Top Five Most Common Dog Illnesses

[palehorse]

As promised, here is a list of the top 5 most common dog illnesses.

Now, to start with I am NOT covering illnesses that your common vaccinations cover. If you are keeping up with your dog's shots, and using heartworm preventative treatment, there is no reason your dog should catch them, thus they are not covered here.

1. Common Worms.
There are three main types of worms dogs get (heart-worms not mentioned because ALL dogs should be on preventative, regardless of where you live.).

• Round Worms (AKA nematodes) These guys are tapers at both ends, narrow and smooth. Hard to see (if not impossible) with the naked eye, and your Veterinarian will use a microscope to find them in the stool. Other names for these types of worms are hook-worms, whip-worms and lungworms.
• Tap Worms (AKA cestodes) These worms actually have a "head" and are segmented. These are caught by eating fleas or rodents. Things like mice, squirrels, rats etc..
• Flat Worms (AKA flukes or trematodes) Flat in appearance, they attach themselves to your dog's intestines, liver or lungs.

Ring worms are NOT included because they are not worms at all, the infected area looks like a worm, but it is not.

Your Dog gets worms in several ways. Puppies can be born with them if the mother is infected. Adults get them from biting fleas, ticks, or eating feces from other infected dogs or cats. (I know we hate to think of our babies doing such gross things, but they do... sigh...)

If you think your dog has worms, best thing to do is take it to the Veterinarian, along with a stool sample. There are many medicines out there for worms, and worms are NOT life threatening if treated correctly.

Preventing Worms. ALWAYS use heart worm preventative no matter where you live. It is a wide-spread problem and only you are to blame if your dog gets them. Your dog cannot speak up for itself, so it is up to YOU.

• Worm your puppy after 2 weeks of being born.
• Dispose of the stool. It prevents other animals from getting it as well.
• Wash your hands after touching anyone's dog or cat (or any animal for that matter)
• Nursing dogs should be especially examined so they don't pass it to puppies.
• Use hookworm prevention drugs.

2. Arthritis in dogs.
Much more common then you might think. note: A dog does NOT show the same degree of pain as people do. The reason is instinct. Survival of the fittest. A dog does not openly show pain out of instinctive fear of seeming weak so as not to become prey. This means that when your dog DOES show pain it is real and intense, more so then the dog lets on.

Arthritis in dogs can occur at any age, not just old age. 1 in 5 dogs over the age of 7 contract some form of arthritis. There is no vaccine against it either.

Symptoms of arthritis in your dog is any noticeable change in your dogs mood and activity level. It effects the dogs joints, hips, shoulders, neak and back. This is also called degenerative joint disease.

Arthritis in dogs is a wearing down if the cartilage that protects the ends of the dogs bones. Similar to arthritis in humans. There are two types of arthritis:

1. Degenerative Joint Disease (osteoarthritis) Just plain normal stress on a joint can be the cause. The stress reduces the cartilage that protects the bone ends while movement occurs. If your dog is very hyper and does not "mellow out" as years go by (like a schnauzer), this can cause it. Surgery is possible to treat this.
2. Inflammatory Joint Disease This is normally caused by an infection and is less common then DJD above. Symptoms often include fever and anorexia. Fungus, ticks and bacteria are common causes.

There is several treatments available for arthritis in dogs. Check with your Veterinarian if you suspect your friend has arthritis. Only your Veterinarian can determine and prescribe the best medicine for treatment.

3. Periodontal disease
This is THE most common mouth disease in ALL dogs. It is preventable, and there are treatments available.

Brushing your dogs teeth is important, believe it or not! Unlike humans, dogs do not have the ability (or the inclination) to brush their teeth. Brushing your dog's teeth is not as hard as it sounds. You can get cotton balls, and a solution of HEXORAL RINSE available from your Veterinarian, take the solution and soak a cotton ball. Take the cotton ball and scrub your dog's teeth with it. It is a preventative measure and not as good as regularly brushing them BUT if you are not willing to put forth the effort to brush them (few folks seem to want to do this) this method is better then nothing.

Periodontal disease can be spotted by:

• Bleeding gums
• Discolored teeth where they meet the gum
• Loosing teeth
• Breath smells like "rotten shrimp"

4. Canine Cough.
Canine cough happens when your dogs airways throat or lungs get irritated. The dog responds to this irritation by coughing, it is it's effort to clear the airways.

This could also be a symptom of heart disease, or other things such as:

• Tuberculosis
• Heartworms
• Distemper
• Coccidiosis

Make a note of when your dog coughs, how often and when. This is useful information for your Veterinarian. Also record length of coughing fit, and intensity. Why? Because coughs at different times mean different things.

Diagnosis of the cough

• Dog coughing when overweight (small dogs) Tracheal problems, collapsing trachea. Can sound like a goose honking.
• Dog coughs while eating, or shortly after. Disease of the larynx or esophagus. The larynx is actually trying to block the food going down, the dog is coughing to try and free it.
• Dog coughs while drinking. Possible kennel cough, the trachea is irritated or collapsed. A sign of trachea bronchitis. This is THE most common cause of laryngitis in dogs. This can effect the dog for years. Another sign of this is if the dog coughs when you pull on the leash.
• Dog coughs at night only. This is most commonly associated with heart disease or impending heart failure. A sign of lung problems as well.
• Dog only coughs when outside. Possible lung infection from airborne things such as grass clippings, leaves, pollen or other things.

There are many types of medicines to treat your dog's coughing problems, consult your Veterinarian, along with your "cough diary" to find out what is best.


5. Addison's Disease. (hypoadrenocorticism)
This happens when your dog's adrenal glands fail to produce the hormones needed to regulate sodium levels in the dog's blood. With a lack of these hormones, sodium levels decline causing an increase potassium and lower blood pressure. The problem is that the higher levels of potassium stop the heart from beating faster which it would naturally do to make up for the loss of blood pressure. With a lower heart rate and lower blood pressure your dog could go into shock (called Addison’s crisis). This could be fatal.

There are three types of Addison's Disease in dogs.

• Primary. When adrenal glands When the adrenal glands fail to produce both mineralcorteriods and glucococosteriods. Requires the replacement therapy of mineralocortioids.
• Atypical. When there is immune system related damage to the adrenal glands. Without treatment can become primary Addison's. Requires replacement therapy of glucocorticoids.
• Secondary. When the pituitary gland does not secrete ACTH, a hormone necessary to stimulate the adrenal glands. Requires replacement therapy of glucocorticoids.

Symptoms of Addison's disease in dogs are the appearance of weakness, and the dog seems overly lethargic. Diarrhea and vomiting are also common with Addison's. Other symptoms are:

• Reduced appetite
• Whole body tremors
• Muscle weakness and pain in the hind quarters

Sometimes the dog will just collapse for no apparent reason. This is a strong sign of Addison's disease.

This IS a treatable illness. Your dog can go on hormone replacement therapy. You MUST take your dog to the Veterinarian if you suspect Addison's disease. There is no home remedies that are effective in treatment.

This rounds out the five most common dog illnesses as promised. Please feel free to comment on these, or add other illnesses and treatment to this thread.

Peace.

[palehorse]

Also check out the thread on posionous foods in case your friend is suffering from a food related illness.

[Whizzy]

Boy, I hate to disagree here, but hypothyroidism, diabetes and Cushing's disease are a whole lot more common than Addison's. In the past 10 years, I've known 4 dogs diagnosed with Addison's, but I know dozens with thyroid disease and diabetes. And at least a dozen with Cushing's. Stopping to think about it, we diagnosed roughly the same number of dogs with Cushing's as we did diabetes during the 6 years I worked as a Veterinarian tech.

Hypothyroidism is becoming almost epidemic in some breeds, like Golden Retrievers, Dachshunds, and Labs. Diabetes often occurs with hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease, sometimes dogs get the triple whammy...all three at once.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism often go unreported. People just assume their dog is fat, lazy, and and have poor coat. But it's really an underactive thyroid. Left untreated, they eventually develop heart problems (from all that fat), joint problems, and can become aggressive. Eventually they often develop diabetes. If your dog is overweight, lethargic, and showing dry, harsh coat, suspect hypothryoidism. If you have your dog clipped and the coat doesn't grow back properly, test for hypothyroidism.

Symptoms of diabetes; increased drinking and urination (PU/PD), weight loss, muscle wasting, dry skin and coat, bad breath. Left untreated, coma and death.

Symptoms of Cushing's disease; PU/PD, pot belly, increased appetite with weight gain, greasy skin, poor coat growth. If you have your dog clipped and the coat doesn't grow back, and has the above symptoms, test for Cushing's disease.