Every dog owner should be prepared to recognize and treat, or have a veterinarian treat, diseases which may affect their pet. In any cases of doubt, the owner should, of course, consult their veterinarian. He has been especially trained to handle all ailments that might beset a dog.

Symptoms of a cold in a dog are the same as those in a human. Keep your dog pleasantly warm and indoors except for short periods when the weather is warm and sunny.

Unless the dog has contracted some complications other than a cold, he will come out of it in a reasonably short period. If he does not seem to improve within a reasonable amount of time, consult a vet.

Tracheobronchitis:
Normally called “Kennel Cough” this is one of the commonest ailments of puppies. It is characterized by a gagging cough during which the puppy appears to be attempting to clear his throat or to throw up but with little or no result. It is most severe during the night. Otherwise the puppy appears normal.

Constipation:
If there are no symptoms, consider your feeding to blame. Constipation usually results from and elimination can become quite painful if the poor diet continues. Give your dog more vegetables and more roughage (dog biscuits and dog meal). A quicker treatment, for immediate relief, is milk of magnesia. If he doesn’t like it, don’t call him difficult, just give him mineral oil. Believe it or not, he likes that. He will lick it from a dish.

Diarrhea:
Diarrhea can be a result of diet, too. Make sure it’s not a symptom of another ailment. Then, provide relief with Kaopectate. Give a small puppy one tablespoon to start and a teaspoonful every three hours or after each movement, whichever comes first. For a larger dog, increase the dosage proportionately. Should the condition persist, consult your veterinarian.

Ear Canker:
When a dog scratches or paws his ears a great deal, it could mean a simple irritation or it could signal an ear infection. Check the dog’s ears for a brown substance. This disturbance can be treated by cleaning the dog’s ears with cotton dipped in olive oil to remove as much of the canker as possible. Using a commercially prepared medicated ear wash available in most pet departments almost always prevents any occurrence of ear canker.

Worms and Worming:
Puppies are especially susceptible to worms but almost every dog will get them some time in his life. Remember, all worms are not the same. There are, to name a few, roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and whipworms. Each requires its own special treatment. So be sure of your worm and the medication you’re using if you decide to worm the animal yourself. Roundworms, most common in puppies, are long, white or pinkish, and tend to curl up like watchsprings; tapeworms resemble hard pink or brown grains of rice. Symptoms are: actual appearance of the worm in stools or vomit; pot belly, diarrhea,persistent vomiting, running eyes and nose. The membranes of the eyes and gums may lack the nice pink color of a healthy dog. Dragging the rump along the floor is another sign; although this may indicated instead an accumulation of secreted matter in his anal glands which the vet will have to remove.

Distemper:
True distemper, which is correctly called Carre’s disease after the man who studied it, is seldom seen today thanks to our advanced methods of immunization. However, the word distemper is frequently used in a generic sense to indicate a dog with a generalized set of symptoms. Used in this way the prognosis might vary from good to fair to poor, depending on what is actually causing the symptoms. There are a number of problems occurring in puppies the symptoms of which, particularly in their early stages, are very similar, and accurate diagnosis is almost impossible. These symptoms include elevated temperature, mucousy nose and/or eyes, loss of appetite, diarrhea, listlessness, frequent productive sneezing, vomiting and a deep cough, low in the abdomen, as distinguished from a bronchial cough which is in the upper region.

These symptoms alone are sufficient to indicate distemper although, by themselves, they do not support a positive diagnosis as many other, less serious diseases will frequently cause the same symptom. Additional symptoms more characteristic of true distemper are photophobia, or fear of light, a distinctive temperature curve and conjunctivitis. The puppy will hide in dimly lit areas and, when exposed to light, will squint and show his discomfort. Another distinctive symptom is the so-called diphasic, or saddle, curve of temperature. From the normal of 101 to 102.2 temperature the puppy’s temperature will shoot up as high as 105 on the 5th day after infection, followed by a drop to almost normal on the 6th. This is followed by a rise to 103 to 104 and it remains approximately that for the duration of the disease.

Conjunctivitis:
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the membranes lining the eyelids. Frequently, sores are seen on the stomach. the skin, when pinched, retains the crease, returning slowly to normal in contrast to the skin of a healthy dog, which snaps back.

In the early stages keep the puppy warm and check its temperature daily, keeping a written record. This will help your veterinarian make a positive diagnosis should the symptoms persist. Baby aspirins can be given three or four times daily and the puppy should be hand fed if necessary. Boil 4 oz of milk and 4 oz of water and allow them to cool. Add 2 oz of Karo syrup, the yolk of an egg and a pinch of salt and mix well. Give it to the puppy freely. Should you have to resort to spoon feeding, pull out the lips at the side to form a pocket and pour in a spoonful at a time. Allow ample time for it to go down before giving another. Make sure he gets nourishment often.

While distemper, when it does appear, is extremely serious, antibiotics help control the secondary infection and with good nursing there is a decent percentage of cures.

Should symptoms persist, you must, of course, contact your veterinarian. Vaccinations are also vital in keeping your dog healthy and free of diseases.

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