Is your dog or cat okay?
Look up a symptom to see how urgent it usually is and when to see a vet, or describe what is happening for a free check. This is general information, not a diagnosis.
Free to use. Written from veterinary sources and checked against them.
Choose your pet
Common symptoms
- Cat diarrhea: loose or watery poopDiarrhea means loose, watery or more frequent stools, and in adult cats a mild bout is often linked to a sudden food change, stress or something that upset the stomach.
- Cat sneezing a lot or keeps sneezingSneezing in cats is most often caused by a viral upper respiratory infection (cat flu), and can also come from dust or smoke, a recent vaccine given as nose drops, or something stuck in the nose.
- Cat throwing up or vomitingCats vomit for many reasons, from hairballs or something they ate to food intolerance, parasites and longer-term illnesses such as kidney disease or an overactive thyroid.
- Dog pooping blood or bloody diarrheaBlood in a dog’s stool can show up as bright red streaks or drops, jelly-like bloody diarrhea, or black, tarry stool.
- Dog coughing or gagging like something is stuckDogs often cough with a dry, honking sound that can end in a gag, which is why many owners think something is stuck in the throat.
- Dog diarrhea: when to worry and what to doDiarrhea means loose, watery or more frequent poop, and in adult dogs it is often short-lived, set off by eating something unusual, a sudden food change or stress.
- Dog not eating or eating less than usualDogs skip meals for many reasons, from picky eating, stress or a change of food to nausea, mouth pain or illness.
- Dog panting heavily or breathing fastPanting is the main way dogs cool down, so heavy panting after exercise, play or on a warm day is usually normal and eases once your dog rests somewhere cool.
- Dog shaking, trembling or shiveringShaking, trembling and shivering are common in dogs and often have everyday causes such as cold, fear, stress or excitement.
- Dog throwing up yellow foam or bileYellow vomit is usually bile, a digestive fluid made by the liver and released into the small intestine.
- Dog throwing up: when to worry and what to doVomiting is the forceful bringing up of food or fluid with retching and belly effort, while regurgitation is food sliding out of the esophagus without effort.
How it works
- Find the symptomEach page starts with how urgent it usually is.
- Match the signsPick the urgency row that fits what you see.
- Decide the next stepGo now, book a visit, or keep watching with a clear list of what to look for.
Written from veterinary sources
Each page is built from veterinary references such as the Merck Veterinary Manual, VCA Animal Hospitals and Cornell University, and every rule is checked against those sources in a separate review. We tell you how urgent a sign usually is and what to watch for. We never diagnose and never recommend medicines.
Describe what is happening
Answer a few questions and get an urgency level, likely causes and what to watch for. Emergencies are flagged right away.
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