Adopting dog as a pet, and getting his faithful companionship is one of the best feeling in this world. However, protecting them from different diseases and threats can be a difficult job. Sometimes, even after much care, some threats can hardly be avoided.
Although before adopting a pet, the owner barely thinks about the diseases which their pet can get attacked by. But still, as an animal guardian, you must know how you can save them from these different maladies.
If you have adopted a dog, and fearful of the diseases that can attack them, here is a list of some dog diseases and symptoms which you must know about. Moreover, also learn the right ways to prevent them and keep your companion hale and hearty.
Is your dog behaving differently from the usual? Is something bothering you about your dog’s health, but don’t know exactly what is it? Don’t worry, read this article to explore some common Dog Diseases and their associated symptoms.
Pets can not express their feelings to humans, but they show signs telling us about their health conditions and different dog illnesses. So, let’s learn about some of the conditions that may be warning signs for you and take precautionary steps before the situation worsens.
The energy level of your pet is getting low.
Your pet is losing weight, or you are observing a decreased appetite.
They are showing continuous and excessive thirst and urinating more than usual.
Your pet dog has whooping cough or vomiting.
Their skin color or odor is changing, or they are feeling itchiness.
They are behaving like feeling pain in any body part or difficulty eating or walking.
Showing signs of Diarrhea.
These conditions may show that your pet dog’s or canine’s health is collapsing, and you need to do something about it on time.
Dog skin disorders or infections are mostly easier to discern. Skin infections among dogs can be in the form of allergies, which can be caused by grass, food, or environmental factors.
Some allergies or skin infections can be highly contagious and infect other animals and humans. They can take any form, like dry skin, hot spots, mange caused by the mites or parasites, Pyoderma, etc. Some dogs may experience ringworm caused by fungi infecting any body part, mostly affecting the feet.
Symptoms
The symptoms of skin diseases are mostly identical and can hardly be distinguished from other kinds of allergies. However, some common causes of these infections can still be identified through proper observation.
In some cases of allergies and skin diseases, your pet dog may show symptoms like hair fall, irritation, stale odor from the skin, skin itchiness, skin redness, etc. The causes of such symptoms can be identified by closely examining the hair and skin condition of the dog.
Causes and treatment
Some common causes of these skin diseases include a low immune system, exposure to a contagious environment, fleabites, excessive parasites, malnutrition, etc. Sometimes, dogs carry the infection or bacteria from the places where they sit, and sometimes, they carry bacteria from the eatables that they take.
The treatments for these skin diseases depend on the dog’s infection. For conditions like Mange and Pyoderma, doctors recommend certain antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, or dog shampoos and sprays, which might reduce the risky symptoms.
Similarly, doctors may recommend antibiotics or antifungal medications for diseases including ringworm or flea allergy.
Along with the medications and prescriptions by the veterinarian, you must take care of your pet dog, providing it with a clean environment, healthy and low-allergen food, and properly taking care of its hygiene.
Ear disease or Infection
Ear infections are highly irritating for dogs. They are caused by bacteria growth in the ear, which can be highly painful and itchy.
Secondly, dog ear diseases might include infections caused by ear mites, which cause inflammation and irritation within the ear. Thirdly, these include Aural hematoma, which makes blister in the ear, which gets bigger, red, and hotter with every passing day.
Symptoms
The symptoms of ear diseases include severe pain or itchiness inside the ear, swollen ears, excessive discharge or blood from the ears, etc. This irritation in the dog’s ear can make the dog feel dizzy, lose balance, or shake its head excessively.
Treatment
Treating ear infections in dogs is usually the same, including cleaning the ear from the inside, fur clipping, and giving the dog anti-fungi medications and antiallergics. However, application of any irritating medicines should be avoided.
Damaging cartilage in dogs’ hip or joint bones causes arthritis, which worsens over time if not treated properly. It is the most common kind of disease among dogs, which can be highly painful and cause stiffness and discomfort for the dog.
Symptoms
The symptoms of Arthritis include tiredness or difficulty walking or running without even walking for long. Your dog might have trouble sitting or getting up from its place. More symptoms include resistance to walking and jumping, swollen legs or joints, and unusually raising the leg while standing.
Treatment
The basic treatment for Arthritis includes proper therapy and massage, which may ease the discomfort for the dog. Moreover, your veterinarian may prescribe some joint supplements or steroids, too.
Periodontitis or Oral Infection
Although your dog’s teeth look white and healthy from the outside, they may have periodontitis disease, especially if they are above the age of 3. Studies show that most dogs worldwide get affected by this disease, and it worsens with time.
Secondly, the dogs may get plaque, which lays down a slime-like material over their teeth and changes their color and odor. Moreover, common oral diseases include tooth loss, gum infection, erosion etc.
Some basic symptoms include irregular eating, irritating behavior, bleeding or swollen gums, excessive drooling, and tooth loss. Moreover, it can also cause weight loss or low energy because of pain.
Treatment
Treating dog oral diseases includes cleaning by a technical and professional veterinarian. They may inspect through x-rays and prescribe antiseptics and antibiotics, etc. Furthermore, they can also monitor via anesthesia, leading to dental surgeries.
Eye infections
The eyes are the most sensitive part of a human or animal’s face. It can get infected easily when exposed to dirt or infectious items. Dogs can easily get squinting because of tumors or because of infections.
Similarly, they can also get Cataract disease, which worsens over time if not treated. It can be contagious and cause blindness and cloudiness in the eye, leading to impaired vision.
Furthermore, dogs can get attacked by Glaucoma disease, which damages the nerve at the back of the eye. It can also cause blindness or blurriness in dogs.
Symptoms
Common symptoms include squinting, excessive discharge from eyes, redness of eyes, excessive flow of tears, or crust on the corners of the dog’s eyes.
Treatment
Most bacterial infections can be treated by using antibiotics and eye drops. At the same time, other eye infections and diseases can be treated using saline water, antiallergic medications, and anti-histamine.
Contamination and dirt can never stop a dog from getting diseases and being brutally attacked by viruses. Canine Parvovirus is a deadly and contagious virus that can attack any dog, especially unvaccinated dogs. It is a gastrointestinal tract infection that causes devastating effects on dogs.
Dogs can carry this virus by contacting infectious dogs, contaminated excrements, and infected places or humans. It does not affect other dogs or animals but can infect humans and the environment. If left untreated, it can cause mortality or get worse with time.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of Canine Parvovirus among dogs include bleeding, bloody diarrhea, excessive and severe vomiting, sluggishness, loss of appetite, and severe abdominal pains.
Treatment
The treatment of Canine parvovirus includes careful inspection of the dog’s electrolytes. The treatments involve treating the dehydration problem and electrolyte imbalances, along with giving antibiotics, including the formula (enrofloxacin).
Parasite Infection
Parasites disturb your pet companions the most and can be internal or external. The external ones bite the skin, get embedded, or provide discomfort to the skin, and can cause scabies and mange among dogs. These include ticks, flies, mites, lice, etc.
At the same time, internal parasites are present in the blood or tissues of dogs. These include roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms, etc.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of external parasites include rashness, scratching, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. It can cause nausea, aches, laziness, bloating, etc.
Treatment
The treatment of parasites at home is cleanliness, injecting vaccinations and antifungals. Moreover, it can be followed by antibiotics and antiparasitic.
As an important organ in humans and animals, the pancreas helps digest food. Pancreas inflammation or improper working can lead to many complications. Pancreatitis infection is also common among pet dogs and results from improper working of the pancreas that can spill the enzymes to enter the abdomen, damaging the liver, intestines, and ducts.
Dogs can get this disease by carrying a virus or infection from the environment. Now the question arises: Is pancreatitis contagious in dogs? The answer is no. It cannot infect dogs or animals who come in contact with the infectious dog, but they can also carry it if they live in the same environment.
Symptoms
The attack of pancreatitis can be identified by looking at the symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, bleeding, abdominal pain, and lethargy. During this attack, the dogs keep their prayer position because of the pain they feel in the abdomen.
However, in case the dog gets severely attacked by it, it can cause acute depression and can lead to death.
Treatment
The treatment of pancreatitis among dogs depends on the severity of the disease and the period of the disease. If it’s the initial stage, the treatment can be effectively done through therapy and self-healing.
However, if the attack is severe, the dog gets hospitalized and is monitored carefully. They are also given medications and hypodermic fluids.
Diarrhea or Kidney infections caused by Poisoning
Diarrhea is one of the most common forms of dog disease, which can either occur on its own or be caused by other diseases or infections.
Along with being caused by all the diseases mentioned above, it can also be caused by food intolerance or allergy to certain foods. Kidney problems in pet dogs can also cause it.
Symptoms
Diarrhea can be identified by observing behavioral changes in dogs. The dog may face low appetite issues, nausea, watery stool, bloody spotting, etc.
Treatment
It can be treated at home by offering the dogs soft food and a bland diet. Special care should be given to balance electrolytes. In case of severe symptoms, they must immediately be admitted to hospital.
Canine influenza
The canine influenza virus, among dogs, is a contiguous virus linked to respiratory disease in dogs. It can infect other dogs and animals through kennel cough, which leaves the water droplets in the environment.
Moreover, it can infect others through saliva left on water or food. It can cause discomfort in the dogs, but it’s not life-threatening or hard to treat.
Symptoms
The symptoms of canine influenza are similar to influenza among humans. It includes runny nose, cough, flu, fever, and mouth discharge.
Treatment
The treatment for canine influenza includes giving a healthy diet to keep their immunity strong. While considering preventing dog illnesses, one should know that dog vaccination should never be missed at any cost. Moreover, it can be treated by giving antibiotics to the dogs.
Being the guardian of the pet dog, one should be aware of the dog’s diseases and symptoms in advance to provide the pet companion with a healthy life ahead.
However, some diseases or infections are hard to avoid, affecting our furry creatures’ overall quality of life. Regardless of any illness or symptom, as a guardian, we must know about some of the most important holistic dog care tips, which help us protect our loving pets from the dangers and prevent dog illnesses.
Always remember the dog vaccination schedule, and never miss any vaccinations. It can make their immunity weaker in fighting diseases and infections.
Never take any signs of health issues in dogs for granted. Treat symptoms on time.
Avoid the feeds that are contagious or are chemically processed. Make yourself educated about the dog’s nutritional demands.
Treat skin diseases or wounds with special care using organic products first to avoid worsening conditions.
Provide special care to the dogs’ oral health.
Prevent your dog from environmental poisoning and toxins. You must take good care of their cleanliness, feeding habits, and environment.
Keep in touch with vet, and take advice for treating any alarming symptoms they may have.
Conclusion
Pet animals are a source of happiness for every pet owner. They do not only provide the best company for their loving guardians, but at the same time, they also demand care and affection.
This care can be provided to them by taking care of their health. This article lists the top ten common diseases among dogs, their symptoms, and the possible treatments. It will help the pet parents understand some of the diseases and infections that might be bothering their pet animals.
