AI overview
Informational only - not a veterinary diagnosis. For urgent signs, contact a vet immediately.
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Informational only - not a veterinary diagnosis. For urgent signs, contact a vet immediately.
Patchy hair loss in dogs is most often driven by flea allergy dermatitis, environmental allergies (atopy), demodectic or sarcoptic mange, or a hormonal condition like hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease. If the hair loss is symmetric on both sides of the body, is spreading fast, or comes with thickened dark skin and a musty smell, book a vet within the week for skin scrapes and bloodwork.
An occasional hairball, meaning a tube of matted fur brought up cleanly by a cat that is otherwise bright, is not an emergency. Vomiting more than about once or twice a month, or vomiting food rather than fur, is a reason to see a vet rather than reach for a hairball paste. Go the same day if your cat retches repeatedly without producing anything, has stopped eating, is losing weight, has blood in the vomit, or seems flat and hiding. Any cat that has eaten nothing for 24 hours needs a vet regardless of the vomit.
A hot spot is an acute moist dermatitis: it appears within hours, looks wet, red and raw, has matted hair around it, and is painful enough that your dog will not let you touch it. Ringworm is a fungal infection that develops over days to weeks as a dry, scaly, often circular patch of hair loss that is usually not painful and may not itch much. Ringworm spreads to other pets and to people, so it needs confirmation by a vet. Both need veterinary treatment, and neither can be diagnosed from appearance alone with certainty.
Redness, cloudy discharge, squinting, or a swollen eyelid in a dog most commonly signals conjunctivitis, a corneal scratch, dry eye, or an allergic flare - all of which need a same-week vet visit. If your dog is holding the eye shut, pawing at it, or the pupil looks cloudy or blue-tinted, treat it as urgent and go today: corneal ulcers can perforate within 24–48 hours.
Persistent bad breath, brown or yellow tartar along the gum line, red or bleeding gums, and dropping food while eating are the classic signs of canine periodontal disease. By age three, over 80% of dogs already have stage 1 or 2 disease, and untreated dental infection is linked to heart, kidney, and liver damage - so a photo check every month and a professional cleaning under anaesthetic every 12–18 months is the standard of care.
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