10 Signs Your Pet Needs the Vet

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Make sure you are able to observe the urinary habits of your pet.

#7 Bad Breath: Geriatric pets are not the only ones who can suffer from dental diseases. Even in kittens as young as four months old, severe dental disease can be present as a result of common viruses and severe pain, even exposed nerves, can evolve quickly. If your pet has foul breath, don’t play games with over-the-counter breath freshening tools. First, see your vet to find out if your pet has abscesses, broken teeth, gingival complications or other oral health conditions that could be causing pain and opening the window to additional disease of major organs including the heart. More on pet dental health.

Bad breath is a sign of illness.

#8 “False” Hairballs or Coughing: You’d be surprised at how much asthma in cats looks and sounds like a cat trying to cough up a fur ball. Many cat guardians miss the early signs of asthma because it appears so similar to the old ‘hair ball’ routine. Viral infections, heart diseases, asthma and worms are but a few of the reasons your pet may be coughing, wheezing or sneezing and it’s simply impossible for pet owners to make these determinations on their own.

#9 Itching: Sometimes food allergies, environmental allergies or external parasites cause itching. Particularly if you pet is itching at his ears and wincing, painful ear mites or yeast overgrowth may be present.

Pay close attention to the subtle signs and follow your intuition.

#10 Not Your Average Vomit: Pets do vomit occasionally, but sometimes vomit is an indicator of an emergency ranging from poisoning, an ingested foreign object or serious illness. In fact, retching unproductively can also indicate a severe condition in dogs in which their stomach is twisted. For the full skinny of pet vomiting and what to look out for, see this quick article by By Dr. Emily Coatney-Smith.

Brought to you by the Harmony Fund international animal rescue charity.

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Read more: harmony-fund, pet health, pet illness, veterinary

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Kathy P.

7:53AM PDT on May 8, 2013

thanks

May 8
send a green star

Elena B.

1:44AM PDT on Apr 10, 2013

Thanks for sharing this interesting and useful information.

April 10
send a green star

katarzyna p.

8:13AM PDT on Mar 13, 2013

the key thing is to 'be in tune' with your pet. only if you know it's routine and behavious will you be able to notice if there are any problems and be able to take action