Due to their speech impairment, it’s impossible for puppies to communicate how they feel. This makes it somewhat tricky for you to decipher if your new puppy is just moody or really sick. However, there are some exclusive pointers that will help you determine if your dog has an infection or not. This could help checkmate these infections and give you insights on the possible scenarios to look out for in the future. Here’s how you can check your new puppy for signs of infections.
- Look deeply at his eyes
The eyes usually hold the truth about a living being’s health and if your puppy doesn’t have any form of infection, his eyes will be bright. However, there should be a certain amount of discharge present in your puppy’s eyes and if he is free from infection the discharge should be blackish in color right in the corner of the eye. However, if it’s green or yellow you may need to take him to the vet as that could be a sign of an infection. Other signs of an infection could be excessive watering of the eyes, squinting (which usually indicates pain), continuous rubbing of the eye and when the whites of the eyes appear pinkish.
- Inspect his ears
As your puppy grows, take note of his ears, its smell, and texture. While this may sound somewhat creepy but if your puppy has floppy ears or lots of hair around his ears, it could hide signs of infection. However, plucking these hairs may lead to inflammation; hence if you must, get clearance from your vet before you do. Furthermore, upon inspection, if you notice redness, a nasty and unusual smell, black discharge that doesn’t mirror wax, swelling which leads to the outer ear canal closing up or growths around the ear region, do take your puppy for a medical examination.
- Check his skin
Most infections start manifesting on the skin and with the use of your eyes and hands, you can perform a mini examination on your new puppy. Check if your puppy has been biting, scratching or chewing on a particular part of his skin, also take note of the changes in his coat if there’s any. Check under his legs and between pads for any evidence of fleas or their inflictions as this is where they mostly perch. While examining your puppy’s skin do check for lumps and other bumps. Remember, you’re not a vet and the smart thing to do is to report anything that may seem out of the ordinary to you.
With a new puppy, a full body examination is usually done by the vet followed by some vaccinations when they are of age. However, this doesn’t stop them from getting sick every now and then. Checking for signs of infections can really help checkmate some infections as early detection usually prevents dire outcomes. Looking for sweet looking puppies that have a clean bill of health? PremierPupshas a whole lot of them, in different breeds too all seeking adoption.