If this is your first time owning a dog, it can be difficult to know when you should take your dog to the animal hospital and when you should try to treat your dog by yourself. Here are four times that you should not try to address your dog's issues on your own and should instead take them to the local animal hospital for further assistance.

#1 Bloated Abdomen

If your dog's stomach or abdomen area swells and expands rapidly over the course of a day or even a couple of hours, you need to take your dog to your local animal hospital right away. Your dog's stomach should not visibly grow and expand over the course of a day.

When your dog suddenly presents with a bloated abdomen, that is generally a clear sign that your dog is experiencing internal issues. When your dog's abdomen becomes bloated, their blood flow to the rest of their body may become restricted. You need to have your dog examines right away so the internal issues that is causing their bloated belly can be identified right away. Internal issues are serious, and could lead to life-threatening complications if left untreated.

#2 Making Painful Sounds

If your dog has a sudden change in attitude, and starts whimpering and crying out as if they are in pain, pay attention to what your dog is trying to communicate with you. Even if you can't see anything wrong based on a visual inspection of your dog, you should still take them to the local animal hospital. At the hospital, a vet can do a more in-depth physical to figure out why your dog will not stop crying out. Dog's generally do not act like they are in distress unless they actually are.

#3 Open Wound

If your dog has any open wound, take your dog to the animal hospital right away. An open wound can be anything, a broken bone, a serious burn, or a very deep cut. Oftentimes, with an open wound, there can be more going on than that you might be able to observe. There could be debris in your dog's wound and there could be bacteria that are already present and trying to take hold.

Open wounds need to be properly cleaned and dressed right away by a medical professional.

#4 Seizure

When a dog has a seizure, their entire body will shake and they may lose the ability to stand. Their eyes may roll back in their head so you can only see the whites of their eyes. Your dog may drool excessively from their mouth.

If your see that your dog is having a seizure, try to move all objects away from your dog so that they don't hit anything as their body shakes. When the shaking has stopped, load your dog up into the car and head to your vet for a full check-up. Seizures only occur when something serious is happening to your dog, and your dog could suffer permanent damage if you don't get them the help they need after they suffer from one. 

For more information, consult with a vet, like one form East  Lake Animal Clinic.