You love your dog, and are a responsible pet owner, supplying good food and water, regular health checkups, typical vaccinations and parasite control treatments as part of the usual health program for your pet. But, you should still not be surprised if your pet becomes ill. Dogs can contract illnesses that can be very mild, all the way to very severe and life threatening, even in the midst of excellent care.
If you are wondering, here are some signs that things may be awry and you may need to get into the veterinarian. Sometimes it is a simple as a gut feeling that your dog isn’t looking himself that tells you things are not quite right.
4Difficulty Getting Up and Other Mobility Problem
Stiffness and difficulty moving around, particularly getting up from lying down or moving over normal obstacles is a cause for a visit to the veterinarian. Your dog could simply be acquiring some arthritis with aging, or could have hip problems that need to be addressed (some breeds are more prone to hip dysplasia). Lyme disease has become a huge concern in many areas and will also cause your dog to display stiffness and discomfort. Lyme disease has a better outcome when treated closer to onset, particularly with younger dogs who would not be displaying arthritis symptoms. Seeing your veterinarian early in this case would be critical for the best outcome for your pet.
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