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🐾 Basic Health Check for Dogs: What to Look For
👁️ Eyes The eyes are vital indicators of your dog's overall health. Watch out for:
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Discharge or weeping - Redness or bloodshot appearance - Signs of infection (pus, swelling) Eyelid abnormalities (e.g. drooping or turned-in lids)
👂 Ear Disease Common and often painful if left untreated. Look for:
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Constant head shaking or ear scratching - Black debris or pepper-like deposits - Wax build-up or unusual secretions - Presence of ticks or parasites
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Bad odor coming from the ear - Ears that are dark, red, irritated, hot to touch - Pain response when touching the ear - Swelling inside or outside the ear
🦷 Teeth Dental health is important at every age.
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Puppies have 28 temporary teeth - Adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth - Puppy teeth begin to emerge at 3–6 weeks of age
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Check for bad breath, tartar buildup, gum redness, or broken teeth
🐶 Skin Disorders The skin can reveal a lot about your pet’s health. Check for:
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Excessive licking or scratching - Skin parasites or infections - Hot spots, lumps, masses, tumors, cysts, or abscesses - Discoloration of the skin
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Dry, flaky, oily, or greasy skin - Poor grooming or excessive hair loss
🦟 Fleas A common nuisance, especially around the tail area.
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Check by parting the fur, especially near the lower back - Look for small, dark fleas and black specks (flea droppings)
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Signs of infestation include constant biting and scratching
Diarrhoea
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Diarrhoea can be a symptom of many illnesses, but it may also result from fear or stress. If your dog appears otherwise healthy—alert, active, and drinking water—you can try the following home remedies to settle their stomach:
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Mashed pumpkin (plain, not pie filling)
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Plain yogurt (with live cultures)
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Cooked, deboned chicken and boiled rice — a gentle and tempting meal for picky eaters
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Important:
Never force-feed your dog. If diarrhoea persists for more than a day, or if your dog seems lethargic or unwell in any other way, consult a veterinarian immediately.
Puppies are especially vulnerable to dehydration, and any signs of diarrhoea in a puppy should be treated as urgent.
Sand Fleas
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Sand fleas are parasitic creatures that typically feed on aquatic animals but can also infest dogs. They burrow into the skin to feed on flesh and blood, leading to skin irritation, secondary infections, and more serious conditions.
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One of the most concerning illnesses caused by sand fleas is leishmaniasis, a serious disease that can also affect humans. It may cause:
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Large skin lesions
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Anemia
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Liver and spleen damage
Never try to remove sand fleas yourself, as improper removal can cause infections. Veterinary treatment is essential.
Symptoms of Sand Flea Infestation in Dogs
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Black dots under the skin (indicative of embedded fleas)
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Mosquito-like bites
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White lumps at the bite site
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Fever
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Persistent scratching or discomfort
Allergy
Dogs can be allergic to many things e.g. grass, nylon carpets, food additives. A skin rash can sometimes be soothed with petroleum jelly. Try to find the cause of the allergy by elimination. Try a different kind of food for a month to see if there is any improvement. A flea bite can cause an allergic reaction, so make sure your dog is always protected against fleas. Internal worms can also cause irritations so de-worm your dog regularly.
Bleeding
If injured, a dog can produce an alarming amount of blood! Avoid places where there may be broken glass, rusty tins, and thorns. A small cut should heal by itself. The dog keeps it clean and germ-free by licking it. But if the bleeding does not stop, stitches may be required. The vet may administer antibiotics to prevent infection in the wound. Slow clotting and von Willebrand’s disease can lead to the dog losing too much blood, so do not leave a dog alone if the bleeding is profuse.
Cough
Coughing is not always a sign of illness. A dog may cough to dislodge something from its throat or stomach. Try offering something interesting to drink to wash the impediment out. If the dog won't drink, a piece of dry bread may dislodge the foreign body from the throat. Never force-feed, though! A dog may eat grass and cough it up again to clean out the stomach. It may cough up yellow bile or froth. These things are natural. Some dogs start coughing when excited. This is not an illness. But a persistent cough may be a sign of illness. It can be a sign of heart trouble. Tonsillitis can also cause a gagging cough. So can a collapsing trachea - usually in small breeds.
Bad Breath
Bad breath can be caused by tooth decay and gum disease. The bacteria breeding in the dog's mouth can spread to infect his vital organs. Ask your vet to check teeth every time you go. Dogs over the age of three years start to get tooth trouble. Bad breath can also be caused by whatever food has been eaten. Sometimes a change of diet helps. Crunching dry biscuits can help to scrape the tartar on the teeth.
Urine Problems
Blood in the urine is a bad sign. Loss of appetite, increase in water intake, increase in the frequency of urinating, and vomiting, can be signs of kidney trouble. This can be fatal if not treated. Elderly dogs become incontinent. Consider installing a doggy door so the dog can get outside quickly. Incontinence may be caused by UTI, urinary tract infection. Antibiotics should help. If the dog is unable to pass urine, the bladder could burst. The urethra may be blocked with kidney/bladder stones. A vet should be consulted without delay. A special diet may help prevent this.
Heat Stroke
Don’t leave a dog in a parked car. The shade moves and the car heat up fast and can kill. Don't exercise the dog in hot weather. Shade must be provided in the garden. When a dog overheats, damage to internal organs may occur. The dog may collapse, pant, and have a wild look in his eyes. Douse him down with a hosepipe or plunge him into a cool or cold water. Wet the groin. Ice will cause the arteries to contract and is to be avoided. The dog may lie on a wet towel, but don't cover him with the towel. It is better to allow the water to evaporate which has a cooling effect.
Winter Grooming
Dog's coat is thicker and heavier In the winter, your dog will shed his summer coat in order to grow a thicker and heavier winter coat to get them through the cold season, the coat is more likely to become matted or knotted and with fleas. Grooming and brushing your dog daily during the winter, will making the coat healthier and hygienically clean.
Behavior Problems
Most dogs behavior and personality are different when it comes to the grooming, don’t be surprised if your dog act differently after the grooming to some dogs it may look funny to see their body without hair and given the fact that it is cooler now than it was, probably just feels funny with all of the hair gone. Sometimes it takes them a few trips to the groomer before they realize that nothing was hurting them and that they are okay, also treat your dog the same as you treated before the grooming do not pay attention or worry about it as you will make the dog behave differently.
Frightened Dog
When your dog is frightened, will behave in a variety of ways, may become very agitated and restless, barking loudly or being reluctant to leave your side. The pupils of the eyes will dilate, and the dog will flatten the ears against the head and put the tail between the legs
Top 10 Banned Breeds
In the late 1980s, an epidemic of attacks by Pit Bull type dogs, and other related breeds led to widespread bans. In 1991, the Parliament of the United Kingdom banned the ownership of Japanese Tosa Inus, Argentine Dogos, Fila Brasilieros and Pit Bulls, with many other countries following suit soon after. Even in areas where having such dogs is legal, it can be nearly impossible for homeowners to get liability insurance if they own one of the breeds below.
10 American Bulldog - 09 Bandog - 08 Neapolitan Mastiff - 07 Wolfdog - 06 Boerboel - 05 Dogo Argentino
04 Presa Canario - 03 FilaBrasiliero - 02 Japanese Tosa Inu - 01 American Pit Bull Terrier