How to tell if your dog is sick with Dr. Marc Abraham

Humans and dogs have an amazing bond that allows us to communicate through body language and sounds. It can also be life-saving like knowing how to tell if your dog is sick. We’ve teamed up with Dr. Marc Abraham OBE to learn more about understanding subtle sick dog symptoms.

How to tell if your dog is sick

1. Sudden hair loss or itchy skin
2. An increase or decrease in urine volume
3. Pale tongue and gums
4. Lameness or trouble walking
5. Loss of appetite
6. Change in drinking habits
7. Changes in behavior or personality
8. Sudden weight loss or gain
9. Vomiting and diarrhea
10.  Difficulty breathing or wheezing
11. Eye changes

11 common sick dog symptoms

At the beginning of October 2024, Dr Marc Abraham OBE (AKA ‘Marc the Vet’) kindly did a live Q&A on our Community Forum. Our pet-loving Community members were able to ask him their pet problem questions and general tips on pet health, including how to tell if your dog is sick through the slightly more subtle symptoms:

“Your pet may be showing much more subtle signs that require just as urgent intervention and potentially serious surgery to fix them.”

Of course, if you’re ever concerned about your fur baby, you must always contact your vet first.

“Always call your vet for advice (often free of charge), whatever the issue, and let them decide.”

However, it’s still good to know what to look out for in a sick dog. So, with the help of Marc’s marvelous advice, here are some common subtle sick dog symptoms to look out for in a poorly pooch.

1. Sudden hair loss or itchy skin

Let’s start with an obvious one - hair loss and dry, irritated skin. If your pup is over scratching one area, their fur has become patchy, or their coat has begun to thin, this means something is going on that shouldn’t be. Allergies are a common cause for hair loss and itchy skin, but it can also be a symptom of an infection or something even worse. Talk to your vet to see what needs to change.

2. An increase or decrease in urine volume

We’re not asking you to measure your pup’s pee every bathroom break, but many pet parents know if they’re dog is ‘going’ more or less than usual. First off, this could simply be a sign of improper hydration due to their diet:

“The type of diet, such as kibble only, often determines the need for maybe more drinking and hydration, so that must always be taken into consideration.”

However, urine volume can also be affected by illnesses like urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or other more serious health issues.

3. Pale tongue and gums

A healthy pup has pink, smooth, moist gums and a matching pink slobbery tongue. Any signs of paleness, dryness, or discoloration is an indicator they’re unwell. Because blood vessels sit so close to the gums in particular, an issues in circulation will show up through a pale palette. Call your vet immediately if you notice a pale tongue or gums.

4. Lameness or trouble walking

Lameness or trouble walking isn’t unusual for senior dogs - joint problems like arthritis are very common in many older pups, but should still be discussed with your vet. Marc recommonds a few things:

“As well as some very effective joint supplements available on the market, and recommending an appropriate diet and levels of exercise, as well as considering prescribing safe, long-term medication if/when indicated.”

5. Loss of appetite

Pup parents will often see a loss of appetite as a first indicator that their pooch is unwell. It can, however, be a symptom that occurs after your pup has been unwell for a while. If they’re off their food, you need to be on the phone to their vet.

6. Stinky breath

Dog breath isn’t going to be made into a Yankee candle any time soon, however there are some stinks which are worse than others and it can be the sign of a sick dog:

“‘Halitosis’ as it’s often called, can be an indicator of a few kinds of disease, often serious. Firstly, the most obvious reason would be dental issues in your dog’s mouth, usually from bad teeth and gums (periodontal disease) requiring possible extraction, scaling, and polishing.”

7. Changes in behavior or personality

Doggos are tough - if they’re in pain or hurt, they’ll only let us know when it becomes too much for them. Even then, they can still hide that something is wrong. Often one of the first tell-tail signs is through personality changes. A happy, playful pet could suddenly become a shy and unfriendly doggo if it’s not feeling itself.

8. Sudden weight loss or gain

Pups will experience weight gain and loss throughout their lives, particularly as they become senior dogs. However, sudden weight loss or gain could be the sign of something more sinister. Firstly, it could be a sign of something wrong with their digestive system:

“Issues maybe further along the gut, such as an imbalanced microbiome, can be caused by too many harmful bacteria or not enough beneficial bacteria.”

This problem is normally accompanied by other ailments:

“ [This] would normally be accompanied by gastrointestinal signs like losing weight, vomiting and/or diarrhoea, even abdominal pain and swelling.”

However, any unexpect changes in weight could mean something else is going on, so be sure to contact your vet immediately. 

9. Vomiting and diarrhea

Vomiting and diarrhea happen to the best of dogs and can often be caused by eating something that doesn’t agree with them. However, of all the dog ailments and symptoms​ these should not be ignored or taken lightly. In fact, they could a sign of something serious:

“These symptoms would also usually be seen in cases of kidney and liver disease, because the organs aren’t filtering and processing waste and toxins properly.”

Vomiting and diarrhea could simply be from an food allergy or 24 hour stomach bug, it’s always better to be safe than sorry:

“In all cases, if you suspect a problem then see your vet ASAP so they can investigate, examine, and treat as necessary.”

10. Difficulty breathing or wheezing

As dogs age, it’s not unusual to hear them huffing and puffing about your home as movements become more restrictive. But, this can also be a clear indicator of a respiratory problem. Kennel cough is a common culprit and whilst rarely deadly, can cause your pup a lot of discomfort. At the other end of the scales, if breathing issues suddenly start, this could be the signs of something as serious as heart failure. 

11. Eye changes

Someone once said the eyes are the windows into soul, for pets they can also be a clear sign they’re unwell:

“Issues arise when the discharge is accompanied by inflammation, pain, discomfort, third eyelid coming across, or your pet could be holding their eye closed, and/or the discharge is thick yellow/green pus, bloody, watery, or even just excessive.”

These sick dog symptoms in eyes could be down to a number of different reasons:

“Eye problems, in one or both eyes, that exhibit some of these types of symptoms include foreign bodies, environmental allergies, corneal scratches or ulcers, dry eye (a painful condition that occurs when a dog’s eyes don’t produce enough tears), or blocked/compromised tear duct”

As always, contact your vet for a consultation ASAP!

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