Just like in humans a dog cannot be healthy forever, there will come a time when your dog will fall sick inevitably, and they will feel so sad and so will you. It is now up to you to care very well for them and help them get better and fast.
There are multiple things that you can do to help your dog recover faster things like making sure he’s getting enough rest, keeping them hydrated, comfortable and exacter. On the occasion that your dog is terminally ill, you will still have to make them very comfortable and as happy as possible until they finally pass away.
How To Comfort A Sick Dog
There are many easy things you can do to help your dog feel comfortable during their illness such as;
Proper management of their symptoms
Regular visits to the vets office
Once you know you dog is sick, the best thing to do will be to take him to the hospital first diagnosis and options of treatment. Attempting to care for sick dogs at home without a diagnosis may be a bad idea be you do not really know the exact problem.
So you should consult from a professional first. After the diagnosis, your vet will give you the best ways to monitor and manage your dogs symptoms. If after 24hours of visit to the vet and your dog seems to have gotten worse, take him back to the hospital for further examinations.
Proper administration of medication
After a diagnosis has been made, you will be given the appropriate medication your dog may need and you should remember to properly administer those medications to your dog for fast recovery. You should never attempt to administer un-prescribed drugs to your dog with assumptions as to what is wrong with him because the consequences may be harmful.
In the case your dog is reluctant or does not want to have his drugs, you can hide the pills or pills in his food or place on a spoon and cover with a treat he likes.
Paying close attention to their body temperature
As your dog is sick, they will find it extremely difficult to regulate their body temperature as they use to or they will not be able to move around to get air. So you will have to pay close attention to their body temperature sick dogs can tend to get very cold and you have to find a way to cool them down, wrap them in a thick blanket and put them in a warm and dry place.
Sick dogs are also prone to get very hot. You will have to get use to the fluctuation of their body temperature. When they are hot you will have to step In and be their hero, unwrap them, put on the air conditioner or place a fan close to them. You can also provide ice block for them to chew on.
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Offering Your Support
Calming conversations
Unlike humans dogs only know that they are sick, they have to idea what is wrong with them or if they are going to get well or not.
This will cause them to be sad, scared, depress or anxious and you have to help soothe them of course, having calming conversations with your dog through out the time they are feeling down will help, they might not understand what you are saying, but they can hear you and they love and trust you and this is enough to help them recover fast.
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Assurance
For example your dog is terminally ill of course you will feel very sad, but you should not let your dog sense it, dogs are very smart animals they will be able to sense that you are sad or unhappy or depressed and since they are currently sick, they may feel your sadness is relating to them, which will not help them feel better.
They might not recover but they should be happy and comfortable in their remaining time. So assurance to them that everything is okay with help a lot.
Avoiding discomfort
Assuming that during the time your dog is sick going out and meeting new pets and people will be a good idea is actually a bad idea.
Because multiple study has shown that when dogs are sick they prefer to be surrounded by the things they love and the people they love, it will make them less uncomfortable and recover faster or make them illness less painful. Seeing unfamiliar faces or unfamiliar dogs or dogs that look scary or stronger than them will not help in their journey to recovery.
Show of physical attention
When dogs are sick they are quite sad and down, you need to show them love and give them more attention, this is the time to be more affectionate because they need it, cuddle them till they fall asleep, pat them while they fall asleep, hugs, stolen kisses, gentle rubs on their back and tummy or tender strokes around their ears and top of their head or any other place they like to be stroked will be a great boost to their recovery.
Soothing Anxiety
We all have a bad past and for those dogs who have formally been neglected or abused might feel anxious when they are sick, they may feel you might abandon them or scold them for the unfortunate situation. And you will have to get rid or reduce their anxiety as this may slow their recovery.
You can expel anxiety by playing very soft and slow music and patting them as you both listen to the music, or some dogs will prefer you sing to them like a lullaby or hum soft music while stroking their back.
Some anxious dog may feel cold with fear and worry and making them feel snuggled will help you can cover them with a soft and thick blanket for slight pressure so they can feel the blanket or you can wear them one of your oversized tees. This will make them know they are still safe and loved.
Encouraging Appetite and food
Encouraging hydration
When dogs are sick majority of them loose appetite on not just food but water as well. It is now up to you to display all your tricks to encourage them to stay hydrated especially when they are vomiting frequently or having diarrhea.
Their body is not functioning properly and the kidney might not be able to hold on to water so if they do not drink enough water from time to time they will become hydrated, and very fast. You have to monitor them constantly and provide fresh and clean water and also make sure they are driving the water.
For those dogs who do not have any desire to drink water regardless of your persuasion, you will have to offer them ice cubes to lick or chew anyhow they like, so they are still getting some amount of hydration.
Encouraging slow eating of food
Just as sick dogs will not want to drink water they may also not want to eat. If your dog has just undergone surgery under anesthesia or has been vomiting they will most likely go on a fast that can last for up to 24hours. Although they might have no appetite for food, you still have to ensure they eat since their sick self needs nutrients.
They will reject their normal diet while in this condition and that is fine so you now have to feed them a more easily digested food such as baby food for a while. You can even try feeding them with a spoon they will like the attention and special treatment.
After a while a day or two of sticking with baby foods you can now introduce mild and bland foods such as rice and skinless chicken, shredded boneless and skinless chicken, boils carrots and potatoes or broth, all these foods should be unseasoned and unsliced and oil free since these can upset your dogs stomach. Provided your dog is still sick you should make a list of all his meals in case something happens your vet will know what to be looking for.
Encouraging slow eating of previous food diet
After about maybe a few days or weeks of feeding your dog bland foods and you notice your dog is now feeling much better you can now move to reintroduction of their normal food diet.
You should not just feed them their normal food like that but you will have to mix their dog food and the bland food in an equal proportion and if they do not vomit their food, then you can continue to add more of their diet and less of the bland foods until they are in good health and are okay with their normal food.
Ensuring maximum comfort
Providing a comfortable area for sleeping
If your dog is sick, you must be able to provide a very comfortable sleeping area for your dog to lessen their stress or pain or discomfort. Their sleeping area should be quiet, warm, comfort, dimly lit, soft, surrounded with blankets, and always clean.
Ensuring constant cleanliness
While your dog is sick they might not be in control of their body, and will dirty themselves with faces, urine, or vomit from time to time so you have to be very attentive and know whenever they are soiled so you would take them to have a bath and get cleaned up.
The bath should be with warm water and if you are worried about their comfort, you can decide to use a soft cloth for washing them.
Caring for chronically sick pets
Regardless of the painful and unchangeable fact that your dog will not get better, you should still take maximum care of them. You will have to learn how to carefully manage whatever symptoms they have of their illness and without doubt the most difficult symptom to manage will be that of pain. Ensure to administer their medications on time and always.
If the pain seems to be too much for your dog your vet will offer the suggestion of euthanasia and in the suggestion, no matter the type of terminal Illness that will be the most human thing to do for your dog. And you might want to put him to sleep in your home and his favorite environment rather than in a vets office.
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