Dog Sneezing 

Dog Sneezing and Illnesses

For pet lovers, our pets are our most loved best friends. Oh how we adore them, playing with them and talking to them.

However, no matter how close you are with your pet it can be hard to tell when something is wrong. There are some signs, dog sneezing, warm nose, etc. that will tell you if your pet is not feeling well, and we need to pay attention to them.

One day I noticed that my kitty, Luna, didn’t eat her food. I just assumed that maybe she hadn’t been hungry that day and didn’t put any more thought into it. The following day I noticed that Luna had hardly touched her food at all.

On the 3rd day she still had not eaten much and she hardly had the energy to lift her head to look at me. I picked her up, put her in her carrier and headed for the Vet’s office and then dog sneezing started. It turns out that she and the dog had an abscessed tooth that was keeping them from eating.

I had a sinking feeling that had I done something on the first day we wouldn’t be at the Vet for an emergency visit. It was then that I decided that I would never let something like that happen to either of them again.

Once I got her home and restored to good health I sat down and did a lot of research about how to give her and other pets an exam in my home.

Of course this will work better if your pet is relaxed, for me the best times have been after she has had a good hard play session or is just waking up from a nap.

What I do is hold my dog in my lap and check her out from her nose all the way to her tail by following these 12 easy steps.

1. Try to take a peak inside your dogs mouth. At first this might be hard to do, so be patient. Look for any nicks or cuts in the mouth as well as any swelling or bad breath.
   Your dogs gums should look pink in color and their teeth should be nice and clean and white. Also look to make sure that there is nothing in your pets mouth that might be stuck in their mouth.
2. Gently take a glance in your dogs nostril, check for any moisture and debris that could be in the nose, is your dog sneezing. Keep in mind that how much moisture is in the nose will be different depending on what type of pet your looking at and if they have just finished sleeping, playing or eating.
   This will also tell you if your pet is properly hydrated or not and if they might be running a fever. Keep in mind that an ongoing runny nose could be allergies or other such health issues. Should you see a foreign object in your pets nose or if the moisture level seems to be strange, call your Vet.
3. Look at the whites of your dogs eyes. If there is redness in the whites it could mean that there is inflammation and it would be a good idea to talk to your Vet.
4. Take a look at your pets jaw to make sure that it both looks and feels normal to you.
5. Look at your pets paws, the pads on the bottom and their claws. Between the pads and toes of your pet you shouldn’t find any debris.
   While you have their paws in your hands you can check to see if their claws need a trim.
6. Look into your pets ears and check for any odors, that they are clean and look for debris. Black colored debris is a sign of ear mites, and any odors are signs of infection. Should you see or smell something that is not right in your pets ears you should talk to your Vet.
7. Take a look at your dogs face. Some pets will often have somewhat of discharge near their eyes and some pets wont. If this suddenly changes then your pet might have a problem.
8. Gently take a look at your pets skin, under their fur. What your looking for is things like dry and flaky skin and any cuts or odd bumps on the skin.
9. Feel the body of your pet for any swelling and heat.
10. Gently move your pets joints back and forth in their normal range of motion. If you find stiffness or pain you should talk to your Vet about it.
11. Gently feel around on the belly of your pet to check for pain or any odd lumps. Should you find a strange lump, make a little note of where it is at.
12. Give your pet a nice rub down and good loving attention as a reward for letting you do the exam.
13. Look into a dog pet bed to make him or her more comfortable.

When ever you notice your pet acting a little differently than normal it could be a sign that there is something wrong and you should pay attention to this.

Keep your eye out for any changes in your pets moods or behaviors, how much energy they have, how playful they are, and of course their eating and sleeping habits as well. If you notice something different take a closer look and ask yourself some basic questions like,

Does your dog seem to look for warm or cooler place? Is it sleeping in different places? Has your pets fur started to look different? Any of these things could be a clear sign that something is wrong with your pet and that they maybe ill.

Keeping these things in mind and doing a quick exam on your pet once in a while will help to keep your pet happy and healthy.

This is something that I do once a month on each of my cats and dogs. At first it was a bit trying, but now that they are all used to the exam it has become a treat and a bonding time for us.

Just remember to be patient with this and keep at it. With some dogs it will take more than one try to get in a full exam. So remember that with patients and love you will be able to do this for your pet! Don't forget that when you have a dog sneezing it does not always mean he or she is sick.