Hannah Zulueta Your dog isn’t sick.
Not really. Not in the way that would send you rushing to the emergency vet.
But there’s something. A small thing. Maybe a few small things. The kind of changes that are easy to explain away:
“They’re just getting older.” “It’s probably seasonal allergies.” “Every dog does that sometimes.”
And maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s nothing.
But what if it isn’t?
The Problem With “Wait and See”
Here’s what happens when we ignore early warning signs: they stop being early warnings.
That occasional ear redness becomes chronic ear infections. The slight increase in drinking water becomes a kidney disease diagnosis. The little bit of extra scratching becomes full-blown yeast overgrowth.
I’m not trying to make you paranoid. I’m not suggesting you rush to the vet for every tiny change.
But I am suggesting that you trust what you’re noticing. Because you know your dog better than anyone else does. And those small changes you’re second-guessing? They’re your dog’s body trying to tell you something.
The earlier you address it, the easier it is to fix.
The Signs That Deserve Your Attention
These aren’t emergencies. They’re whispers. Pay attention to them before they become shouts.
1. Changes in Drinking or Urination
What you might notice:
- Drinking more water than usual
- Needing to go out more frequently
- Accidents in the house when they’re normally housetrained
- More concentrated or dilute urine
- Straining to urinate or small amounts of urine frequently
Why it matters:
Increased thirst and urination are early signs of kidney disease, diabetes, Cushing’s disease, and other metabolic conditions. By the time these symptoms are obvious, the disease is often well-progressed.
Catching this early—even if your dog seems fine otherwise—gives you a chance to address it before permanent damage occurs.
What to do:
Track how much water your dog drinks over 24 hours. If it’s more than they typically consume, schedule bloodwork with your vet. Ask specifically for a full chemistry panel and urinalysis, not just a basic screening.
2. Subtle Digestive Changes
What you might notice:
- Stools that are soft but not quite diarrhea
- More frequent bowel movements
- Occasional vomiting (even if it’s “just bile”)
- Gas that seems worse than usual
- Eating grass more often
- Licking their lips or swallowing frequently
Why it matters:
Digestive issues don’t start as full-blown symptoms. They start as minor disruptions that are easy to dismiss. But what’s happening underneath is inflammation in the gut, changes in the microbiome, or early reactions to food sensitivities.
Left unaddressed, these minor issues progress to chronic digestive disease, nutrient malabsorption, and systemic inflammation that affects the entire body.
What to do:
Start tracking what your dog eats and how their digestion responds. Note patterns. Is it worse after certain proteins? On certain days of the week?
If symptoms persist for more than two weeks, it’s worth investigating further—even if your dog seems fine otherwise.
Learn more about gut health restoration here through TCVM Food Therapy→
3. Energy Level Shifts
What you might notice:
- Slightly less enthusiastic about walks
- Choosing to lie down when they used to follow you around
- Slower to get up from resting
- Less interest in play
- Needing more naps
Why it matters:
Energy changes are easy to attribute to aging. And sometimes, that’s exactly what it is.
But often, decreased energy is your dog’s way of conserving resources because something else is going on. Pain. Inflammation. Nutrient deficiency. Early organ dysfunction.
Dogs are incredibly good at hiding discomfort. By the time they’re limping or obviously in pain, they’ve been managing it for a while. Subtle energy changes are often the first visible sign that something’s wrong.
What to do:
Rule out medical causes first—bloodwork, physical exam, check for pain on palpation. If everything comes back normal but your dog still isn’t themselves, consider whether their diet is providing enough bioavailable nutrition.
Dogs need fuel. If their energy is low, either they’re not getting enough, or something is preventing them from using what they’re getting.
4. Coat and Skin Changes
What you might notice:
- Dull coat when it used to shine
- More shedding than normal
- Dry, flaky skin
- Oily skin or that persistent “doggy smell”
- Small areas of redness or thinning fur
- Excessive licking at paws or body
Why it matters:
Your dog’s skin is their largest organ and a direct reflection of internal health. When something is off inside—poor nutrition, inflammation, hormone imbalance, organ dysfunction—it shows up outside.
These changes are rarely about what you’re putting ON your dog (shampoo, topical treatments). They’re almost always about what’s going ON inside your dog.
What to do:
Before investing in expensive shampoos or topical treatments, investigate:
- Is your dog’s diet providing essential fatty acids?
- Could there be a food sensitivity causing low-grade inflammation?
- Are they able to digest and absorb nutrients properly?
5. Behavior Shifts
What you might notice:
- More anxious or clingy than usual
- Less tolerant of things that didn’t bother them before
- Snapping or growling when they’re normally gentle
- Restlessness or difficulty settling
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Less interested in social interaction
Why it matters:
When behavior changes, we tend to think it’s psychological. Training issue. Stress. Anxiety.
But behavior is often the first sign of physical discomfort. Dogs can’t tell us they don’t feel good. So they show us through changes in how they interact with the world.
Pain, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances all affect behavior. Sometimes dramatically. Sometimes subtly.
What to do:
Before assuming it’s a behavior problem, rule out medical causes. A full physical exam, bloodwork, and potentially imaging if your vet suspects pain.
If medical causes are ruled out, consider the gut-brain connection. An inflamed gut produces inflammatory compounds that affect mood, anxiety, and behavior. Addressing gut health often resolves behavioral issues that seemed purely psychological.
6. Weight Changes (Even Small Ones)
What you might notice:
- Gradual weight loss even though eating habits haven’t changed
- Difficulty maintaining weight
- Loss of muscle mass (you can feel ribs/spine more easily)
- Weight gain despite normal activity and feeding
Why it matters:
Weight changes that happen without changes in diet or exercise are your dog’s body telling you something has shifted internally.
Weight loss can indicate malabsorption, metabolic disease, or early organ dysfunction. Weight gain—especially if accompanied by increased hunger or thirst—can signal hormonal issues like hypothyroidism or Cushing’s disease.
What to do:
Weigh your dog regularly (monthly for adult dogs, weekly for seniors). Small changes are easier to address than significant loss or gain.
If you notice changes, don’t wait to “see if it continues.” Get bloodwork done to rule out metabolic causes, and evaluate whether your dog’s current diet is meeting their needs.
7. Chronic Low-Grade Symptoms That “Come and Go”
What you might notice:
- Ear redness that improves then returns
- Occasional eye discharge
- Intermittent scratching
- On-and-off digestive upset
- Symptoms that seem to cycle without clear triggers
Why it matters:
Symptoms that come and go are often more concerning than symptoms that are constant, because they indicate an underlying issue that your dog’s immune system is trying to manage.
It’s like a check engine light that flickers. Sure, the car is still running. But something’s wrong, and pretending it’s fine won’t make it better.
These cycling symptoms almost always point to:
- Food sensitivities
- Gut inflammation
- Immune system dysfunction
- Chronic low-grade infections
What to do:
Stop thinking of these as separate incidents and start seeing them as a pattern. Track when symptoms flare. What was your dog exposed to? What did they eat? What else was happening?
Often, these patterns reveal triggers that can be addressed—usually through diet and gut health restoration.
Learn about the yeast protocol if symptoms seem infection-related →
“But My Vet Said Everything Is Fine”
This is the frustrating part.
You bring up these concerns at your dog’s annual exam. Your vet does a physical exam. Maybe runs some basic bloodwork. Everything comes back normal.
Your vet says, “Your dog is healthy. This is probably just normal aging / seasonal allergies / nothing to worry about.”
And you leave feeling like maybe you’re being paranoid.
Here’s what you need to understand:
Standard vet visits are designed to catch disease—identifiable, diagnosable conditions that show up on tests.
They’re not designed to catch early warning signs. The in-between stage where something is starting to go wrong but hasn’t progressed far enough to show up on bloodwork yet.
By the time kidney disease shows up on standard bloodwork, your dog has already lost 60-75% of kidney function. By the time liver enzymes are elevated, there’s already significant damage.
Early warning signs exist in the space before disease is diagnosable.
That’s why your observations matter. That’s why you shouldn’t dismiss what you’re noticing just because tests come back normal.
What “Normal” Doesn’t Mean
When your vet says your dog is “fine,” they mean:
- No diagnosable disease at this time
- Bloodwork within normal ranges
- Physical exam doesn’t reveal obvious problems
What they’re NOT saying:
- Your dog is optimal
- Nothing will develop in the future
- The changes you’re noticing aren’t real
There’s a huge difference between “not diseased” and “thriving.”
Your goal shouldn’t be to wait until your dog is sick enough for a diagnosis. Your goal should be to keep your dog thriving—and that means addressing subtle shifts before they become obvious problems.
Trust What You’re Noticing
You know your dog.
You know what’s normal for them and what isn’t. You know when something has shifted, even if it’s subtle.
Don’t talk yourself out of that knowing.
When you notice early warning signs:
- Document them. Keep a log of what you’re seeing, when it happens, and any patterns you notice.
- Advocate for your dog. Bring your concerns to your vet, even if they seem minor. Ask for comprehensive bloodwork, not just basic screening.
- Consider whether diet might be contributing. Many early warning signs are related to nutrition, food sensitivities, or gut health.
- Act before it progresses. It’s always easier to prevent disease than to treat it once it’s established.
Where to Start
If you’re noticing early warning signs and you’re not sure what to do next:
Option 1: Rule Out Medical Causes
Get comprehensive bloodwork. A full chemistry panel, CBC, thyroid panel if indicated, and urinalysis. Don’t accept “everything looks fine” without seeing the actual numbers.
Option 2: Investigate Food as a Factor
Many early warning signs resolve when diet is addressed. Consider:
- Could your dog have developed a sensitivity to their current protein?
- Is their food providing bioavailable nutrition?
- Does their diet match their constitutional needs?
Read: “5 Signs Your Dog’s Health Issues Might Be Diet-Related” →
Option 3: Work With Someone Who Specializes in Prevention
If you want help identifying what your dog needs before minor issues become major problems, book a consultation →.
We’ll look at:
- The patterns you’re seeing
- Your dog’s health history
- Whether diet might be a contributing factor
- A proactive plan to support your dog’s health long-term
The Earlier You Start, the Better the Outcome
I’ll be honest with you: it’s much easier to help a dog at the “something’s not quite right” stage than at the “diagnosed with chronic disease” stage.
When you catch things early, you have so many more options. Diet changes are more effective. The body is more resilient. Recovery happens faster.
When you wait until disease is established, we’re working with a compromised system that takes longer to heal—and sometimes, permanent damage has already occurred.
This doesn’t mean you should panic at every small change.
It means you should pay attention. Trust your observations. And act when your gut tells you something’s off.
Your dog can’t tell you they don’t feel right. They rely on you to notice.
You’re noticing. That’s good. Now do something about it.
Start here: Book a consultation to address early warning signs before they become bigger problems →
Hannah Zulueta obtained her Certificate in Canine Nutrition from CASI Institute. She is also studying for her Doctorate in Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Herbalism from the esteemed Pacific College of Health and Medicine. If you’re as keenly interested in health for yourself, visit her website for human health: Satori Acupuncture and Herbs.
She resides in San Diego with her three dogs, Maggie, Orbit, and Mr. Higgins.
She is available for one on one consultations. She develops evidence-based recipes that meet both NRC and AAFCO nutritional standards while integrating the therapeutic food principles of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine into her formulations.
Additionally, you can find her sharing free content on Instagram.
