Introduction to Cat and Dog Illness

In this next section of your pet first aid course, we’re going to cover many illnesses and symptoms that you can monitor at home. Doing so to the best of your ability will help you recognize a problem early when your pet isn’t feeling well or an emergency in which you’ll need to act quickly. At the end of the lesson, we’ll provide you with a Word about using hydrogen peroxide on your pets.

Long ago a myth began and over the years it seems to have grown. What is this myth? That you can check your dog’s nose and based on the temperature or moisture level, you can determine how your dog is feeling. Sadly, this isn’t true. If only it were that easy.

In this next section, we’ll be going over several things like:

1. How to assess your pet’s health and wellness at home.
2. Some ways in which you can provide first aid for your pets at home, either before or instead of going to the vet, or to allow safer transport to the vet in case of an emergency.
3. How to recognize an emergency and when you should escalate care quickly, as in seeking immediate veterinary care vs. making an appointment and waiting a while to see the vet.

Understanding the difference between a minor illness and an emergency will be key, as will properly responding to either. By the end of this section, you may just discover that gauging your pet’s health is easier than it sounds; though maybe still not as easy as checking for a cool, wet nose.