Kennel Cough (Infectious Tracheobronchitis of dogs)

Kennel cough is caused by viruses and bacteria that cause inflammation of the upper airways. Kennel cough is extremely contagious, and are most often caught in veterinary hospitals, dog kennels, or parks. Environmental stresses from moving to a new environment can make your dog more susceptible to contracting this virus.  Left untreated in young puppies, seniors, and sick dogs, kennel cough can progress to a more serious and even fatal form of the virus.

Symptoms:

Most common symptoms include:

• dry coughing
• retching and gagging
• some loss of appetite

More severe symptoms include:

• Fever
• Pus-containing nasal discharge
• Depression
• Loss of appetite
• Productive cough

Treatment:

A veterinarian may prescribe a cough suppressant if coughing is severe. Symptoms should subside within a week and clear up on their own within 3 weeks. If conditions continue or worsen veterinary care is necessary. There are a variety of different viruses and bacteria that can be responsible for kennel cough. Getting vaccines such as Distemper, Parainfluenza and Bordtella can help prevent kennel cough.

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Chronic Kidney Disease or Kidney Failure:

The kidney is responsible for filtering waste from the blood. When the kidney is not function correctly or to its full ability then waste can build up within the body and cause life threatening damage to the body. Chronic kidney disease in dogs is most often a result from an inherited predisposition and old age.

There are 4 stages that classify the severity of kidney disease:

Stage I:
• No significant signs, but can be determined by a lab test
Stage II & III: The earliest signs include:
• Excessive thirst
• Urination
Stage IV symptoms include:
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Dehydration
• Sores in the mouth
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

Diagnosis:

Kidney disease is most commonly diagnosed during the later stages from the lack of visible symptoms. The most common way to diagnoses is a urine or blood test, but can also be determined by x-rays and sonograms.

Treatment:

Kidney disease usually results in scarring of the kidneys and cannot be stopped but it can be slowed down through treatment. Your veterinarian will suggest a special diet, medication, and regular visits for testing. Supplements such as fish oil and vitamins are may also be recommended.

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Every dog licks itself; and usually everything else too! However, what if that licking is confined repeatedly to a specific area or becomes excessive? Then your dog may have a health problem that is causing him/her to behave this way. That problem may be physical or it may in fact be psychological. Many dogs tend to lick themselves as a comfort mechanism and may do so more often when afraid or stressed. However, if the licking doesn’t pacify the dog, he/she may take this further and begin to gnaw at its paws or legs, causing any number of other problems.

Licking is most often simply a natural reaction to some circumstances, for instance, a bitch will lick her puppies seemingly obsessively in order to keep them clean. It’s also to stimulate their breathing and to make them pass feces and urine when they are newborn. All dogs tend to lick themselves to keep clean too but when this behavior becomes noticeably exacerbated, it could indicate some condition is present such as dermatitis or indicate the presence of mites for example.

Some people believe that behavior training will correct the problem of excessive unwarranted licking, but the majority of people agree that punishment is not the answer; rather, finding out why your dog is exhibiting this behavior is more likely to enable you to put a stop to it. Rewarding your dog for not licking something may take time and it could be a while before the dog understands the association between not licking and the reward, but some of the more intelligent breeds of dogs respond to this type of behavioral training quite quickly.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, some dogs actually self-mutilate in response to stress or psychological problems, and this can manifest in excessive licking, biting or scratching of the dog’s limbs or tail. Acral lick dermatitis’ is the term used to describe repetitive, compulsive licking that leads to skin or coat damage, infections and lesions on the limbs or paws. Other dogs may compulsively chase their tails which, while it may be amusing at first, can become destructive and the dog may bite their tail so severely that it is damaged.

If you notice that some skin problems are resulting from excessive licking, you should always contact your veterinarian for advice. Many dogs will lick one particular spot until it’s completely bald, but you should seek medical treatment well before the situation is that advanced. It’s most likely that the dog has some skin condition that is causing it itching or discomfort, and in that case, parasitic infection is the likeliest cause. Early treatment is vital to contain the spread of the infection and to ease the discomfort and irritation.

It’s also important to differentiate between licking and retching. It can sometimes be difficult to spot the difference if the dog is trying to dislodge some obstruction in its mouth or throat by gagging’. Almost anything can become lodged behind or between a dog’s teeth and repeatedly replicating a licking motion may be the animal’s way of demonstrating the presence of some foreign body. Again, always seek medical advice if excessive licking becomes problematic or causes distress.

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Hip dysplasia is a degenerating join disease though to be genetic, and is more often found among larger breeds. High risk breeds include: German Shepard’s, Golden Retrievers, Great Danes, Labrador Retrievers, Saint Bernard’s and Rottweiler’s.

Symptoms

• Stiffness
• Limping/hoping
• Loss of muscle tone

Diagnosis

Hip Dysplasia requires x-rays and a physical exam preformed by a veterinarian. There are other causes that often masquerade as hip dysplasia, the most common being a ruptured ACL ligament.

Treatment

There are several options for treatment, but all include surgery. The two most common procedures are:

1. Triple Pelvic Ostetomy (TPO): Usually preformed on dogs less than 10 months old.
2. Total Hip Replacement: Removal of effected joint and replacement with prosthesis

There is other at home care that can accompany surgery repair:

Weight: Keeping your dog at a healthy and lean weight will reduce unnecessary strain on the joint.

Exercise: Moderate/controlled exercise will keep the muscles strong, helping stabilize the joint. Most helpful exercises are swimming and slow walks making sure the leg is being used.

Supplements:

• Glucosamine
• Chondroitin
• Ester-C (studies have shown using Ester-C can be beneficial)
• Buffered Aspirin
• Omega-3 fatty acids

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Why is my dog panting so much?

Panting is a natural part of a dog’s internal cooling system, however, if your dog pants unusually rapidly or for prolonged periods with no obvious cause, there can be many reasons for this. Obviously, if it’s a very hot day and the dog is too warm, it is going to pant but most dog owners recognize when their dog’s panting changes in pattern and this can be an indication that the dog is sick.

Most healthy dogs breathe around 15 to 20 times per minute, though of course this varies from breed to breed. If your dog starts to breathe more heavily than this, and hasn’t recently exerted itself or something similar, then again, this may be cause for concern. Some of the more serious illnesses that can cause excessive breathing and panting are dehydration, sun or heat stroke, anemia, unexplained pain or hemorrhaging internally.

Other causes include worms  such as heartworm or lungworm  and as with the conditions above, these need medical attention and depending upon the severity of the dog’s condition, urgent veterinary care may be warranted. Alternatively, being severely overweight may be the cause of the animal’s panting. Just like humans, a dog who is carrying too much weight will struggle when it’s too hot or is under any stress.

Panting may also be an indication of heart and/or lung disorders, as well as many other conditions so again, a visit to your veterinarian is the best thing to do if you’re worried. You should take note too of other symptoms that may accompany the panting, such as excessive salivation or any unusual sounds from the chest or throat of your dog. Wheezing or coughing in association with panting may indicate some thoracic disorder also.

One of the other confusing conditions that may cause a dog to pant hard is canine stroke, though this is quite rare. In addition to panting, the dog may have difficulty balancing or may turn the wrong way when you call him/her. The animal may show signs of excessive lethargy or may experience sudden changes in behavior. Only your veterinarian will be able to affirmatively diagnose canine stroke, so as always, if you’re in any doubt as to whether your dog’s behavior or symptoms are abnormal, medical attention is the best way to establish what’s going on with your dog.

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You pet dog is your best friend. You do not want anyone to harm him. As much as possible you want to keep him safe, secure and healthy. You want to keep him from acquiring diseases. It is crucial that before your dog suffers from pain or any health problems, you should be knowledgeable enough to assess and identify dog illnesses symptoms that can be present.

Just like a human being, or any other animals on earth, dogs also suffer from illnesses that can either be acute or chronic. Some of these infirmities can cause mild effects on your beloved pet, but there are those that can take your dog’s life in an instant.

The following are common dog illnesses symptoms that should alert you to bring your dog in the nearest pet hospital or veterinary clinic for proper treatment.

For Digestive disorders: To know if your dog is suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal system, the common sign would almost certainly be vomiting and diarrhea. These indicate that he may be suffering from parasitic infection in his intestinal track, like tapeworms, and hookworms, or he may have eaten a poisonous or undesirable kind of food. Moreover, his stool will smell obnoxiously, and he will be impassive in eating his meal.

In addition, if there will be any obstruction in the passage of food or feces, your dog may experience pain, irritability, and difficulty in defecation.

For Respiratory disorders: If your pet dog is sneezing, coughing, drooling or having a difficulty in breathing, he may be suffering some chronic respiratory disorders such as an airway obstruction or respiratory infection. He can also have a runny and itchy nose.

For Urinary disorders: The two most common diseases that your dog can suffer due to genitourinary system are urinary tract infection, and cancer or tumor growth. The symptoms will include difficulty or painful urination, scanty or poor urine output, or worst, a blood-tinged urine.

For Neurological disorders: Dogs also undergo problems in their neurological system. And if this happen, symptoms are irritability, decrease in activity performance, weakness, mood and labile changes, as well as disorientation and lethargy.

For Skin disorders: A healthy dog shows off a radiant and shiny coat. But if your dog has problems on hair and skin nutrition, you may notice scaly skin, presence of mites and ticks, dry skin, and appearance of nodules, abnormal growths or bruises.

For Ear disorders: The usually symptoms of any alteration in the ears is a foul smell inside or around the ear area. There are also discharges present, and sometimes an existing infection or inflammation can be noted.

For Eye disorders: If your dog suffers from any diseases that involve his eyes, the most common sign can be discharges near the lachrymal sac, or teary eyes. Sometimes there is a formation of a cloudy white substance at the lenses or at the center of the eye.

These are only some of the general and common dog illnesses symptoms regularly observed. If you want to know the specific symptoms of an illness, it is advisable that you should visit the veterinarian, so that proper assessment, diagnosis, and treatment can be provided to your pet.

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Signs of ill health are actually the most significant signs of your dog’s health status. For instance, if your dog has nasal discharge continuously it signifies that your dog has nasal congestion and if the discharge of your dog is thick, the dog usually has pneumonia in such cases.

If your dog vomits once or twice occasionally then there is nothing to be considered seriously, but if it vomits frequently then you should take this as a serious matter and conduct immediate examine of your dog.

If your dog is undergoing frequent itching then one should firstly check up your dog by observing closely and then conduct skin test examination by separating their hair material, particular if they are long haired breeds. There are also the chances to you for arriving across the numerous lice or ticks on the skin that may appear apparently normal from the distance.

It doesn’t matter a lot if your dog passes the loose urine once or twice, but if this case is noticed in frequent manner, you should take an immediate step to solve this problem. In most of such cases, the dogs are suffered from the bowel disorders. Moreover, if your dog doesn’t passes stool at least once even after 2 to 3 days, then you can assume that your dog is undergoing digestive upsets and it’d be better to consult any animal physician regarding that issue.

Keep the patience and observe the walking movement of your dog because you can even find out the abnormal movements, if any. For example, if your dog is limping, then it may have the foot lesions. Likewise, if your dog is aged and has reluctant walking and intake less feed but release continuous vomiting, then there are maximum chances of being suffered with the acute renal disorders such as nephritis.

If the whiteness is noticed in your dog’s eyes, then your dog can be suffered with the severe diseases like trypanasomosis. Additionally, they may be suffered with wall white color, if they become anemic and the paleness appears in the eyes’ mucous membrane.

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Why is my dog shaking?

Shaking in a dog can have many causes ranging from the animal simply being cold or wet to being symptomatic of underlying illness. It depends too on what part of the animal is shaking, for instance, if the dog shakes its head vigorously and repeatedly, there could be some mite infestation in its ears. If its rear-end shakes seemingly independently of the rest of the body, it could be that the dog is experiencing some kidney/liver disorder or has a compression to an area of its spine. Similarly, there could be some narrowing of the vertebra; only your veterinarian can confirm diagnosis in these cases, so always seek medical treatment if these symptoms present themselves.

In addition to parasitic or bacterial infections, head shaking may be indicative of an inner-ear fluid imbalance called ‘Vestibular Syndrome’. Alongside the shaking, the dog may exhibit poor balance and may tilt its head and experience loss of co-ordination. The animal may also roll its eyes or upwards or side-to-side and while this is distressing for both the dog and its owner, the best way to help the dog is to calm it and reassure the animal. A darkened and quiet room with a comfortable place for the dog to rest will help also. Vestibular Syndrome is unfortunately very difficult to treat and is likely to recur. Your vet will give you advice on how to deal with symptomatic episodes.

Another cause of head shaking is epilepsy, and this often involves the entire body shaking too. These fits may last anything from seconds to minutes and despite the dog seeming somewhat dazed afterwards, most usually recover rapidly. It is likely that the fits will continue for the rest of the animal’s life. While there are many causes of epilepsy, most often it is simply some anomaly within the individual dog and doesn’t have any particular cause. The condition can be controlled with medication however.

Generalized shaking may also be caused by low levels of glucose in the blood, and may be an indication of diabetes. Border Collies, for instance, are especially prone to low blood sugar levels post-exercise, and your vet will be able to advise you as to whether treatment is required. As with epilepsy, diabetes can be controlled with medication however simply a change in diet may also ease the symptoms of diabetes.

Dogs may experience episodes of fainting if they are diabetic but may also shake and faint if they have heart disease or some neurological (brain related) disorder. Likewise, generalized shaking may indicate some underlying toxicity or hypomyelination, which is a disease affecting the sheath covering the nerves. Any such symptoms warrant medical attention in order to establish a diagnosis and expedite relief for the dog.

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You know your beloved canine friend is unwell, and he is exhibiting several symptoms that he is feeling sick. Do you know what to do if you observe symptoms of sick dogs? In times like this, there is no need to panic. Be calm and vigilant when you are taking care of your dog. In this way, you will be able to do things smoothly as you provide comfort and ease to your pet.

The first step that should be taken is identifying the problem. In order to address the appropriate solution and medication, it is crucial that you detect the specific signs nd symptoms of the disease. This can be done by observing your dog’s behavior and actions. This way you will be able to describe to the veterinarian the most obvious sign that your dog is sick. Having this information will aid the veterinarian to easily point out the trouble.

The symptoms of sick dogs are being classified as mild, moderate or severe. For mild symptoms, there is no need for you to panic that much. Often times you can deal with the health problem at home, and given the sufficient knowledge on pet health care, you can eradicate totally the illness. Mild symptoms may include bad breath that indicates periodontal problems, and can be eliminated by brushing his teeth.

For moderate symptoms, this means that your dog’s situation needs immediate attention of an expert. You can not apply home made medications to ease the suffering of your pet dog. The disease may be complicated and needs certain procedures and operations to be cured. The schedule of the visit may be within 24 hours up to 48 hours. The condition should be treated without delay so that it would not lead to a more serious health problem or complications.

Moderate symptoms include bleeding gums indicating high level of periodontal illness, constipation that may signal intestinal obstruction or changes in the diet, hair loss and scratching that are caused by parasitic infection or skin allergies, pot belly for worm infestations, stiff movement and lameness for dog arthritis, coughing that may signal kennel cough or pneumonia, and head shaking that is due to some ear infestation.

For severe symptoms, you should bring your pet canine immediately to the nearest pet hospital for proper and abrupt treatment to save his life, or else he will suffer the pain, or worst, he will perish instantly.

Some of these severe symptoms may indicate the presence of a chronic condition like bloody stools due to intestinal blockage, blood-tinge urine caused by urinary tract infection, kidney disease or internal bleeding; increase oral fluid intake of water indicating canine diabetes, kidney failure, liver failure, and Cushing’s disease; pale gums and tongue that may be due to shock; a temperature above 120 degrees Fahrenheit indicating viral infection, dehydration and heatstroke; lethargy caused by some neurological disorders; and loss of appetite caused by some serious illnesses affecting the brain, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs.

These are only some of the signs and symptoms of the most common diseases that may affect your canine buddy. But knowing them helps you perform an early and prompt assessment of your dog’s status.

Remember that if you love your dog so much, you should not only give everything he wants, like his favorite food, toys, and clothes. You should also give primary concern to his health needs. And learning the symptoms of sick dogs is a special way to show that concern.

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One key measure that every dog owners should understand of is nursing a sick dog. Likewise, whenever a dog undergoes any sort of suffering, the dog owner should give more care and affection at that period. Nursing a sick dog is usually regarded as a skillful art and this process must not be considered in a careless manner.

Keep in mind that a sick dog should always be offered with some additional care and affection-based activates. For instance, the dog suffering with high fever should not be feed with non-vegetarian items; bread pieces are suitable during that period. The dogs during that stage should be kept inside a calm room after once drug are given to them for proper medication. The dog should not be unnecessarily disturbed as well. The dog requires stroking and coaxing by the owner when applying medications. Never raise the head of your dog excessively for avoiding the flow of drugs being passed directly into the respiratory organs. Proper care should be given by providing warm fluids throughout the process of nursing.

The safely of the dog should be given more emphasis while nursing the dog. When your dog suffers by diarrhea, it exhibits the symptoms of dehydration. This is when you should provide your dog with small doses of salt and glucose water properly in cautious manner. Likewise, the vomiting dog also requires appropriate nursing care. In such cases, it is often good to provide ice cubes in addition to egg whites because it helps in smoothing the esophageal passage.

At present, a non-contact based infrared thermometer has been arrived at the market that can be used for obtaining the animals’ temperature without applying much stress. Keep your dog in a shaded area and room with good ventilation if its temperature is too high. However, if your dog is suffering through hypothermia, you then should give the warm blankets to your dog for providing them maximum comforts.

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