By Carl Palazzolo, DVM, Long Beach Animal Hospital
Photo by Monika Wisniewska
With the huge variety of species people keep as pets, and their inability to talk to us, it is sometimes difficult to know when your pet is ill enough to seek medical attention. Since many pets with serious disease are brought to us with the disease already entrenched and difficult to treat, it behooves you to be observant and know what to watch for.
There are general symptoms of a problem that should always be monitored. This article will cover some of the common ones and go over some of their causes. In succeeding weeks, I will go over specific organ systems and some of the causes of disease within them.
Appetite
An increase in appetite can indicate a problem with the thyroid gland, especially in cats. A decrease in appetite can be caused by a vast array of problems. Try to feed your pet in a consistent manner every day so you don’t miss the early signs of a thyroid condition or another disease. Measuring the amount of food you give is helpful. If your pet is producing fewer droppings, it’s an indicator of a poor appetite.
Weight Gain
Obesity from overfeeding or improper diet is a major problem in the pet world, and the gain in weight could be from that. Weight gain could also be related to a low thyroid hormone in dogs. A problem that can be easily missed is fluid buildup in the abdomen, which also manifests in weight gain. This is potentially serious because it can also indicate heart failure and cancer.
Weight Loss
This is one of the more common reasons pets are presented to veterinarians. There are way too many causes to list; they range from minor to serious and even grave. The key here is to catch it early, especially in pets with long hair coats that can hide this problem. You should be petting your cat or dog every day, and while you do, feel all over its body and check to see if the ribs are sticking out, which you can easily feel. If you have a scale and can easily weigh your pet, do it weekly.
Vomiting
All pets will vomit at some point, which makes this one a difficult decision about whether to bring in a pet for an exam. As a guideline, if the vomiting contains blood, something foreign, continues throughout the day even with no food in the vomitus, or occurs on and off over several days, an exam is warranted. The causes are many and range from minor to serious.
Diarrhea
This is another problem that will probably occur sometime during your pet’s life. If it is persistent over several days, contains blood, or is watery, an exam is indicated.