Friday, July 31, 2009

Proper Dog Illness Diagnosis

By Moses Wright

Dog illnesses cause a large variety of symptoms. When the dog owner tries to identify what is wrong with the dog, the symptoms can be misleading. Symptoms can be physical and behavioral.

The dog may exhibit a behavior that a dog owner may not realize that the behavior is related to a dog illness. For example, if a dog that is usually active and tireless suddenly stops running and playing after a brief time, the dog owner may consider it a sign of aging when it could be due to a serious dog disease.

When a dog owner notices physical or behavioral changes in the dog, the dog owner should consult a veterinarian. Dog illness diagnosis relies on extensive knowledge of dog anatomy and physiology and the ability to run any necessary diagnostic tests.

Dog owners may attempt to diagnose the dog. Many websites offer information to help dog owners diagnose a dog illness. This is not necessarily detrimental, but a dog owner should understand that the diagnosis that they identify could be wrong. Even veterinarians are sometimes wrong about a dog illness diagnosis, but the veterinarian is able to do tests to confirm a diagnosis.

The dog owner has important contributions during the veterinarians examination of the dog. The dog owner can inform the veterinarian of the symptoms that they have observed in the dog. This is important information for a proper dog illness diagnosis.

The veterinarian takes the information provided by the dog owner and does a physical examination of the dog. If the veterinarian suspects a dog illness that can be identified by blood tests, the veterinarian will perform those tests and possibly other tests to rule out other disorders.

Blood tests are only one type of diagnostic test that veterinarians use. The dogs urine and feces are sometimes used to identify the dog illness. X-rays and other testing may be done.

Once a proper diagnosis has been achieved, the veterinarian may discuss the illness and treatment options with the dog owner. The dog owner should be able to ask questions to the veterinarian about the illness and treatment.

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