Pet Care

How to Tell If A Cat Or A Dog

May Need Medical Care

Excerpts from Animal Sheltering, March/April 1996

Scroll down this page or select one of the following "Areas of Concern."

Areas of Concern

Eyes	Ears	Nose
Mouth	Breathing/Respiration	Skin/Hair
Legs/Feet	Anal/Genital	General Appearance

EYES

Good Signs
- Good
-Clear & bright
- Responsive to visual stimuli

EYES

Warning Signs
- Watery
- Red
- Filmy
- Cloudy
- Discolored
- Dry
- Inflamed (swollen)
- Hypersensitive to light
- Pupils are overly dilated or overly constricted
- Showing third (or middle) eyelid
- Showing discharge
- Itchy (animal rubs at eyes)
- Painful (animal squints)

EARS

Good Signs
- Clean (both outer ear and canal)
- Pink and clean (Inner ear)
- Responsive to noise

EARS

Warning Signs
- Showing discharge (waxy or other)
- Crusty
- Red or inflamed (canal is swollen/thickened)
- hair around ear is matted
- scabbed
- fly-bitten
- itchy (animal scratches ear or shakes head)
- foul odor
- painful (animal cries when ear is touched)

NOSE

Good signs
- clean
- free of discharge

NOSE

Warning signs
- scabbed
- showing discharge (clear, mucous, blood, or pus)
- crusty
- cracked
- congested or blocked

MOUTH

Good signs
- free of odor
- teeth are clean
- gums are pink
- gums have good capillary refill time (pink gum color returns within 1-2 seconds after being pressed with finger)
- animal appears to swallow normally

MOUTH

Warning signs
- unusually red or pale
- dry
- salivating (animal is drooling)
- foul odor not caused by food
- foreign bodies
- showing discharge
- swollen or inflamed
- gums are pale, purple, or inflamed
- teeth are loose, pitted, broken, or tartar-covered
- animal has trouble swallowing

BREATHING OR RESPIRATION

Good signs
- respiration is normal
- respiration sounds clear
- respiration rate is normal

BREATHING OR RESPIRATION

Warning signs
- breathing is irregular, rapid, shallow, or labored
- animal is sneezing, coughing, or wheezing
- moist lung sounds
- breathing is through open mouth

SKIN/HAIR

Good signs
- coat is glossy and bright
- coat appears well-groomed
- skin is clean, free of oil
- skin is free of swelling, lumps, and lesions

SKIN/HAIR

Warning sings
- coat is dull
- coat is oily, dirty
- coat shows areas of hair loss or thinning
- hair is matted
- skin is dry or flaky
- skin shows swelling, lumps, or lesions
- skin is scabbed
- skin is red, irritated
- animal has fleas, ticks, lice, or other parasites

LEGS/FEET

Good signs
- legs support weight evenly (no limp)
- pads are clean and smooth
- nails are healthy-looking

LEGS/FEET

Warning signs
- animal favors one leg (limps)
- animal has limited motion
- animal or weak or uncoordinated
- joint feels tender
- pads are cracked or hard
- pads have matted hair between them
- nails are long, short, or ingrown
- legs show swelling, lumps, or lesions

ANAL/GENITAL

Good signs
- Area is clean and free of discharge
- Stool is normal

ANAL/GENITAL

Warning signs
- Area has discharge
- Stool is watery or bloody
- Animal is constipated
- Area around anus shows swelling or lumps
- One or both testicles are not descended (not in scrotum)
- one testicles is harder and/or larger than the other

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Good signs
- animal is bright, alert, and responsive (BAR)
- skin is elastic (springs back immediately after being raised)
- animal is balanced, coordinated
- temperature is normal
- animal is interested in surroundings, oriented

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Warning signs
- animal is very thin or obese
- animal has wounds or abscesses
- animal has swelling, lumps, or bumps
- animal appears to have umbilical hernia
- mammary glands are swollen or oozing discharge
- skin does not spring back (animal is dehydrated)
- animal appears uncoordinated
- animal tilts head
- animal repeatedly circles
- abdomen is bloated
- temperature is abnormal
- animal appears lethargic
- animal appears hyperactive
- animal appears disoriented
copyright 1996 from the Humane Society

Venango County Humane Society Online

Click here to contact us.
Copyright 1999 - present