This is a list of prompts to call, sorted by how quickly. Nothing on it is a diagnosis, and no sign here is said to mean any particular thing, because a single sign can have many explanations and sorting between them is what a veterinary examination is for.
Call now
Stop reading and call your vet or the nearest emergency clinic if any of these is happening.
- Difficulty breathing, or breathing that looks labored, or gums that look pale, blue or gray
- Collapse, or an inability to stand
- A seizure, or a first-ever seizure of any length
- Repeated unproductive retching, or a swollen, hard or distended abdomen, particularly in a large deep-chested dog
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Suspected poisoning, or having eaten something that should not have been eaten
- Straining to urinate without producing urine
- A known trauma, such as a fall, a road accident or a fight, even if the dog seems fine afterwards
- Extreme pain, or crying out when touched or moved
- A body temperature emergency, including a dog that has been in a hot car or has been overheating
For a suspected poisoning, call your vet, and in the United States you can also call ASPCA Animal Poison Control or the Pet Poison Helpline. Both charge a fee and both say so. In the UK, Animal PoisonLine is the equivalent. Take the packaging, or a photograph of it, with you.
Do not wait to see if it settles. Do not give anything by mouth. We are a dog behavior site, not a veterinary clinic, and this page names no substance, no dose, no treatment and no first aid.
Book an appointment soon
Not an emergency, and not something to leave until the next routine visit.
Drinking or urinating noticeably more or less than usual.
Appetite change, in either direction, that lasts more than a day or two.
Weight change without a change in what you feed.
Vomiting or diarrhea that persists, or that contains blood.
A cough that persists, or any change in the sound of breathing.
Lameness, stiffness, difficulty on stairs, or difficulty getting up.
A new lump, or a change in an existing one.
Bad breath, dropping food, chewing on one side, or pawing at the mouth.
Scratching, licking or chewing at one place repeatedly.
Eyes or ears that look different from normal, including discharge, redness or an odor.
Any change in how the dog moves, sleeps or holds itself.
Mention it at the next visit
Worth raising, not worth a special trip on its own.
Slow changes in energy. A gradual change in habits. Something you have noticed twice. Anything you find yourself explaining away.
The reason to raise these is that you cannot tell which of them matters and your vet can.
The behavior changes owners bring to the wrong place
This is the section that belongs on a dog behavior site and it is the reason this page exists here.
A change in behavior is a medical sign until a vet has said otherwise. Owners bring these to training articles, and the training article is the wrong first stop when the change is new or sudden.
Any of these, when they are new, deserve a vet before they deserve a training plan:
A dog that has become irritable, or has started growling or snapping when it did not before. Pain is one of the things that changes a dog's tolerance, and a dog that has become touchy about being handled is a dog to have examined. The behavior framing is on what to do when a dog growls at strangers, and it says the same thing.
Restlessness or pacing at night, which has several possible explanations including medical ones, and which is on pacing at night.
Panting when it is not hot and the dog has not exercised, which is on panting when not hot.
House-training going backwards in a dog that was reliable.
A dog that has stopped doing something it used to do: jumping onto furniture, using the stairs, greeting people at the door. A dog that has quietly stopped doing something is a common presentation of pain, and it is easy to read as the dog getting older.
Withdrawal, hiding, or a change in how the dog interacts with the household.
Eating non-food items, which can have medical explanations and which also carries an obstruction risk of its own. See eating poop and how to stop it, which routes the same way.
Sudden fear or noise sensitivity in a dog that did not have it, including a dog that has become frightened of something familiar. See a dog afraid of thunderstorms.
Excessive licking of one area, or of surfaces.
The pattern to hold on to: new, sudden, or out of character means vet first. Gradual and lifelong is more likely to be a training question, and even then it is worth mentioning.
What owners get wrong
Waiting to see. The most common one, and the reason this page is sorted by urgency.
Giving human medicine. Never, in any amount, for any reason. Common human medicines are toxic to dogs, some severely, and there is no small safe amount to be found in an article.
Assuming an old dog slowing down is just age. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it is something treatable, and only an examination distinguishes them.
And treating a behavior change as a training failure. That is the mistake this whole page exists to interrupt.
Making the visit useful
Write down what changed, when it started, and what it looks like. Dates beat impressions.
Film anything intermittent. It will not happen in the consulting room.
Know what the dog eats and what it has access to.
Keep your vet's number and an emergency clinic's number somewhere you can find them at two in the morning, and know now, before you need to, whether your vet handles out-of-hours calls or refers elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether this is an emergency or something that can wait?
Call your vet or the nearest emergency clinic straight away for difficulty breathing, breathing that looks labored, or gums that look pale, blue or gray; collapse or an inability to stand; a seizure, including a first-ever one of any length; repeated unproductive retching or a swollen, hard or distended abdomen, particularly in a large deep-chested dog; uncontrolled bleeding; suspected poisoning or having eaten something that should not have been eaten; straining to urinate without producing urine; a known trauma such as a fall, a road accident or a fight, even if the dog seems fine afterwards; extreme pain or crying out when touched or moved; and a body temperature emergency, including a dog that has been in a hot car or has been overheating. Do not wait to see whether it settles.
My dog has eaten something it should not have. What is the first call?
Call your vet, and in the United States you can also call ASPCA Animal Poison Control or the Pet Poison Helpline, both of which charge a fee and both of which say so. In the UK, Animal PoisonLine is the equivalent. Take the packaging, or a photograph of it, with you. Do not give anything by mouth. This page names no substance, no dose, no treatment and no first aid, because this is a dog behavior site rather than a veterinary clinic.
My dog has suddenly started growling or snapping. Is that a training problem?
Treat it as a medical sign until a vet has said otherwise, and book the examination before you look for a training plan. Pain is one of the things that changes a dog's tolerance, and a dog that has become touchy about being handled is a dog to have examined. The same applies to restlessness or pacing at night, panting when it is not hot and the dog has not exercised, house-training going backwards in a dog that was reliable, withdrawal or hiding, sudden fear or noise sensitivity in a dog that did not have it, and excessive licking of one area or of surfaces. The pattern to hold on to is that new, sudden or out of character means vet first.
My older dog has stopped using the stairs. Is that just age?
It is worth an examination rather than an explanation. A dog that has quietly stopped doing something it used to do, whether that is stairs, jumping onto furniture or greeting people at the door, is a common presentation of pain, and it is easy to read as the dog getting older. Sometimes slowing down is age and sometimes it is something treatable, and only an examination distinguishes them.
What can I do to make the appointment more useful?
Write down what changed, when it started and what it looks like, because dates beat impressions in a consultation. Film anything intermittent, since it will not happen in the consulting room. Know what the dog eats and what it has access to. And keep your vet's number and an emergency clinic's number somewhere you can find them at two in the morning, having already found out whether your vet handles out-of-hours calls or refers elsewhere.
What this page does not publish
No diagnoses. No sign here means any particular condition.
No substance, dose, medicine, supplement, remedy or first aid, and no per-substance poisoning content, which belongs elsewhere in the fleet and not here.
No reassurance. Nothing on this page says that anything is probably fine, because that is not a judgment an article can make about an animal it cannot see.