Sick as a Dog

Summary
When Pal gets sick, Arthur refuses to believe it has anything to do with all the candy he's been feeding the dog and blames D.W. instead.

Plot
After Arthur does some playful commands to Pal, he explains to the viewers that Pal has learned many things such as how to not slip out of his collar during a walk. He remembers the time during a walk where Pal had tried to get in touch with another dog but had run backwards and slipped out of his collar. Arthur had called out for Pal to stop but Pal didn't until both he and Arthur found a guard dog that eventually chased after them. Arthur then explains that Pal has learned that David's garden hose is not a chewing toy. Arthur scolds Pal for chewing on it and tries fixing it on his own. When David starts it up, water gushes out of the teeth marks and sprays into his face.

Sick as a Dog

One morning at breakfast, Arthur is feeding a few bites of his pancakes to Pal. Jane explains to Arthur that he has his own food. For the rest of the morning, Arthur goes to his treehouse with Pal to read a book. He asks if Pal was done with the page he was reading, and Pal barks, which Arthur takes as an agreement. Arthur offers Pal some jelly worms that were from his Halloween candy bag. Arthur explains the chewing of gummy candy to Pal and then Arthur throws gummy balls into both their mouths.

At lunch, Jane wants to warn Arthur about feeding to Pal. However, she does not. D.W. asks for Arthur to hear a joke. However, after she says "Knock, knock!", Pal takes hold of D.W.'s food. Arthur tries to command Pal to stop, but Pal and D.W. still continue tug-of-war over her food, causing D.W. to fall backward. Pal also only eats the hot dog as well. D.W. complains about Pal and wants to teach him a lesson.

As Arthur is in his room playing with his toys, he finds Pal not looking so well. He is lying down on his side, groaning. He explains the troubles to his mom and dad, who advise Arthur to let Pal rest. He may have to go to the vet if he isn't feeling better at all after his nap. The news spreads to his friends. Francine tells Arthur that her chameleon fled from the vet after climbing up on the wall and into a vent, through the grills, leaving him as a stray (NOTE: Francine's Aunt's Chameleon ran past by in the foreground). Buster then explains to Arthur that Pal cannot mutate colors or slide into a vent like the chameleon. Brain tells Arthur that the vet will find out what Pal's symptoms are. He explains to Arthur that vets know how to talk to pets. In an imaginary appointment, Pal tells the vet that his tongue hangs out and he starts to groan. He assumes that he should perform surgery. He turns on a saw that frightens Pal.

Buster tells Arthur that Pal may not need to go to the vet if he feels better immediately. Arthur agrees. Arthur sees an ill Pal who refuses to go for a walk. Arthur explains to David that it's Pal's favorite thing. D.W. thinks chewing on the hose was his favorite thing (which was not true). Arthur then gets worried what would happen next.

David and Arthur decide to go to the vet, and Pal is ushered to the doctor. Sue Ellen explains to Arthur that her snail (who is also groaning) is sluggish. David explains to Arthur that Pal will have to stay at the vet overnight. Arthur sadly tells Pal that he'll be fine. He assumes that he's allergic to something which David agrees. At dinner, Arthur is still in a bad mood and he hardly even eats his food. D.W. thinks of getting a new dog, which makes Arthur annoyed. While Arthur is in the living room, D.W. apologizes to Arthur for annoying him at the dinner table. She wonders how Arthur is feeling. She then explains that she had the same bad mood when her bird died, hoping this would help, but it just makes Arthur cry.

At school, Brain explains to Arthur that the vet may explain what Pal's symptoms really are and that Pal will be sent home on the following day. Buster and Francine agree. Arthur reckons the cause of the symptoms were done by D.W. Francine and Buster are shocked to hear this and they threaten to punish her. Brain decides to put her on trial.

Later that day, Arthur, D.W., and his friends decide to play "courtroom", where Brain poses as the judge, Francine, the lawyer, Buster, the jury, D.W. the defendant, and Arthur, the plaintiff. Brain accuses D.W. of making Pal sick. He tells D.W. to explain how she made Pal sick. D.W. gets defensive, and Buster assumes that D.W. is an alien replicant to take over dogs in an attempt to make way for an invasion because dogs would be able to tell who is an alien and who is not. Brain decides to plead D.W. guilty and Francine demands the proof and says D.W. may have to remain innocent unless she actually is guilty. D.W. decides to quit, but Arthur reckons he knows that she actually did it and tells her that he'll find what really happened to Pal. Buster then tells Arthur under his breath that she's an alien.

That night, Arthur has a dream - several guard dogs surround Pal in an animal control place where D.W. arrives just in time to open the cage for Pal to get out. Arthur answers the phone at home where he only hears Pal over the phone. The vet is tied up and other dogs flee from the vet. The snake uses the saw to break open the window's bars for the dog to allow Pal to get out of the vet. Arthur runs quickly to the scene and the vet tells them that the dogs are missing. Arthur realizes that Pal is missing and tries to call for Pal. Cut back to the present time, Arthur gets up turns on the light and notices that Pal doesn't know the Reads' home phone number.

As Arthur returns to the vet, he goes to Pal who seems to feel better. However, the vet explains to Arthur that Pal is still slightly queasy and finally reveals his symptoms - Pal has gorged on a tremendous amount of food that he is not supposed to eat - and then asks what Pal had eaten the previous day. Arthur explains the foods Pal ate. The vet gives Arthur a book what dogs should really eat. He states that if Arthur actually did the same manner, his stomach would have to be checked as well.

While Kate, D.W., and Jane are outside, Arthur spreads the news to them. He explains the differences of stomachs between humans and dogs. Arthur apologizes to D.W. for blaming her, who agrees. He explains to her that he will try to convince Buster that she is actually not an alien and will realize that he actually made the dog sick by mistake. However, D.W. had still planned to teach Pal a lesson.

D.W. then shows a dog training book that was rented from the library and makes Arthur read it to her. D.W. will then try to stop Pal from eating foods he shouldn't eat, in order to be able to the things dogs should do in the right-of-way. When all the training has been done, D.W. states to Arthur that she may have a dog similar to Pal that she wants so much in her life.

Main characters

 * Arthur Read
 * Pal
 * D.W. Read

Minor characters

 * David Read
 * Jane Read
 * Buster Baxter
 * Francine Frensky
 * Alan Powers
 * Francine's aunt's chameleon (debut)
 * Veterinarian (debut)
 * Unknown Male Adult Rabbit (Number 9) (speaking debut)
 * Victoria
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Lucy
 * Kate Read

Background characters

 * Mrs. Bickles
 * John
 * Police officer (fantasy)

Mentioned

 * Spanky

Trivia

 * This is the first time Pal talks, although it was Arthur's voice, and in his imagination.
 * This is one of the episodes that focus on health. The others being Operation D.W., Arthur's Knee, Arthur's Chicken Pox, Buster's Breathless, and Binky Goes Nuts.
 * This is one of the few episodes to show Arthur crying.

Errors

 * In the first shot of Arthur talking to Francine, Buster and Brain, Francine has no hair, but in the next shot she does.
 * When the Doctor takes Pal (whose feeling better) out to Arthur, Pal has his leash on, but when Arthur picks Pal up, Pal doesn't have his leash on, then when Arthur puts Pal down, Pal has his leash on again.
 * At about 1 minute and 48 seconds, Pal's eyes change for a split second when he barks.

Home video
VHS:
 * Arthur's Tooth

DVD:
 * Hooray for Health
 * Arthur's Tooth
 * Arthur: The Complete Series One