Dog Illness Symptoms

As you can see, different health problems can cause similar dog illness symptoms, so it is important that if such symptoms persist, a proper diagnosis by a veterinarian is essential before considering any type of treatment.

This list is by no means complete - I am planning to continue to add new information and pages to it, so please bookmark this page and re-visit often!

An Index of Dog Illness Symptoms

Symptoms	Possible Causes or Illnesses
Aggression	cancer, hyperactivity, pain (from injuries, arthritis), rabies
Anus - Redness	anal gland abscess, impacted anal glands
Appetite Gain	diabetes, Cushing's disease
Appetite Loss	Addison's disease, asthma, canine cough, constipation, dental or gum diseases, diet change, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease, Lyme disease, mange, pancreatitis, urinary tract infections, worm infestations
Back Pain	injuries, urinary tract infections
Bad breath	dental/gum diseases, halitosis, kidney disease, liver disease, poor digestion, stomach/intestinal problems, urinary tract infections
Behavior Changes	arthritis, liver disease, mange, worm infestations
Bloating	diarrhea, Gastric-Dilatation-Volvulus, worm infestations
Bloody Stool	constipation, diarrhea, intestinal blockage, stomach ulcers, worm infestations
Bloody Urine	bladder stones, kidney disease, urinary tract infections
Breathing Difficulties	allergies, asthma, heartworms, parvovirus, pneumonia, poisoning
Constipation	anal gland problems, chronic constipation, diet change, intestinal blockage, lack of exercise, liver disease, prostate disease, stress, worm infestations
Convulsions	poisoning, seizures
Coughing	allergies, asthma, cancer, distemper, heart disease, hepatitis, kennel cough, parvovirus
Dehydration	Addison's disease, diarrhea, fever, heatstroke, acute kidney failure, parvovirus, vomiting
Depression	boredom, liver disease, parvovirus, stress
Diarrhea	Addison's disease, allergies, distemper, liver disease, parvovirus, poisoning, worm infestations
Drinking-Excessive	Cushing's disease, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease
Drooling-Excessive	bloat, epilesy, liver disease, peridontal diseases, pain, poisoning, rabies
Ears-Itching	allergies, ear infections, ear mites
Eyes-Redness	allergies, conjunctivitis, kennel cough, distemper
Fainting	heart disease, seizures
Falling	arthritis, hip dysplasia, seizures
Fever	diabetes, canine cough, distemper, food poisoning, Lyme disease, mange, parvovirus, urinary tract infections
Hair Loss	allergies, Cushing's disease, eczema, fleas, hot spots, hypothyroidism, mange
Hair-Dryness	hypothyroidism, seborrhea, skin allergies
Head Shaking	ear infections, ear mites
Inflammed Joints	arthritis, hip dysplasia, Lyme disease
Itching	allergies, cancer, fleas, hot spots, immune system disorders, mange, seborrhea, stress, ticks
Lameness	arthritis, hip dysplasia, injuries, tumors
Lethargy	a large variety of causes, including Addison's disease, arthritis, canine cough, cancer, Cushing's disease, hypothyroidism, heart disease, urinary tract infections, etc.
Nasal Discharge	allergies, kennel cough, distemper
Odor-Breath	see Bad Breath above
Odor-Ear	ear infections
Odor-Rear End	impacted anal glands, constipation
Odor-Skin	eczema, seborrhea, skin allergies
Pale Gums/Tongue	anemia, shock
Panting-Excessive	Cushing's disease, dehydration, heatstroke, heartworm infestation of the heart and lungs, respiratory infection
Pot Belly	Cushing's disease, obesity, worm infestations
Retching	bloat
Scratching-Excessive	allergies, fleas, hot spots, mange, ticks
Sneezing	allergies, asthma, tooth abscesses, tumors, upper respiratory tract infections
Squinting	eye infections
Stiffness	arthritis, cancer, hip dysplasia, injuries
Urinary Incontinence/Excessive Urine	arthritis, bladder stones, bladder tumor, Cushing's disease, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, kidney disease, liver disease, seizures, urinary tract infections
Vomiting	Addison's disease, allergies, ear infections (serious cases), diabetes, distemper, food/toxic poisoning, kidney disease, over-eating, parvovirus, worm infestations
Watery Eyes	allergies, in-grown eyelash, eye infections
Weight Gain	hypothyroidism
Weight Loss	asthma, cancer, Cushing's disease, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, worm infestations
Wheezing	allergies, asthma, heartworms, kennel cough