This is an orientation page, not a diagnostic one. It does not tell you what is wrong with your dog, and no page can. What it does is set out what routine care generally covers, what kinds of change are worth acting on, and the situations where the answer is to call now rather than to read further.
We are a dog behavior site, not a veterinary clinic. Everything below routes to your vet, deliberately.
Call now, before reading anything else
If any of these is happening, stop and call your vet or the nearest emergency clinic.
- Difficulty breathing, or breathing that looks labored
- Collapse, or an inability to stand
- A seizure
- Repeated unproductive retching, or a swollen, hard abdomen, particularly in a large deep-chested dog
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Suspected poisoning, or eating something that should not have been eaten
- Straining to urinate without producing urine
- A known trauma, such as a fall or a road accident, even if the dog seems fine
- Extreme pain
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 the substance with you.
Do not wait to see if it settles, and do not give anything by mouth on the advice of a web page. We are a behavior site and we cover no substance, no dose and no treatment.
What routine care generally covers
The point of a routine visit is that somebody who knows what normal looks like examines your dog when nothing is wrong.
A physical examination, which is the part that finds things you cannot see.
Vaccination, according to what your vet recommends for your dog, its life stage and where you live.
Parasite prevention, which is largely prescription territory and is not something to buy on a recommendation from an article.
Dental assessment, which matters more than most owners expect.
Weight and body condition, which is one of the most consequential things a routine visit tracks.
And a conversation about behavior, which is genuinely part of it. Behavior change is one of the things a vet asks about, and it is one of the reasons this site keeps sending readers there.
How often
AAHA publishes a canine life stage framework that divides a dog's life into stages, broadly puppy, young adult, mature adult and senior, and describes visit frequency in terms of those stages rather than as a single number for all dogs, with more frequent visits at the two ends of life and adjustments made for lifestyle and health.
An honest sourcing note: we reached that through search results on 28 August 2026 and did not load AAHA's own document. It is described here in general terms for that reason, and the schedule for your dog comes from your vet, who is applying that framework to an animal they can see.
The one thing worth taking from it: frequency is not one number, and a young healthy adult and an older dog are not on the same schedule.
The changes worth acting on
These are prompts to call, not diagnoses. Any of them can have several explanations and none of them is listed here as meaning anything in particular.
Drinking or urinating noticeably more or less than usual.
Appetite changes, in either direction.
Weight change without a change in what you feed.
Vomiting or diarrhea that persists, or that contains blood.
Coughing that persists, and any change in breathing.
Lameness, stiffness, or difficulty with stairs or getting up.
Lumps, or a change in an existing lump.
Bad breath, difficulty eating, or dropping food.
Any change in behavior. This is the one this site cares about most, because it is the one owners bring to a training page instead of to a vet. A dog that has become irritable, withdrawn, restless at night or reluctant to be touched may be in pain, and pain does not announce itself. See pacing at night and panting when it is not hot, both of which end at the same place: a vet.
The things owners do that make this harder
Waiting. The most common one, and the reason the list above is a call list rather than a watch list.
Giving human medicine. Never. Common human medicines are toxic to dogs, some of them severely, and "a small amount" is not a category that exists here. No dose of anything, human or veterinary, comes from an article.
Assuming behavior is behavior. A great deal of what looks like a training problem is a medical one, and the order of investigation should be the other way round when something is new or sudden.
And assuming a senior dog slowing down is just age. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it is something a vet can treat, and the only way to know is to ask.
What good record-keeping gets you
Small and disproportionately useful.
Note what changed, when it started and what it looks like. A short note with dates is worth more in a consultation than a general impression.
Photograph or film it if it is intermittent. Something that happens twice a week will not happen in the consulting room, and a video of it is genuinely valuable.
Know what your 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.
Where this site stops
We cover behavior. We do not diagnose, do not treat, do not dose and do not cover individual toxic substances. Poisoning of any kind goes to your vet and to a poison line, not to us.
Anything with a medical explanation gets routed rather than explained, and that is the standing rule on this site rather than an exception for this page.
Frequently asked questions
Which signs mean I should call now rather than read on?
Call your vet or the nearest emergency clinic straight away for difficulty breathing or breathing that looks labored, collapse or an inability to stand, a seizure, repeated unproductive retching or a swollen hard abdomen particularly in a large deep-chested dog, uncontrolled bleeding, suspected poisoning or eating something that should not have been eaten, straining to urinate without producing urine, a known trauma such as a fall or a road accident even if the dog seems fine, and extreme pain. Do not wait to see whether it settles.
My dog has eaten something it should not have. What do I do?
Call your vet now, 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 the substance with you. Do not give anything by mouth on the advice of a web page. This is a behavior site and it covers no substance, no dose and no treatment.
Can I give my dog something from my own medicine cabinet?
No. If you already have, call your vet or a poison line now rather than waiting. Common human medicines are toxic to dogs, some of them severely, and "a small amount" is not a category that exists here. No dose of anything, human or veterinary, comes from an article, and parasite prevention is largely prescription territory rather than something to buy on the recommendation of a web page.
How often should my dog see a vet?
This page gives no schedule in numbers, and neither should any page. AAHA publishes a canine life stage framework that divides a dog's life into stages, broadly puppy, young adult, mature adult and senior, and describes visit frequency in terms of those stages rather than as a single number for all dogs, with more frequent visits at the two ends of life and adjustments for lifestyle and health. We reached that through search results on 28 August 2026 and did not load AAHA's own document, which is why it is described in general terms. Your vet sets the schedule for your dog, because they are applying the framework to an animal they can see.
My older dog is slowing down. Should I mention it or is it just age?
Mention it. Sometimes it is age and sometimes it is something a vet can treat, and the only way to know is to ask. The same goes for a dog that has become irritable, withdrawn, restless at night or reluctant to be touched, because pain does not announce itself. Take a short note of what changed and when it started, and film anything intermittent, since something that happens twice a week will not happen in the consulting room.
What this page does not publish
No diagnoses, no symptoms lists that mean a condition, and no treatments.
No doses, medicines, supplements or home remedies of any kind.
No visit schedule in numbers, and no vaccination schedule. Both come from your vet.