Symptoms, Diseases & Procedures

If your pet is having trouble breathing, please seek emergency veterinary care.

Some symptoms of respiratory disease

• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Nasal discharge (mucus, snot, phlegm, etc.), bloody nose
• Excessive panting
• Exercise intolerance

Diseases

• Rhinitis (nasal inflammation)
• Tracheal collapse
• Bronchitis
• Asthma;
• Pneumonia
• Pulmonary fibrosis

Gastrointestinal problems can be seen with diseases in the gastrointestinal tract, or signify diseases outside of the GI tract.  

Some symptoms of gastrointestinal disease

• Trouble swallowing 
• Regurgitation
• Vomiting 
• Diarrhea 
• Increased stomach growling/noises 
• Picky/finicky or decreased appetite 
• Increased appetite 
• Bloody stool
• Abnormally colored stool 
• Jaundice  
• Weight loss 
• Constipation 
• Excess gas/flatulence 

Diseases

•  Megaesophagus, esophagitis, esophageal stricture  
• Gastritis, gastroenteritis, colitis 
• Gastric ulcer 
• Inflammatory bowel disease, chronic enteropathy  
• Protein losing enteropathy 
• Hepatitis, cholangitis
• Liver shunt 
• Increased liver enzymes/values 
• Gallbladder stones 
• Pancreatitis 
• Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) 

Some symptoms of urinary or kidney disease

• Drinking excessively 
• Urinating excessively 
• Urinating more frequently 
• Bloody urine, painful urination, straining to urinate
• Incontinence 

Diseases 

• Urinary tract infection 
• Bladder stones 
• Renal/kidney failure 
• Protein-losing nephropathy 
• Nephritis 
• Glomerulonephritis
• Ectopic ureters
• Renal dysplasia
• Prostatic disease 

Some symptoms of endocrine disease

• Drinking excessively
• Urinating excessively
• Increased appetite
• Weight loss
• Weight gain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Panting
• Hair loss
• Lethargy or hyperactivity

Diseases

• Hyperthyroidism
• Hypothyroidism
• Cushing’s disease
• Addison’s disease
• Diabetes mellitus
• Diabetes insipidus
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Hypercalcemia
• Growth hormone disorders
• Acromegaly
• Insulinoma

Some symptoms of blood disorders

• Lethargy, weakness
• Pale gums/eyes
• Bleeding from gums, nose or mouth
• Bruises

Diseases

• Anemia (low red blood cells, low hematocrit)
• Thrombocytopenia (low platelets)
• Neutropenia (low white blood cells)
• ITP, IMHA
• Coagulopathy
• Polycythemia

Symptoms of autoimmune/immune mediated disorders

Symptoms of autoimmune/immune mediated disorders can be variable and vague, and are related to the system that is affected.

Diseases

• Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA)
• Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP or IMT)
• Immune-mediated polyarthropathy (IMPA

Symptoms of infectious diseases

Symptoms of infectious diseases can be variable and vague, and are related to the system that is affected. 

Diseases

• FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) 
• FeLV (feline leukemia virus) 
• FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) 
• Fungal diseases (Cryptococcus, Blastomycosis, Histoplasmosis, Aspergillosis) 
• Mycobacterial infections 
• Bartonella 
• Ehrlichia 
• Anaplasma 
• Lyme disease 
• Leptospirosis 
• Parasites: Giardia, Coccidia, roundworms 

Symptoms 

• Weight loss 
• Lethargy 
• Decreased appetite 
• Hiding more (cats)
• Increased vocalization 
• Mentation changes

These signs are non-specific in dogs and cats, and could signify many diseases. Usually, Internal Medicine is the place to start for these cases. 

Some veterinarians will refer clients to Internal Medicine to have a specific procedure performed. Some procedures may include:

• Aspirates
• Cytology
• Abdominal ultrasound
• Endoscopy
  • rhinoscopy
  • bronchoscopy
  • esophagoscopy
  • upper and lower GI endoscopy
• cystoscopy
• CT scan
• Endotracheal or transtracheal wash