There are various medical problems that mimics behavioral changes in dogs and it becomes difficult for the pet parents to figure it out. Most of the times when pets are taken to a vet for check up they pretend to behave as normal as they can, so it becomes essential for the owners to observe their pets very closely. Some of the common behavioral changes which requires immediate action are:

  • Aggression/Calmness/Panic/Fear: Suddenly if your pet becomes aggressive or just sits alone in one corner of the room and avoids interacting with you then he needs an expert advice as it could be due to an unfortunate incident like encounter with a aggressive dog or due to an unbearable pain.


  • Vocalization: changes in howling or barking patterns can be as simple as sour throat or can be as serious as Rabies infection, laryngitis, etc.
  • Social behavior: Usually dogs are part and parcel of a family and they prove the same by their love and affection but when he starts behaving unusual and wants to stay in his own space, that calls for attention.
  • Feeding & excreting disturbances: if your pet has inappropriate eating patterns and you notice changes in stool or urine like its frequency, color and excreting in undesired locations or the like, it can be a systemic error like gastric problems, anal gland problems, urinary tract infections, stones in urinary passage or any cancerous state.
  • Gait changes: these are very difficult to make out if not observed keenly and any sort of limping or inability to put weight on leg/legs than it could be accidental injury, general weakness, parasitic infection or arthritis which could be alarming.

  • Water uptake: any increased or decreased water intake can be seasonal or due to hormonal problems which needs to examined. 
  • Excessive grooming/licking/scratching: this can be due to parasitism, anal gland disorders, allergies, skin infection or the like which can be serious.

  • Sleeping patterns: many a times your dog must be having disturbed sleeping patterns which may be due to systemic pain, hormonal problems, allergies or any sort of irritation, etc.