Most health problems are easier to treat when they're caught early — and most are visible weeks before they become serious. The problem? Nobody looks. A five-minute weekly check, done consistently, gives you a baseline of what's normal for your dog. That baseline is the most powerful tool you have.
The 5-Minute Checklist
1. Weight (30 seconds)
Weigh your dog at the same time each week. A change of more than 5% in two weeks (about 0.5kg on a 10kg dog) is worth attention — up or down. Weight is the earliest and most objective signal of problems like thyroid issues, diabetes, or simple overfeeding.
2. Body Condition (60 seconds)
Stand over your dog and look down: there should be a visible waist. Now run your hands along the ribs: you should feel them easily under a thin layer of fat. If the ribs are sharp and prominent, your dog is too thin. If you can't feel them at all, they're too heavy. The WSAVA Body Condition Score chart is a great visual reference for this.
3. Stool (30 seconds — every day, really)
Healthy stool is firm, moist, and easy to pick up. Persistent soft stool, mucus, blood, or a sudden smell change can signal digestion trouble, parasites, or food intolerance. One bad day is fine — a pattern of three is a reason to look at the diet.
4. Coat and Skin (60 seconds)
A dull, dry coat and flaky skin often show up before other signs of poor nutrition. Check for bald patches, redness, or excessive scratching and licking — common early clues to allergies. Healthy coat = healthy nutrients being absorbed.
5. Energy and Appetite (60 seconds)
You know your dog's normal. A sudden drop in energy, enthusiasm for walks, or interest in food — lasting more than a day or two — is worth a vet call. This is also the check that catches dental pain, which often shows up first as "picky eating" rather than obvious discomfort.
Know Your Dog's Normal Numbers
Once, at a quiet moment, measure and write these down. They become your reference range for life:
❤️ Resting heart rate: small dogs ~90–140 bpm, large dogs ~60–100 bpm
🌡️ Temperature: 38.0–39.2°C (100.4–102.5°F)
🫁 Resting breathing: 10–30 breaths per minute
💧 Water intake: roughly 40–60 ml per kg per day (varies with activity and weather)
When to Call the Vet
Call if you see any of these: no appetite for more than 24 hours, vomiting or diarrhea for more than a day, difficulty breathing, sudden weakness or collapse, straining to urinate, or any rapid change in the weekly numbers above. When in doubt, call — a phone call is cheap, and it builds the vet relationship that pays off for your dog's whole life.
References
WSAVA Body Condition Score charts (wsava.org). · PetMD, healthy weight & vital signs references (petmd.com). · AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines (2019).
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