Rule-based triage
Dog Symptom Checker
Answer a short set of safety questions, identify emergency red flags, and prepare a concise summary for your veterinarian. This tool does not diagnose your dog or prescribe treatment.
Emergency red flags
Conservative guidance for US pet owners preparing to contact care.
Vet-call summary
Conservative guidance for US pet owners preparing to contact care.
No diagnosis claims
Conservative guidance for US pet owners preparing to contact care.
How to use the dog symptom checker safely
Start with the sign that worries you most, then answer the red-flag questions based on what you can observe at home. The checker is intentionally conservative. It is better to call a veterinarian for a concerning sign than to wait because a symptom seems common.
Use the copied summary to tell the clinic when the symptom started, how often it happens, what your dog ate recently, whether breathing or gum color changed, and whether there was heat, injury, medication, or possible toxin exposure.
- Choose emergency care for breathing trouble, collapse, seizure, suspected toxin exposure, bloated abdomen, severe weakness, or blood.
- Do not give human medication or leftover prescriptions unless a veterinarian specifically instructs you.
- If symptoms are mild but repeat, worsen, or combine with appetite loss or lethargy, call your regular vet today.
- Photos or short videos can help the clinic understand coughing, limping, shaking, vomiting, or unusual behavior.
Emergency warning signs
If any of these signs are present, contact an emergency veterinarian, the nearest emergency hospital, or a veterinary poison hotline now.
- Trouble breathing, blue or pale gums, collapse, or seizure.
- Suspected toxin exposure, unsafe food, medication, chemical, or foreign object.
- Blood in vomit, stool, or urine.
- Bloated abdomen, repeated vomiting, severe lethargy, or unable to urinate.