Diseases of pets >>>> Home observations of pets’ health

Home observations of pets’ health

Pets are also susceptible to diseases throughout their lives, just like humans. This occurs due to the fact that the life support of the pets’ body, despite their species diversity, has much in common with the life support of the human body. For this reason, pets can get sick just like humans and with similar symptoms of the onset and course of the disease. You cannot refuse to prevent diseases for your pet if it is possible to keep your pet healthy and in a good mood.

Home observations of pets’ health develop into a scheme according to which preventive actions are carried out:

Control your pet's weight;
Pay attention to your pet’s intestinal function;
Pay attention to loss of appetite and excessive thirst;
Monitor the condition of fur, feathers and skin;
Monitor the condition of the pet’s musculoskeletal system;
Pay attention to the condition of your pet’s eyes and ears;
Pay attention to the condition of your pet’s gums and teeth;
Measure your pet's body temperature.

Once every two weeks or once a month, according to this scheme, you can conduct a home examination of the pet’s health status yourself. This is necessary so that the onset of the disease can be recognized in time. Unlike a person, an animal will not be able to complain about symptoms of ill health and poor health; it will independently experience its ill health.

In order to understand whether there are problems with weight, you need to check the typical weight indicators for a given type of pet and weigh your pet, forming a weight scale (write it down in a pet observation diary). This will make weight deviations (overweight or underweight) noticeable, which may indicate hidden health problems with your pet.

To understand whether your pet’s intestines are working properly, you must first balance its diet (feed both liquid and solid food), and then observe how the condition of your pet’s stool changes. Typical unhealthy manifestations of a bowel disorder are diarrhea (diarrhea), constipation, and vomiting.

If your pet begins to eat or drink excessively, or if he suddenly begins to eat less and less or refuses food altogether, it is necessary to pay attention to this behavior of the animal, as it may indicate serious changes in health.

A pet’s beautiful fur, feathers or skin are the first indicators of its health. But they can also indicate health problems if they change their quality, fall out, fade, become crushed, and the skin can become inflamed or itchy. Such changes can cause the development of many hidden complex diseases, as well as cause allergies or unkempt pet behavior.

Bone injuries, muscle strains, joint swelling - this is an incomplete list of those disorders that are included in the concept of an unhealthy state of the pet’s musculoskeletal system. Animals, like humans, can develop inflammation in muscles and joints, cracks in bones, tears in ligaments, and many other disorders similar to those in humans. They must be identified through your own observations of the animal’s movements and by checking the condition of the bones and joints by touch.

Visual or hearing impairments in an animal may not be immediately noticed by its owner. But they always indicate difficulties with the pet’s health (temporary or permanent). It is necessary to notice in time how quickly the animal reacts to sounds or movements of surrounding objects. For these purposes, it is necessary to arrange daily games with the animal and observe the speed of its reactions.

The condition of the animal's oral cavity, its mouth and teeth is assessed by weekly observations of how the animal chews (slowly or quickly), how the jaws close (in a physiological or pathological bite), whether all teeth are in place and in what condition they are, it is necessary to monitor the color of the animal’s teeth and gums in order to recognize health problems in time and eliminate them.

The body temperature of different animal species is very diverse. In order to notice a decrease in atypical body temperature of a pet or body heat, it is necessary to clarify in advance what the body temperature should be for a given type of living creature. Weekly (more often if possible) it is necessary to measure the body temperature of your pet and create a temperature scale in an observation diary. In the event that the animal’s body temperature goes beyond healthy levels, it will be possible to catch the onset of the development of a complex disease and weaken its course in time.

The need to independently examine your pet at home is due to the fact that a professional examination by a veterinarian cannot be carried out frequently, and diseases can develop unexpectedly. In order not to bother yourself with complex and expensive treatment of animals, do not neglect frequent examinations of your pet’s health at home.