So, you've got a dog. If this isn't your first pet and you're already a fairly experienced owner, you shouldn't have any questions. But what if you're not? How can you tell if your puppy is happy, well-fed, and generally healthy?
First of all, you need to get to know your dog – study its character, preferences, its temperament and its typical mood, that is, understand what state is normal for it.
Any significant deviation from the norm may indicate that something is wrong with the puppy. However, there are also general signs common to all dogs: a contented puppy wags its tail, barks joyfully, is sociable, its eyes sparkle, is affectionate, and readily offers its belly for scratching.
Based on my own observations, I would like to note that a healthy dog should respond to all external stimuli that are important to it, be it sounds, smells, or any movements.
Let me give you an example: when my dog was still a puppy, she alternated between diarrhea and vomiting for a week. She was active and ate well, though. On the fifth day, we finally became alarmed and called the vet. After listening to her symptoms, he diagnosed her with rhinovirus enteritis right over the phone.
Words cannot describe our state of mind while we waited for the doctor. The puppy lay on the cold floor the entire time, refusing to let anyone near him. When the doctor finally arrived, or rather, rang the intercom, a miracle happened…
The dog came to life, started running, frolicking, and enjoying the visitor. Naturally, there was no enteritis, thank goodness; the puppy simply suffered from intoxication due to regularly poisoning itself with its own feces and, as we later realized, was in a bad mood. Knowing this would have saved us both money and, most importantly, our nerves. Although, insurance never hurts.
A dog is always willing to eat. However, if it suddenly refuses to eat, but there is no diarrhea or vomiting, it may indicate:
1. The food you offer is tasteless and/or of poor quality;
2. Your dog wants to eat the tastiest pieces first, the ones on your plate, and then his dinner;
3. She decided to have a fasting day for herself, because she was tired of hearing how fat she was;
4. She is stressed about your absence;
5. Someone just fed her well and she needs to wait about 15 minutes for everything to calm down.
A dog's normal body temperature is 37.8–38.5, the nose is always cold and wet, but during sleep and in the first minutes of waking up it can be hot and dry, this is completely normal.
A dog sleeps about 20 hours a day if it's idle. It shouldn't have any rashes on its body, unless it's allergic to the food or cosmetics you use. It's also important to pay attention to scratching—it's natural for animals to scratch, but if your dog regularly scratches in the same spot, it's worth checking for a rash or tick.
These are just a few of the many signs that will tell you about your pet's health. Always monitor your puppy's mood swings. Only careful and sensitive monitoring is the key to excellent health, as an illness in its early stages is much easier to treat than one in its advanced stages.
And careful care and love generally work wonders.
