Keeping your dog healthy and protecting their health is far more important than anything else. Knowing how to recognize symptoms and diagnose the problem can go a long way in protecting their health. There are many health problems that occur in dogs that you need to be aware of. Being able to recognize signs of these problems and being able to respond appropriately is essential in this process.

Parvovirus can be very serious and your dog will need immediate attention from your veterinarian. The symptoms are: dehydration, weight loss, fever, vomiting, and nasal discharge. Diarrhea is normally the first symptom, and can be caused by anything. Once other symptoms appear you will be better able to deal with it. If you have a puppy that is less than six months old they can contract Parvovirus and can die. Getting your puppy vaccinated will help protect them from this terrible disease.

Skin disorder symptoms are inflamed skin, which normally results in scratching which can result in the skin breaking open due to scratching. Medical tests are required and close observation to determine whether it is a fungal, bacterial infection, and if it is internal or external. The bottom line to this is there are only two types of skin disorders, acquired, and hereditary.

Swollen eyes, red eyes, and weepy eyes can be a good indication that something is wrong. This should be checked out by a veterinarian to tell what the problem is. This could be caused by conjunctivitis or an allergy. This could also be a cost by an injury due to your dog playing with another dog or a cat with claws.

Scratching of the ears along with an odor or discharge might be an indication of an ear infection. The cause may be a parasite infestation which invades the ear. These are normally an ear mite. There are other reasons for these symptoms they may be allergies or maybe attributed to some sort of trauma. Ears that cover the ear canal are more susceptible to ear problems. The ear cannot dry out because there is no air getting to the ear thus keeping it moist which invites infection.

Without vaccination a dog with rabies will eventually die. The symptoms of this disease are foaming from the mouth, aggressive behavior towards other animals and people. This health issued is the most serious of them all. Immediate isolation and medical help for the infected animal to help protect your family and anyone else so the rabies does not spread.

If you are faced with any of these issues consult a veterinarian to get the best course of action. Your dog’s health is your number one priority and you need to address these symptoms quickly to avoid further health problems.

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Knowing when to take your dog to the vet and when to let him “self-regulate” is a pretty tricky business – how do you tell when he needs to see a professional? After all, it’s not as if you can rely on your dog to let you know.

Nobody likes forking out $80 for a needless visit to the vet, but then again no conscientious dog-owner can bear to contemplate their dog’s suffering, either! Frankly, it’s a bit of a quandary.

I’ve owned dogs on and off my whole life, and this is still something that I’ve never been 100% comfortable with: of course, I’d always rather be safe than sorry (a viewpoint which has resulted in many, many unnecessary trips to the vet over the years, just to set my mind at rest) … but I’ve also always wished for the kind of solid grounding in canine medical basics which would enable me to confidently decide for myself when my dog needs to see the vet – and when I can save both him and myself the hassle!

Stress-Free Dog Care

You can imagine the relief I felt when I happened across The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health (by Malcolm Fields – dog-care professional) on the Internet. It was uncanny: this guide is exactly what I was looking for. It’s complete and detailed, covering all the common health problems (both serious and not) that dogs suffer from; the overall focus is on being prepared and taking preventative action; it teaches you how to accurately self-diagnose (with the assistance of step-by-step flowcharts which tell you whether he’ll be fine by himself, whether he needs to see the vet, and how urgently the vet should be seen); and, while it’s packed with knowledge and advice from veterinarians and trained dog-care specialists, it’s easy on the eye and reader-friendly … you can actually understand what they’re trying to say!

In a nutshell, it’s detailed (but not dauntingly so), comprehensive (covering all the common ailments and illnesses), knowledgeable (while retaining a conversational, easy-to-understand tone) and it gives you the kind of introduction to canine healthcare that’ll allow you to take good care of your dog – without spending unnecessary time and effort trying to absorb the jargon of a veterinary textbook!

What’s Actually Covered?

The book deals with all the common problems and ailments suffered by dogs. It covers issues like toothache and dental trouble, ear infections, skin rashes and chafing, eye irritations, worming issues, and lameness; chronic problems like vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, asthma, breathing trouble, and liver problems; more severe issues like arthritis and cancer; and symptomatic “alerts” like hair loss, lethargy, and behavioral changes.

On top of that, you also learn how to pick up early warning signs by identifying and accurately interpreting your dog’s body language; how to groom your dog quickly and effectively; how to take good care of his teeth and gums; how to administer medicine safely and easily; and how to recognize the early warning signs of health trouble through behavioral and physical changes.

All this information is fully supplemented by full-color diagrams, photographs, and illustrations.

My Favorite Part

While it’s great to learn about canine anatomy and medical problems, the thing that I wanted to know more than anything else was: How can I tell how serious the problem is, and when do I need to take my dog to the vet?

So I was particularly happy to note the presence of the many and detailed symptom charts, which were designed especially to help owners make solid decisions about their dog’s health-care. Each chart starts from the specific symptoms of a particular ailment (you just follow the “branches” of the flowchart, depending on the symptoms that your dog has) and tells you the recommended path of treatment for each one, as well as advising whether veterinary care should be sought – and if so, how urgently. Pure genius!

Something for Nothing

In addition to the fully-illustrated, 240-page guide itself, you also get a handful of tempting freebies: specifically, four bonus books.

There’s “The Ultimate Guide to Dog First Aid”, which is an incredibly useful resource for those situations requiring an immediate response (including how to perform the canine Heimlich maneuver and doggie CPR); “180 Gourmet Recipes for Your Dog”, which really teaches you how to indulge your pooch’s taste buds; “101 Ways to Spoil Your Dog for Under $10″, detailing all kinds of luxuries-on-a-budget and activities for you and your dog to enjoy together; and “20 Super-Healthy Recipes for Your Dog” – which proves that doggie health-food is as delicious as anything else! These books have a combined value of over $80 – not a bad freebie!

The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health: Summed Up

All in all, I couldn’t be happier with this product. It’s exactly what I was looking for – and even if I hadn’t spent the last decade or so wishing for a book just like it, I think I’d still snap it up in a second: it’s that useful.

This is an information resource that every responsible dog owner should have access to. Not only does it enable you to make good decisions about the more serious health issues commonly suffered by dogs, but you learn a lot about the minor, day-to-day ailments and afflictions that almost every dog will encounter from time to time, as well as a host of useful facts on preventative care.

This comprehensive guide to dog health will help you to spot little problems before they become big ones: truly indispensable.

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