When should I take my puppy to the vet immediately?

Repeated vomiting or diarrhoea, blood in either, not eating or drinking for 12+ hours, a bloated or painful abdomen, breathing difficulty, pale or blue gums, collapse or seizure, suspected poisoning, a swallowed object, or any trauma. Do not wait for morning.

Will Puppy AI diagnose my puppy's symptoms?

No. Medical questions route to a vet referral by design. The app does not triage symptoms or suggest what is wrong.

What behaviour problems need a professional rather than an app?

Any bite that broke skin, resource guarding, genuine separation anxiety, worsening fear, aggression toward people or dogs, and any sudden unexplained behaviour change — that last one warrants a vet first, since pain often presents as behaviour.

Does Puppy AI recommend shock collars or dominance training?

No. Guidance is force-free and reward-based, consistent with the position of the major veterinary behaviour bodies. Aversive tools and dominance framing are out of scope by design.

How do I show my vet what has been happening?

Export the log. Puppy AI writes your full history to CSV or Excel, which is usually faster and more accurate than describing the week from memory.

Puppy Red Flags — and Puppy AI's Escalation Rules

The symptoms and behaviours that always mean a vet or a certified trainer — never an app. Puppy AI's escalation rules, published in full.

Quick Answer

Some things are never an app's job. If your puppy shows any of the signs below, stop reading and call a vet — today, or an emergency clinic tonight. Puppy AI enforces the same rule from the other side: these topics route you out of the app rather than getting an answer inside it.

This page is published in full so you can check what those rules are without taking anyone's word for it.

Emergency — Call a Vet Now

Do not wait until morning, and do not ask an app first:

Repeated vomiting or diarrhoea, especially with blood, or lasting more than about 12 hours in a puppy under 6 months. Puppies dehydrate fast.
Not eating or drinking for 12+ hours, or sudden lethargy you cannot rouse them from.
A bloated, hard or painful abdomen.
Difficulty breathing, persistent coughing, or blue/grey gums.
Collapse, seizure, or sudden loss of coordination.
Suspected poisoning — chocolate, xylitol, grapes or raisins, antifreeze, human medication, rodent bait. Call immediately; do not wait for symptoms.
Swallowed a foreign object — sock, toy fragment, corn cob, string.
Any trauma — a fall, a car, a bite from another dog — even if they seem fine afterwards.
Straining to urinate with nothing coming out.
Pale gums. Press a gum; colour should return in under two seconds.

Same-Week Vet Visit

Not an emergency, but not an app question either:

Persistent scratching, head shaking, or ear odour.
Limping that lasts more than a day, or any limp in a very young puppy.
Eye discharge, squinting, or cloudiness.
Weight not increasing week over week.
Coughing, sneezing, or nasal discharge that is not clearing.
Any lump, swelling, or skin change.
Worms visible in stool, or persistently loose stool.
Missed or overdue vaccinations.

Certified Trainer or Veterinary Behaviourist

Behaviour, not medicine — and equally not an app's job:

Any bite that broke skin, on a person or another animal.
Growling, snapping or freezing over food, toys or resting places — resource guarding escalates if handled wrong, and the wrong handling is intuitive.
Genuine separation anxiety: panic when alone that persists beyond a couple of weeks of consistent routine, with drooling, self-injury or frantic escape attempts. This is different from ordinary night distress — the distinction is spelled out here.
Fear that is getting worse rather than better with gentle exposure.
Aggression toward people or dogs, in any form, at any age.
Sudden behaviour change with no obvious cause — this warrants a vet first, since pain presents as behaviour.

How Puppy AI Enforces This

Symptoms route out. Describe something medical and the answer is a vet referral, not a differential. The app does not attempt triage.
No medication or dosage guidance, under any phrasing.
Serious behaviour cases route to a human. Bites, guarding, fear and aggression get a referral to a certified trainer or veterinary behaviourist, not a training plan.
No aversive methods. Guidance is force-free and reward-based, in line with the position of the major veterinary behaviour bodies. Shock and prong collars, alpha rolls, scruffing and dominance framing are out of scope by design.
The log is the evidence. When you do see a vet or trainer, the full history exports to CSV or Excel, so the conversation starts from data rather than recollection.

Why Publish This At All

Because the useful version of "AI safety" in a consumer app is not a disclaimer at the bottom of a page — it is a specific, checkable list of the things the product refuses to do. Anyone can claim to be responsible. This is the list you can hold us to.

If you think something on it is wrong, or something is missing, say so and it gets fixed.

When in Doubt

Call the vet. A consultation you did not strictly need costs money. The other error costs considerably more, and puppies deteriorate faster than adult dogs — a puppy that is "a bit off" in the morning can be genuinely unwell by evening.

This page is general information about when to seek professional help. It is not veterinary advice and is not a substitute for examining your actual puppy.