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I really do take my dog to the vet fairly often (we're there probably every 4-6 months for something or other) but my dog is a trainwreck and I'm sort of a paranoid dog owner because of it. I have never regretted taking the dog in for something that worried me, a $40 exam is worth the peace of mind. I also own livestock though and that has made me pretty good at triaging animal issues and determining if things are really worth a vet appointment. I think people in PI tell folks to go to the vet early and often because we can't be there to see whats going on and no one wants to tell someone its probably fine and have the animal die or something. Better safe than sorry! Part of deciding when a vet appt is necessary is knowing your pet. My dog occasionally barfs in the morning and also eats weird things sometimes so a few days of morning puke is something I would just watch. Endless barfing, not being able to keep down water, a fever, lethargy, looking bloated or not eating in addition to puking would send me running to the vet. My dog gets in scraps with the sheep and runs through the underbrush and gets small cuts, those I would just clean and watch. When he nearly pulled a toe off and I could see his foot tendons he went to the vet right away. My dog has a history of random massive facial infections so any facial swelling gets a day of benedryl then a vet visit just in case. My dog pees on things sometimes because of his meds so an accident here or there wouldn't bother me but for any other dog might warrant a pee test for a UTI. For the pudgy belly what I would do is cut back on food a little/increase exercise a bit and see if it goes away. I would watch for any other symptoms or if it gets bigger but I wouldn't be going nuts about it yet. If the dog has an annual exam coming up or if she hasn't had an exam in a while I might do one of those and just mention it then if it was really concerning me.
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Aug 8, 2015 15:40
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| # ¿ May 19, 2024 19:35 |
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I never take myself to the doctor for anything short of needing things to be sewn back together. The dog goes much more often than that. Any of those things you listed I would just give 24 hours to see if they escalated. If you think its a long term issue keep notes and see if it really is a consistent problem or if you are just looking for bad things. I get being really anxious and convincing yourself that an animal is having an emergency when they aren't really but in general I think you can trust yourself to recognize what a real emergency is.
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Aug 9, 2015 22:39
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