subject: Common Illnesses In Dogs [print this page] Many of us cannot stand to see our beloved pet dogs in pain. The sad part about them getting sick is that unlike humans, they cannot tell us what they are feeling. We can only observe their behaviour and see what is bothering them. Below are common sicknesses affecting dogs. Its important to know these illnesses, as most of them can lead to life-threatening problems.
Worms
These parasites live in your dog and slowly cause damage. Generally, there are 3 kinds of worms: Round Worms, Flat Worms and Tape Worms. Round Worms have tapers found on both their ends and are very small. You cannot see these with your eyes so you will need to take regular visits to your vet to confirm them and to get them out of your dog. Flat Worms hook themselves to your dogs liver, lungs and intestine. They start to thrive here, damaging the organs and causing problems. Tap Worms usually stay in the dogs digestive track. They get them from eating rodents who have consumed fleas.
Arthritis
Like in humans, arthritis is a common illness in dogs. Dogs feel a lot of pain but hide them due to instincts. So when they start showing pain, its a big problem thats sometimes irreversible. Some would mistake dog arthritis with dm in dogs, which is a different neurological disorder. Dm in dogs is not painful and non-curable. Its best to get a proper diagnosis form the vet before giving the dog any medication. Commonly, arthritis on dogs comes in two forms: Degenerative joint disease, which affects their joints, and inflammatory joint disease, started by an infection from ticks, bacteria or fungus.
Periodontal Disease
This illness is one of the most frequently seen mouth diseases on dogs. This illness can be prevented with proper oral care. You will have to keep your dogs mouth clean by giving their teeth a good brushing every now and then. Symptoms include bad breath, discoloration of teeth, bleeding gums, and tooth loss.
Canine Cough
Dogs also experience coughs and colds. However, coughs could be caused by a more serious and life threatening illnesses like heartworms, tuberculosis, coccidiosis and distemper. Do not ignore your dog if it has had that cough for some time now. Take it to the vet and find out what is causing its cough.
Addison's Disease
This disease causes the dogs body to have problems regulating its sodium levels. There are countless negative effects of high sodium in the blood, the most fatal would be heart failure.
by: Hilton D
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
