because puppies frequently get sick very quickly. It is not uncommon to hear about a puppy that was running around, playing, eating, and drinking normally in the morning becoming horribly sick and not moving just 4 to 6 hours later. In adult dogs this kind of rapid development of symptoms would be uncommon, but it happens regularly with young puppies.

Common Signs of a Sick Puppy

Some common indications of a “sick puppy” include:

You are the person who knows your pet best, and owners often notice subtle early warning signs that someone else may not detect. If you observe any of the mentioned symptoms or see any other signs that concern you, call your veterinary hospital as soon as possible. In fact, it’s worth seeking the advice of a vet even if you can’t quite pinpoint what’s wrong. That feeling that something is “off” about your dog can be indicative of a health problem.

The safest approach when you suspect your puppy is sick is to have your puppy examined. Once your pet is under the supervision of a veterinarian, the vet may ask additional questions to help localize or diagnose the problem.

Questions Your Vet May Ask About Your Sick Puppy

For the quickest diagnosis, be prepared to answer some of the following questions:

By supplying the answers to these questions, your veterinarian will be in a better position to help your puppy and determine the underlying cause for the symptoms.

Additional tests may be necessary to find out what the problem is but the answers to the above questions can greatly narrow the area of concern.

I hope this article gives you more information on how to tell if your puppy is sick. If you have any concerns about your sick puppy, please call your veterinarian.