The first time Figo went off his food for a whole day, I was straight on the phone to the vet. He’d scoffed something dodgy on a walk and turned out to be fine, but I remember how quickly my mind ran through the worst-case list while I waited. If you’ve ever typed a symptom into a search bar at 11pm, you’ll know the feeling: a hundred pages, half of them contradicting each other, and none of them sure which dog they’re talking about.
This is our answer to that. It’s the front door to AboutDogs’ A–Z of dog illnesses and conditions: one page per condition, written in plain English, sourced from UK vets and welfare charities, and always pointing you back to the person who can actually diagnose your dog, your vet.
The short version
The AboutDogs A–Z of dog illnesses and conditions is a growing set of one-page guides to health problems in dogs, listed alphabetically. Each page explains what the condition is, the signs to look for, when to ring your vet and how urgently, and what vets generally do about it, with links to the sources we used. It is general information, not veterinary advice. Only a vet can diagnose or treat your dog, so if you’re worried, speak to your vet.
- Who it’s for: UK dog owners who want a clear, honest starting point before or after a vet visit.
- What it isn’t: a replacement for a vet, a home-treatment manual or a diagnosis tool.
- How it’s organised: alphabetically, one condition per page, every page built the same way.
- Where the facts come from: UK veterinary bodies, welfare charities and published research, linked in the text.
When it can’t wait: emergency signs
Before anything else, some situations aren’t a “read an article” job. They’re a “ring your vet now” job. Phone your own practice or its out-of-hours service. Our vets guide is the place to find one if you don’t have a regular vet yet.
- Struggling to breathe. The PDSA calls this a life-threatening emergency. Noisy or fast breathing, stretching out to breathe, or white, blue or grey gums mean getting to a vet straight away.
- Collapse. If your dog has collapsed, ring your vet straight away.
- A swollen, tight tummy with retching but nothing coming up. This can be GDV (bloat with a twisted stomach), which the PDSA describes as painful and life-threatening. It says signs can develop quickly and get rapidly worse, and not to wait to see whether they improve. Restlessness and heavy drooling can come with it.
- You think he’s eaten something poisonous. Don’t wait for signs to appear. Ring your vet. The Veterinary Poisons Information Service also runs a triage line for owners called Animal PoisonLine, a 24-hour helpline for owners. Check its current details on its own site before you rely on it.
If your dog is simply “not himself” and none of this fits, our guide to sick dog symptoms helps you decide how quickly to call. When in doubt, ring the vet. They would always rather you rang.
What goes wrong most often in UK dogs?
It helps to know what’s common, because it keeps worry in proportion. The best UK picture comes from VetCompass, a research programme at the Royal Veterinary College that analyses anonymised records from ordinary vet practices. A 2021 paper in BMC Veterinary Research by O’Neill and colleagues, “Prevalence of commonly diagnosed disorders in UK dogs under primary veterinary care”, sampled 22,333 dogs from 905,543 under veterinary care in 2016. The most frequently diagnosed problems were:
| Single condition | Share of dogs | Group of conditions | Share of dogs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Periodontal (gum) disease | 12.5% | Dental disorders | 14.1% |
| Otitis externa (outer ear infection) | 7.3% | Skin disorders | 12.6% |
| Obesity | 7.1% | Enteropathy (gut problems) | 10.4% |
| Overgrown nails | 5.5% | Musculoskeletal | 8.6% |
| Anal sac impaction | 4.8% | Ear disorders | 8.2% |
| Diarrhoea | 3.8% | Obesity | 7.1% |
Two honest caveats, both from the authors. These are diagnosed conditions, not necessarily every dog that had a problem, and vets often record a presenting sign (such as “vomiting”) rather than a final diagnosis. So treat the numbers as a guide to what vets see most, not an exact count of what dogs get. The takeaway for owners is a gentle one: the everyday stuff, teeth, ears, skin, tummies, weight and joints, makes up most of what vets deal with.
How the A–Z is organised
We list conditions alphabetically by the name most owners would search for, with one flat page per condition at its own simple web address. Pages are added in alphabetical order as each one has been researched, written and checked, so some letters are still empty. Letters with a page are linked below, and the rest are shown in grey until they have one.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
B
C
- Cancer (lumps and bumps)
- Cataracts
- Cherry eye
- Conjunctivitis
- Constipation
- Coughing: why is my dog coughing? (existing guide)
- Cruciate ligament disease
- Cushing’s disease
D
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
- Dementia (canine cognitive dysfunction) (existing guide)
- Dental disease
- Diabetes
- Diarrhoea
- Distemper
- Dry eye
E
F
G
H
I
K
L
M
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
Symptom guides
Some problems are better approached from the symptom. These guides sit alongside the A–Z and will link to the condition pages as they appear:
What every condition page covers
Every page in the A–Z follows the same layout, so you always know where to look and so that search tools and AI assistants can lift a clean, accurate answer from it:
- At a glance. A short list covering what it is, who it affects, how urgent it is and whether a vet is needed.
- Signs to look for. What you might notice at home.
- Causes and risk factors. Including any breeds or ages that are more prone.
- When to call your vet. Whether it’s urgent, soon or a routine mention at the next visit.
- How vets diagnose it. What the appointment is likely to involve.
- What vets generally do about it. An overview of treatment, never a do-it-yourself plan.
- Living with it and prevention. Everyday management, once your vet has advised.
- Related conditions. Links to pages with overlapping signs.
- Specialist help. A named organisation for that condition, where a genuine one exists.
- Sources. The research and guidance the page is based on.
Behaviour problems such as anxiety have their own guides, because the answer is usually training and routine rather than treatment. Our piece on telling whether your dog is anxious, overstimulated or bored is a good starting point, and it also covers why a vet check comes first when behaviour changes suddenly.
How we source what we say
Health information is the one area where we won’t wing it. The A–Z draws on three kinds of source, and each page links to the ones it used:
- UK veterinary bodies. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the British Veterinary Association (BVA).
- Welfare charities and their vet teams. The PDSA’s Pet Health Hub, Blue Cross, the Dogs Trust and the RSPCA.
- Published research. Peer-reviewed studies and large UK datasets such as VetCompass, named in the text so you can find them.
We don’t use forums, product pages or anyone selling a cure. Where the evidence is thin or mixed, we say so. And so there’s no confusion about who’s talking: these pages are written by Georgiana and Figo, who are dog owners and researchers, not vets. They aren’t a substitute for a consultation.
Who can diagnose and treat your dog
In the UK, diagnosing animals, giving veterinary advice, treating them and prescribing veterinary medicines count as practising veterinary medicine, and the RCVS says that under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 only qualified and registered people may do it. That’s why none of our pages tell you to treat a condition yourself. What they can do is help you spot a problem early, ask better questions and understand what your vet tells you.
You can look up practices, and see whether one holds the voluntary RCVS Practice Standards Scheme accreditation, on the RCVS Find a Vet tool. To browse practices by area, use our guide to finding the best vets near you. Vet bills can climb quickly when something is wrong, so it’s worth reading our rundown of UK pet insurance providers before you need it.
Getting more from a vet visit
A few minutes of preparation makes your appointment far more useful. Write down when you first noticed the change and what the signs look like. The Dogs Trust suggests taking any videos, diaries or notes you have, and a short phone video of anything that comes and goes, like a cough or a limp, often shows the vet more than a description can. Note any medicines or supplements he’s taking, and write your questions down before you go in.
Prevention and everyday health
You can’t prevent everything, but you can stack the odds. A healthy weight, regular teeth and ear checks, and routine vet visits sit behind most of the common problems in the table above. If you’re thinking about a puppy, ask the breeder about health screening. The BVA runs Canine Health Schemes for hip, elbow and eye conditions, and the Kennel Club’s health testing pages explain how results are shared. Our guide to how long dogs live looks at what affects lifespan.
We also stock dog vitamins and supplements at Calmshops. They’re complementary feeds that sit alongside a good diet and vet care, not treatments for any condition, so check with your vet before adding one, particularly if your dog is poorly or on medication. Our guide on which vitamins to give your dog covers the basics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use these pages to diagnose my dog?
No. They explain what conditions are, what signs to look for and when to call a vet, but only a vet can diagnose or treat your dog. If you’re worried, speak to your vet.
What are the most common health problems in UK dogs?
In a 2021 VetCompass study of 22,333 UK dogs under veterinary care, the most commonly diagnosed single conditions were periodontal disease (12.5%), otitis externa (7.3%), obesity (7.1%), overgrown nails (5.5%) and anal sac impaction (4.8%). These are diagnosed conditions, so they show what vets record, not every problem dogs have.
When is a dog health problem an emergency?
Struggling to breathe, collapse, a swollen tummy with retching that produces nothing (possible GDV) and suspected poisoning all need a vet straight away. Ring your practice or its out-of-hours service.
Can I treat my dog’s illness at home?
Not without your vet’s advice. In the UK, diagnosing and treating animals and prescribing veterinary medicines are reserved for registered vets under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. Our pages describe what vets generally do, not a home treatment plan.
Where does the information on these pages come from?
UK veterinary bodies such as the RCVS and BVA, welfare charities including the PDSA, Blue Cross, the Dogs Trust and the RSPCA, and published research such as VetCompass. Each page links to the sources it used.
How do I find a vet near me?
Use our guide to finding the best vets near you, or the RCVS Find a Vet tool, which also shows whether a practice holds RCVS accreditation.
This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. If you are worried about your dog’s health, speak to your vet. Written by Georgiana & Figo.
