Archive for the ‘Dog diseases’ Category
Prophylaxis is one of the vital components in the maintenance of health status of oral structures, particularly the teeth. Dog dental care is most important thing in general dog care. Brushing away of your worries on dog’s health needs a basic maintenance of good teeth structures in your dog. Lets have some information with regard to the dog dental care. Yes!!1 Preventive care pertaining to dental structures of dog is important.
Dog dental care comprises the regular brushing of your dog’s teeth with a suitable brush. Hence, the building up of tartar may be highly avoided. Similarly, the brushing activity helps to remove the plaque that gets formed over a period.
However, some pet owners may not be able to brush the teeth of their dogs due to various reasons. They might think that they are failed in dog dental care.
In such cases, the veterinarian needs to be approached. The pet specialist or the veterinarian will undertake the cleaning procedures using an ultrasonic scalar and this helps to avoid the secondary bacterial infections at the oral regions. Hence, Stomatitis or development of ulcerations at gum may be totally avoided to a greater extent.
Preventives can be used in case of dogs to avoid the heartworm problems in case of dogs. However, the preventive drugs need to be given some times by injection once in six months.
Most of the times, the preventives like ivermectin helps to control the problem caused by other parasites also, including the external parasites like ticks and roundworms and hookworms. Oral forms are available in the market.
Topical applications are also available with this product for use in dogs. Pyrantel may be found as an additional ingreditent with this product and this product helps in the prevention of hookworms and roundworms also.
Similarly many monthly given preventives are available in the market and however, giving same drug every time may per haps lead to the development of drug resistance in the dogs. Hence, the preventives may be changed in the course of time. Only at the age of six weeks, this drug may be given to the dogs.
Also, one has to be aware of any side effects due to the preventives given to avoid the heartworms in dogs. Take cautions in giving these drugs in case of anemic dogs. The circulatory status needs to be improved before providing the preventive care in case of dogs.
Drugs like selamectin helps to reduce the infestations with external parasites like American dog ticks, fleas and mites. However, this drug may be given in the form of injections in dogs and has to be administered in dogs that have attained age of six weeks. for provision of protection against the heartworms.
Reducing exposure to the mosquitoes help in the proper prevention of the problems with the Dirofilaria immitis – the heartworms. Mosquito proof may be provided if it becomes possible at least in seasons wherein many mosquitoes may be seen in the premises of the kennel. Water stagnation may be avoided especially near the kennel or the doghouse.
Through the compounding pharmacies, the drugs like diethylcarbamazine may be given to the dogs to avoid the heartworms in them.
However this drug needs to be given daily but when the administration is not done for few days, then the concerned dog looses its protection against the heartworms. Diethyl carbamazine further protects the dogs against the round worms also, as an additional protection.
Drugs like moxidectin is available in an injectable form for dogs. However, this can be given in dogs that have attained the age of six months. The drug like moxidectin further helps in reducing the hookworm problem in case of dogs. Once in six months, this drug may be given to the dogs.
Milbermycin oxime is another preventive used for avoidance of heartworm problems in dogs. This is available in oral form and can be given to the dogs that have attained the age of four weeks or more.
However, it may be better to check up the body weight of the puppy and the puppy should have a minimum body weight of two to three pounds.
If you miss some months in not providing the preventive to the dog, you can still continue the therapy with the preventive later. This will surely give a good level of protection against the occurrence of heartworms.
First aid to an accident dog is the most important one that is to be given immediately without making much delay. Most of the times, the accident dog may have a severe type of bleeding due to the severe hit by the speeding vehicles on the body.
In such cases, just lift the dog carefully and try to assess the point of bleeding. In that case, place some cotton or pure clothe on the bleeding points and immediately try to transfer the dog to a nearby veterinary hospital for further remedies.
If the bleeding is only minimal, don’t be under the impression that the dog need not be given any first aid seriously.
Most of the time, there may be internal bleeding or some fracture may be there internally and hence, immediately keep the dog in some support system and carry it to the nearby pet animal hospital. Don’t make vigorous movements during such carrying of the dog that has met with an accident.
In case of severe bleeding, some tourniquet may be applied to the point above the bleeding region but with moderate pressure only. If severe type of tourniquet is applied, this may even create some other problem later.
There is nothing wrong in placing some ice cubes at the bleeding points to arrest the bleeding. However, you need to take more care in the placement of ice cubes in a dog during the severe winter season.
If you suspect any fracture as revealed by intense pain at the bony regions of the body, don’t make any movement of the dog’s body and just keep the limbs in an immobilized state and take it to a nearby hospital dealing with pet animals.
If the animal vomits due to the accident encountered, don’t try to control the vomiting by forceful closure of the mouth region. Allow the animal to vomit and in such cases, lowering of the head region may even facilitate the vomiting.
This often helps to avoid the development of aspiratory type of pneumonia in the concerned dog.
Just try to touch the body of the animal. When the surface temperature of the animal is cool as revealed by touch reflex, then use some kinds of warm clothes to cover the body of the dog met with such accidents. Effort like this may give some kinds of immediate relief to the dog in keeping up of the thermoregulatory mechanisms in a right manner.
Similarly, when the dog’s body is so hot, try to place the ice cubes in polythene bad over the head region and this helps to minimize the effects of hyperthermia in the concerned dog.
If the dog is motionless after the accident, try to go for the cardiac massage particularly when you feel on the absence of heartbeats in the concerned dog.
However, provision of warm temperature to the dog in addition to the proper care by tackling the thermo regulatory mechanisms during the first aid will help the dog to have more chances of survival.
Do you know demodicosis is not contagious to other dogs or to people? Demodicosis is a dreadful disease among dogs. If your pup gets this infection, it is really a pathetic situation. This is a parasitic skin infection that occurs when a large number of manges invade body. Dog mange treatment is really a Herculean task especially in case of puppies.
General Info
Demodicosis in dogs is not contagious to other dogs or to people. In order to cure demodex mange, you need to know about the symptoms of the same.
Symptoms
In case of localized infection, your dog will show symptom of hair loss of nothing more than a patch or two with mild itchiness. This condition is self-limiting disease. It will be cured on its own without giving any treatment.
If the infection is generalized, there will be large amounts of hair loss from all over the body. The response to treatment is moderate. In this type of infection, the affected dog will show irritability, loss of apetite, inactivity and depression.
Treatment
The perfect treatment for this condition is AMITRAZ. This is a solution which is to be applied all over the body once in a week for a month.
Ivermectin is a perfect treatment for this condition. This is highly safe and highly effective against the demodex mite.
Although Amitraz and Ivermectin are perfect remedies for demodex mange, there is possibility of relapsing of this disease if they become reinfected with demodex mites. If you have noticed your dog
Maintaining a sick dog at home is just not easy. Taking the pet dog for veterinarian’s consultation may be easy, but making the dog to consume the recommended medication is tough. Some dogs take the medication with ease while many others are not. But the pet owners have no choice but to adhere to the vet’s advice without any deviation or imagination. The vet can only help you by prescribing the right medication. The onus of administering rests with the pet owner.
Pills-administration
Request the vet to prescribe the medication that can be given with the food. In some cases that may not be possible. Here are few suggestions in case pills were recommended. Let the pill be held between the index finger and thump. Tilt the dog’s head back little. The upper jaw of the pet should be held firmly with the other hand.
Open the lower jaw of the dog slowly using middle finger. Let the middle finger rest on the small incisor teeth of the pet. The pill needs to be deposited on the toque as deep as possible. Now, let the mouth be closed immediately and never allow the dog to open the mouth for some time. Let the throat of the dog be stoked gently. Alternatively you can blow the nostril. Both will make the dog to swallow the pill.
Syrup or Liquids
Let the dropper or the syringe be filled with medicine at first. Let the dropper or syringe be inserted between the teeth and cheek of the dog. Hold the dog’s head back slightly by closing the mouth. Then slowly release the medication in to the mouth. Let the mouth be closed for some time so that the medicine is swallowed, not wasted. You can help the dog to swallow the medicine by stoking the throat or by blowing the nostril of the dog.
Let it be pill or syrup, you need to be very calm and should never get agitated while administering the medicine. The dog will quickly understand your nervousness which will further complicate the medicine administration. It is better to reward or praise the dog once the medicine was administered successfully.
The lovely spring has set its foot now. You can notice the plants growing, flowers blooming, insect buzzing etc. You can also notice that your lovely pet dog scratching its body and prefer to stay in the corner. This is nothing but seasonal allergy. You may know that few get allergic reactions human beings experience due to danders of the pet dog. The dogs too suffer from allergy. Seasonal allergies are more seen in dogs than in cats.
In most cases the allergy is due to genetic factor. The dogs that are in age group between 1 and 3 years are more prone. The allergens make entry in to the body of the dog either through inhalation or ingestion. In dogs the allergic reactions are mostly itching rather than sneezing, running nose, watery eyes etc. This can be evident by the dog’s act such as frequent rubbing of the face, licking of the feet, and scratching the body.
Types of Seasonal Allergies
There are two types of allergies very common in dogs. Lets us discuss it out here.
Allergy due to fleas- this is more common in dogs. You know that the flea menace is ever lasting problem in pet. The allergic reaction is due to the saliva of the flea. The dog’s immune system reacts quickly for this foreign body. The antibodies are rushed to the affected area, the skin, which is why you notice all those scratching.
Allergic inhaled dermatitis- this type of allergy is due to allergens such as house dust mite, house dust, pollen, ragweed, feathers, grasses, shrubs, trees, dander etc. These allergens gain entry either through the respiratory tract [inhalation] or through the feet or through digestive system [ingestion]. This allergy is bit difficult to prevent as the above mentioned allergens are seen in abundance in dog’s surrounding.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of the allergy may be easy but finding out the root cause of the allergic reaction is difficult as you know by now that the allergens are more than few. The veterinarian needs to be consulted at the earliest. The vet will conduct blood test and intradermal test to find out the possible cause. In case of intradermal test, the allergens will be injected under the skin of the dog and will be observed for the reaction. Formation of wheal or hive like swelling will indicate that the test is positive.
Treatment
To start with the vet will subject the dog to symptomatic treatment. Once the cause of the problem is identified, appropriate treatment can be designed. By far the most effective and popular treatment is immunotherapy or hypo sensitization. Here the specific allergens are injected to the dog in lower concentration at periodic interval. The pet becomes less sensitive to it over a period of time, thus preventing the allergic reactions. The disadvantage of this technique is that it is costly and time consuming. The duration of the treatment may be a year or more in some cases. The other alternative is to give steroid injections to minimize the allergic manifestations. The side effects of the steroids are cause of worry, hence used in limited quantity and duration.
One of my male GSD suddenly went off-feed and had a high temperature 106 degrees last month. Immediately I rushed my dog to my vet’s hospital. He examined and treated the dog with suitable antibiotics to reduce the fever. The fever diminished, but my dog started to pass bloody urine and followed by expulsion of raw blood from its genitals. My vet suspected TVT- which is nothing but Transmissible Veneral Tumor.
My vet immediately prescribed the drug vincristin for my dog and gave the injection at weekly intervals. Now I haven’t seen the blood from its genitals. But my dog is going down its weight as well as body condition.
I don’t know what to do? Will I am going to loose my dog? Hope I won’t. God won’t let me down. I am praying him to get cured ASAP.
The only thing which made my dog to get this worst infection is I have allowed my dog to mate other bitch from a breeder. I think she would be a carrier. I am waiting with my fingers crossed.
Beagles and Retrievers are known for their enormous appetites and nonselective feeding habits. A dog’s increased appetite may be an indication of a disease condition. In the cold weather, all the dog is having increased appetite. It is not a problem!
The old saying that dogs will eat only what they need is simply not true — the fact approximately one-third of dogs in US and UK are overweight bears witness to that.
Abnormal Signs of Increased Appetite
A sudden increase in appetite may have an obvious cause, such as an unusual spurt of activity, growth (in young dog), pregnancy, or underfeeding. If the dog’s eating habits have the following characteristics, ther may be an underlying medical problem:
- It eats feces of its own species, or other animals- cows, sheep, or horses, which is called as copraphagia.
- It eats more rapidly than normal, cleaning its bowl as quickly as possible (this may be competitive, if sharing mealtimes with another dog).
- It eats less selectively and sometimes ingests inedible matter. This is called “PICA“.
- The dog demands food at unusual times of day and is unsatisfied when its meal is finished.
Disorders of the adrenal gland and pancreas, including sugar diabetes, may affect appetite, so it’s wise to take a urine sample with you as well. Kidney disease can cause protein loss and muscle wasting, leading the dog to eat more. Even some medicines have the effect of increasing appetite, so be sure to inform the vet if your dog has received any recent treatment.
Intestinal worms are common causes of increased appetite, and your vet cancan carry out a simple test to establish whether they are present in the dog’s stools, or feces. If the worms are ruled out, the vet will look for disorders of eating and swallowing that leave hunger unsatisfied.
Occasionally, however, a dog’s increased appetite is not caused by greed but by one of a number of medical problems. The dog may eat indiscriminately, or develop an unusual eating habit. Vets call this dog’s increased appetite as “POLYPHAGIA”.
Persistent coughing in older dog, particularly one of the small breeds, may be a symptom of chronic bronchitis or chronic airway disease caused by irritants such as cigarette smoke or house dust. As the airways become narrowed and clogged with mucus, the cough, which is normally dry, harsh nature, intensifies.
By this time, the disease cannot be cured, but drugs can alleviate the synmptoms. You can help by cutting down on smoking and by vacumming the dog’s environment more frequently.
A persistent dry cough and fatigue may be signs of congestive heart failure. In advanced cases of heart disease, coughing and breathlessness will increase as the lungs fill with fluid.
The presence of parasites such as heartworms, lungworms, and roundworms, and fungal infections, can also affect a dog’s lungs and breathing, causing persistent coughing.
Do you know regular examination and care of dog paws is more important in preventing diseases? So you ought to provide a perfect dog paw care. Most of the dogs are having sensitive feet. Hence it is very difficult to check the dog paws regularly. Dog paw care can be practiced regularly if you check regularly right from puppy hood.
The top five tips for dog paw care includes-
1. Regular Trimming of Claws
You should trim the claws regularly. Overlong claws are more susceptible to damage and can cause the dog discomfort.
2. Prevent Paw Licking
The sore or irritated paw should be protected well either by Elizabethan Collar or covering the foot by bandage from constant licking.
3. Dry The Wet Paws
You should dry the dog paws effectively after bathing, exercising in wet grass, bathing, or swimming as a precaution against infection.
4. Check the Paws After Exercising
Thoroughly check the dog paws for thorns, ticks, scratches, cuts and other debris after exercise. This should be done especially when your dog running or walking over rough ground.
5. Look for Dog Paw Problems
You can look for bare patches of inflamed, crusty skin on the dog paws, cuts on any part of the paw, swellings or foreign bodies between the toes, and damaged claws. You should immediately seek the help of a vet to sort this problem at the earliest possible time.
If you follow these five golden rules of dog paw care, your dog will walk and run effectively through out its lifetime. So your dogs walking depends on your dog paw care. Happy exercising!!!
