Health & symptoms
Explore 18 dog symptom guides: recognise emergencies, understand possible causes, take safe practical steps and prepare for veterinary care.
Notice changes from your dog’s usual behaviour
Pain can occur without crying or an obvious limp. Notice withdrawal, irritability, reluctance to move or be touched, difficulty settling, altered sleep, reduced play or a change in eating. These observations can have several causes; they do not confirm pain or identify a disease.
Contact your practice about a new, persistent or worsening change and ask how soon your dog should be seen. Severe pain, collapse or breathing difficulty needs immediate veterinary help. A gradual change still deserves attention; do not wait for your dog to cry.
Watch ordinary activities from a comfortable distance. Do not press sore areas, bend joints, force stairs or walks, or provoke a reaction for a video. Record when the change began and what your dog can no longer comfortably do. Do not delay help to complete a diary or questionnaire.
Prepare for your appointment · Use the existing private health diary
This is a conservative signposting aid, not a diagnosis, clinical triage service or a guarantee that waiting is safe. It cannot examine your dog. If unsure or worried, phone a veterinarian.
A colour question alone, with normal drinking and comfortable toileting? Start with the normal-appearance references below. The checker is for a change in your dog’s health, not routine screening of a healthy dog. Poo colour and consistency: normal variation and useful observations · Wee colour and habits: normal variation and useful observations
The checker asks only a few questions. It can suggest observation only for the narrowly described mild vomiting or loose-stool situation. For other concerns it directs you to the guide and veterinary advice about timing; that is not a finding that every cough, scratch or change in thirst is urgent.
Veterinary help in your selected country
Phone your usual veterinarian; their recorded message should explain out-of-hours arrangements. If unavailable, contact a local emergency veterinary hospital. Confirm that it can receive your dog before traveling if possible; do not delay urgent care. Human emergency numbers are not veterinary helplines.
Open country-specific veterinary contactsChoose by the signs you can see
Use the guide to judge the situation, not the category name alone. Severity, duration, age and existing illness change the urgency. Mild, brief vomiting or loose stools may allow close observation only in an otherwise well adult; puppies, frail dogs and dogs with medical conditions need earlier advice.
Emergency signs — call now
Breathing difficulty
Recognise laboured breathing, understand possible causes and learn how to keep a dog calm during emergency veterinary transport.
Collapse / unconsciousness
Understand the differences between collapse, fainting and weakness, immediate precautions and possible veterinary investigations.
Seizure / shaking episode
Know what a seizure may look like, how to keep your dog safe, when to call urgently and what investigations may involve.
Repeated retching / swollen abdomen
Understand unproductive retching, abdominal swelling, why GDV is dangerous and what emergency care and prevention may involve.
Unable to urinate / straining
Distinguish urinary obstruction from frequency or leakage, recognise emergency signs and understand tests, treatment and recurrence.
Heavy bleeding
How to control an external bleed safely, recognise possible internal bleeding and understand urgent veterinary treatment.
Serious injury / road accident
Recognise serious injury after a fall, collision or attack, protect a painful dog and understand emergency assessment.
Eye injury / sudden sight change
Understand painful, red or cloudy eyes, safe immediate protection and why some eye problems need emergency treatment.
Overheating / heat exposure with illness
Recognise heat-related illness, begin safe water cooling promptly and understand why veterinary assessment still matters.
Possible poisoning / swallowed object
Distinguish toxic exposure from a swallowed-object blockage, gather useful information and avoid unsafe home remedies.
Other symptoms — urgency depends on the signs
Vomiting
One mild episode or repeated sickness: check the warning signs and when observation is suitable.
Diarrhoea / loose stool
Understand loose stools, dehydration and recurring diarrhoea, including when a well adult dog can be observed briefly and when veterinary care is needed.
Reduced appetite / unusual tiredness
Understand reduced appetite, nausea, mouth pain and lethargy, with safe observations and signs that need urgent veterinary assessment.
Limping / stiffness
Understand sudden and recurring lameness, safe activity changes, veterinary investigations and signs requiring immediate help.
Itching / skin or ear concern
Understand scratching, licking, redness, hair loss and ear problems, including safe observations, investigations and recurrence.
Changed thirst / urination
Understand changes in drinking, urine volume and toileting, how to record intake safely and what veterinary investigation may involve.
Cough / new breathing noise
Understand different respiratory sounds, possible airway and heart causes, safe care and signs of breathing distress.
Other symptom / uncertain
A practical pathway for unexplained changes, including pain, weakness, weight loss, constipation and behaviour changes, without false reassurance.
Medicines safety
Do not give human medicines, leftover prescriptions or another animal’s treatment. Do not change prescribed treatment without veterinary advice. Do not force food or water into a distressed dog.
Sources and review
- PDSA: first aid
- PDSA: vomiting
- PDSA: diarrhoea
- PDSA: unable to urinate
- PDSA: seizures
- PDSA: harmful ingestion
Editorial evidence and language checks: 24 October 2026. This information cannot diagnose your dog. No independent veterinary clinical review has taken place.
Lifetime health & preventative care
Safety, recovery and life together
Owner resilience and home health
About this guidanceReview details and sources
Owner resilience and home health
Content enhancement reviewed 11 October 2026. General information; individual assessment and treatment remain with your veterinary team. AAHA: chronic pain assessment in dogs
Everyday poo and wee observations
Understand normal poo and wee appearances alongside changes worth checking. One mild variation in an otherwise well adult is not automatically an emergency.
Poo colour and consistency: normal variation and useful observations · Wee colour and habits: normal variation and useful observations