Common Dog Health Problems

Dog owners should know a bit about the various common dog health problems that their pet could get over the course of their lives.  There is an historic canine folklore held and considered by people from long ago saying that a cold and moist nose on a dog is a sign of good health.  There are no scientific basis for this belief as no one can tell from how wet or how cold a dog's is has anything to do with hereditary heart problems, parasites, intestinal worms, blindness, deafness and every other health problems that dogs can contract.

Dog owners need to pay NO attention to such thinking that have no basis in science and instead concentrate on the dog's overall condition which includes routine checks of the eys, teeth, ears, mouth area and skin, being vigilant for anything out of the ordinary that could be a disease symptom.  A good dog owner needs to be sure they provide the care that their dog needs, including a healthy diet (some treats are OK), visits to the vet, and regular grooming so that their pets can enjoy long and healthy lives.

There are a number of signs and signals that might be telling you that your dog has specific dog health symptoms or problems or diseases.  Owners of dogs should be sure they know about these signals of possible health issues in their dogs so they can prompt action if needed.

Overall, a healthy dog's coat is shiny, soft to the touch and full.  With wiry coated dogs, like Australian terriers, you need to be sure that the coat is springy and has thick strands of fur.  Breeds with double coats should have no indication of thinning on the undercoats.

Redness, sores, scabs, scales, flakes, lumps and growths on the dog's skin can be signs of health problems.  Its important that both your dog's fur and skin remain free of parasites - little organisms like fleas or ticks or mites.  Frequent scratching or even biting of the skin is an indication of potential parasites.

Just like us, bright, shining eyes in your dog means good health.  Around their eyeballs, dogs have an area that needs to be pink to show that they are healthy.  This region is called the conjunvtiva and if its pale in color, this could mean some hidden health challenges.  Its important that there be no abnormal discharges from the eyes, especially no greenish or yellow fluids.

A offensive smell or bloody discharge from your dog's ears means something is not right with your dog's health.  The ears should be clean with no signs of parasitic activities.

Dog gums that maintain a healthy rosy pink color and which might have a bit of black color as well is a pretty good indication of good health.  pale or very light colored gums could mean your dog has anemia. Reddish gums that leak droplets of blood can often be signals that there is something amiss peridontally and this combined with a rank breath odor can spell trouble with a hidden health problem.

Remembering back to hearing about the belief about a dog's nose, that a healthy canine almost always has achiily, damp nose but this is really caused only by a relatively clear and runny nasal discharge that is fairly common in dogs.  If your dog has a bad smeling and icky colored discharge coming form the nose, you need to have your dog looked at right away.  Such discharges in young pups can be a sign of canine distemper and may prove to be fatal.

There are still other factors to study and to look at to determine the health of the dog, and these include his weight, bodily temperature, the appearance of urine and feces.  The most important thing is to understand these symptoms of dog health problems so that the minute you spot something out of the ordinary, you can take action right away.