Puppies are the most sensitive creatures in the world…
The immune system in puppies is not strong enough to fight off harmful bacteria and germs on their own, which is why they can get colds quickly. Despite doing everything you can to keep your dog healthy, they will eventually get sick.
Though it might not be a strong cold virus like we humans go through, neither will it get passed on to us, but your puppy will be going through a lot of pain inside from incessant sneezing, headache, runny nose, and high fever.
These are the symptoms that must prompt you into action because you really need to take your little puppy to a vet who can diagnose and prescribe the proper treatment.
However, it is not always easy to determine that your puppy has caught the flu or has a fever since the symptoms take time to show.
It is important that you know the signs, such as a severe sounding dry cough, often called a kennel cough, which is most often treated by vets and not with home remedies.
Following are a few tips that you can apply to help your puppy get through the cold:
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Prevention is better than cure
It is so painful to see one’s furry little puppy down with a bad cold, that you just cannot let it be.
It is important that you take the first step towards keeping your little friend safe from colds and fevers.
Dogs are not only similar to us humans in their social attitude, but even on the inside, their system works like us.
Having a healthy immune system will help your puppy resist infections, colds, and other harmful diseases.
If you keep a healthy diet plan for your puppy from the start you will make his immune system stronger and help prevent him from catching seasonal colds.
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Spot the Symptoms
Puppies are like babies, you have to give them all your attention and care especially when they get sick.
If you spot your furry little friend sneezing or coughing incessantly or has trouble swallowing his food, has a runny nose with a yellow fluid-like discharge or watery eyes every now and then, know that your puppy is sick.
It may be a seasonal cold, but that’s not always the case which is why you need to be very careful while assessing the condition os your puppy, if the cold or any of the above symptoms last longer than a week, he might have contracted pneumonia, kennel cough or canine parainfluenza and you will have to book an urgent appointment with your vet to give your puppy the right treatment and care.
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Giving Your Puppy The Right Food
Puppies get really weak and slow when they have a cold.
They are not as active as they are on an ordinary day, nor do play or jump in excitement because they feel too weak.
You can help your puppy by giving him a healthy diet, like chicken soup, his favorite dog food although it is best to avoid food with high sodium.
Always give him homemade healthy food he can easily digest.
If you have multiple pets and think that your puppy is sick, you may want to think about isolating the sick puppy to their dog crate or dog playpen. While it’s likely that a cold is going to spread between all of your animals, it’s still worthwhile to try to prevent this from happening. In addition, the less bacteria that gets thrown around your house, the better.
…if you aren’t sure…
Bring your puppy to the vet! Better safe than sorry!
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