Effective treatment for a dog
problem can mean many different things. There are a wide variety of dog
ailments, not all of which are serious. Treatment could mean having your
veterinarian administer prescription medication, trying out various
over-the-counter meds, or even just as simple as changing some aspect of your
dog's environment, diet or lifestyle. But the first step in effective treatment
is correct diagnosis of your dog's problem - that's where you come in!
At first, what you need to do is to keep a record of what symptoms your dog
is displaying. You need to write down everything including the symptoms, the
severity of the symptoms, when the symptoms first started, how often they are
displayed, etc. Basically, you cannot have TOO much information, so just write
down everything as it happens. This journal can then serve as a reference to
show to your local veterinarian or to look back to if your dog has a similar
condition in the future. Once you are armed with a record of what is going on with your dog you can proceed to get treatment. If it is an emergency, immediately contact your local vet. Otherwise it might pay to take some time to do some research on your own. You can look up the symptoms in a book, but these days the Internet is a great place to get some ideas of what might be wrong with your dog. If at any stage of your research you think your dog's condition is best treated by a vet, then contact your local veterinarian and seek an appointment. But chances are you will find that someone has had exactly the same problem with their dog as you have, and their experiences can help you treat yours.
Vets are notoriously expensive and usually bills are not covered by insurance. Therefore it pays to try to identify your dog's problem by yourself at first, or seek advice in books, online or with other dog owners in your community. If the problem seems not serious, it might well be treated with medication available from your local pet supplies store or your favourite online pet shop. Of course, if there is no alternative, head to the animal hospital.
Also keep in mind that dogs, just like humans, can have psychological problems that cannot be cured with medication. Your dog might be stressing or fretting about something. Or maybe you changed something in your dog's diet? Keep an open mind and try not to jump to conclusions when diagnosing your dog's problem. Remember that successful dogs problems treatment first starts with correct identification of the underlying cause.