Decompensation

Decompensation is what happens when a dog can’t hide that they feel sick anymore. Sometimes dogs are very stoic and “compensate” for their feeling ill by trying hard to act normally. When their symptoms get too severe, however, they can no longer keep compensating, and suddenly become very sick. This is why dogs sometimes seem to “get sick overnight.” It’s not that they are suddenly ill, it’s that they have finally decompensated.