Puppy Illness

Puppy Illness Signs And How To Provide Needed Care for Your Puppy’s Health

For most of your dogs’ younger years, you will enjoy their fun antics and continual energy, but there may be times you need to deal with puppy illness.  If so, it is nothing to worry about, provided you know what to look for.  Many illnesses are minor and you can treat your dog at home, perhaps with some telephone advice from a veterinarian.


We have listed here the most common types of puppy illness.

  1. Coughing.  This is extremely common.  It can be just the clearing throat reflex, a reaction to being walked on a leash, and it can be healthy when it protects the dog from ingesting foreign matter.

  2. Mites.  Usually these are in the puppy’s ears.  He will scratch the ears often.  These parasites can be cleaned out carefully from the ears.  This cleaning is done by regular pet grooming services.  If the dog has ear mites, another sign is odor coming from the ears.

  3. Vomiting.  All dogs do this now and again.  Just eating too fast can cause it.  This is healthy as it helps the puppy get rid of excess or bad food. If this continues more than a few times, it could be serious and needs a vet’s attention.

  4. Diarrhea.  If this goes away in a day or two, it is not of concern. If it is more than that, you should see a vet. Diarrhea can indicate a disease of the intestines.

  5. Scabies.  Also called mange or sarcoptic mange, is a parasite, similar to ear mites.  This is contagious.  It can be passed from animals to humans or between animals.  You will need veterinarian care in the case of scabies.

  6. Panosteitis.  A type of lameness usually seen in larger dog breeds.  Lameness may shift from one leg to another.  It can be painful so your dog may show signs of discomfort and unhappiness. It may be called wandering lameness.

  7. Demodicosis, red mange. An infection from a certain type of mite. It is treated by a dip. Symptoms are excessive scratching. You should see a vet if you suspect red mange is the cause of puppy illness.

  8. Kennel cough or tracheobronchitis.  This very contagious cough occurs usually in dogs from kennels such as the animal shelter or dog foster homes.  It typically goes away when the dog is housed in a private home.  This cough sounds like any other, but in reverse. Kind of like a honking. It is also called ITB. If this occurs you should see the vet and your puppy will need antibiotics most likely.

  9. Lameness. Your dog is unable to walk normally.  The cause may be a thorn in the foot or insect bite, or an injured muscle from strenuous exercise such as chasing small animals. It could also be something that has developed slowly, such as spinal problems.

If any symptom or behavior such as coughing, vomiting, scratching, bad breath and so on continues more than a week a veterinarian should be consulted. This is not a complete list so you can also check with your veterinarian for other possible causes of a puppy illness.