Dog Health Problems

Dog limping: If a dog is limping but continues to move around, most likely he is not experiencing any sort of pain. Often times it's difficult to establish the amount of pain the dog is actually going through (if any) when this starts happening. Either way, the best is for you to take the dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible if you haven't seen any signs of improvement in a twenty four hour period. Some of the causes of limping are: fractures, twists, falls, arthritis, etc.

Dog constipation: Generally little puppies don't have this type of problem, however if you do not feed the puppy a well rounded diet – due to the lack of fibers and fats – or because of the excess of bones – the puppy can become constipated. Make sure, if you have a puppy, that he does his needs two or three times a day (depending on the dog's age). One of the reasons a dog gets constipated is due to the blockage of elimination because of a foreign object (such as a rock, plastic, wood, a toy, etc), which impedes the dog from doing his business.
Swelling of a dogs paws: If your dog has swollen paws, it could be an indicator of a fracture, although generally when a dog's bone is fractured it does not want to walk and it licks at it continually. Swelling of the paws can also indicate that the dog has a wound on his paw or that something (like a thorn) has gotten stuck in the dog's paw causing him pain.

Incontinence: If your dog is accidentally urinating around the house there are a number of possible reasons. The first thing to ask yourself is if your dog is allowed outside often enough to urinate. It may be that you are bringing this problem upon yourself by expecting your dog to "hold it in" for too long a period.
Hair loss: Some dogs naturally shed their coats a few times a year and some breeds will even shed constantly under certain conditions. Hair loss can also be cause by sickness, parasites, trauma or even excess stress.

Dental problems: If you notice swelling or redness in your dog's gums this could be an indication of either dental problems or it could be something more serious like a vitamin deficiency. A dog with bad breath could be suffering from a problem relating to its mouth or it could be suffering from a stomach or digestive disorder.

Ear problems: If your dog's ears are red or there is any form of discharge coming out of them you should take it for a check up at the veterinarian. The dog breeds with long droopy ears or those with excessively hairy ears are more susceptible to ear problems an should have their ears checked more frequently.

Eye problems: While it is normal for some breeds to have eye discharges, if you notice that the color of the discharge is a dark yellow or green then this is an indicator of a more serious problem and you should take your dog to the veterinarian.