Dog Sickness

I guess most of us generally love to have dogs as pets precisely because they are loyal and more of family members to us. However, the most important duty on your part is to make sure that your dog is healthy in terms of eating as well as health. Many a time, it happens that the dog behavior changes unexpectedly and we keep wondering the cause for the same. I mean, you would have experienced it if you happen to be an owner yourself. Dog illnesses is a part and parcel and one needs to be aware of all the symptoms. So without much ado, we will see the common problems and the symptoms associated with it.

Symptoms

It would be difficult for any owner to actually find the exact reason for any health discomfort in his/hers dog unless and until he is totally aware of the symptoms they are showing. Let's see some of the most common dog health problems. It's a prerequisite to diagnose the diseases on time which would otherwise lead to tumors and in worst conditions, cancer in a dog.

As I said, the first symptom shown by a sick dog would be a change in behavior. You would commonly notice changes in their eating habits mainly associated with dullness and lameness along with change in bowel habits. Some of the commonest symptoms associated with all dog illnesses are:

• Vomiting or unproductive retching
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Excessive drinking
• Lethargy
• Apparent pain
• Bleeding gums
• Incontinence
• Bloody stool
• Ear, nose and eyes discharge
• Fainting
• Persistent cough
• Staggering
• Dilated pupils

Dog Illnesses and Diseases

Nervous System Illnesses
All the nervous system disorders mainly lead to irritation in dogs wherein their temperament changes drastically leading to very aggressive behavior so much that they can attack anyone. It has been observed that all the dogs generally suffer from nervous disease ailments mainly because of aging. These dreadful diseases are generally associated with pale and lame behavior often accompanied with blankness.

• Wobbler Disease
• Epilepsy
• Cerebellar Hypoplasia
• Canine Autoimmune Disease
• Cerebellar Abiotrophy
• Brain Tumors
• Neurological Disorders
• Dancing Doberman Disease
• White Dog Shaker Syndrome
• Dementia
• Addison's Disease
• Dog Seizures

Circulatory and Cardiovascular Diseases
Your dog could suffer from these if it happens to have diabetes and related problems characterized by murmuring in the heart and strokes. If your dog happens to show irregular heartbeats, you should immediately concern your vet. Some of the most fatal heart problems in dogs are;

• Hemolytic Anemia
• Thrombocytopenia
• Heart Valve Dysplasia
• Dilated Cardiomyopathy
• Congestive Heart Failure
• Heart Murmur
• Enlarged Heart
• Heart Attacks
• Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease

Nose, Eyes and Ear Infections
Apart from the ones given above, there are some minor symptoms which are easy to deal with like bad breath or other periodontal diseases in dogs, that require brushing their teeth regularly and maintaining oral hygiene. However, for ear, nose and eye infestations which are characterized by severe head shaking by dogs and brown ear and eye discharge as well as irritation in the nose, you need to visit a vet as early as possible. These are not fatal but treatment at the right time will help overcome the irritation.

• Dry Nose in Dogs
• Ectropion
• Lens Luxation
• Blindness
• Glaucoma
• Canine Cataracts
• Conjuctivitis
• Pink Eye
• Progressive retinal atrophy
• Deafness
• Fly Strike Dermatitis

Parasitic Infections
Worms and parasitic infections is another problem which commonly affects many dogs. The common symptoms of a worm infection in a dog include hair loss, repeated vomiting, distended abdomen, restlessness, anxiousness, pacing and heavy breathing, and difficulty in standing. The treatment includes antibiotic dog food which can cure the symptoms in few days span.

• Mites
• Ticks
• Dog Fleas
• Hookworms
• Heartworms
• Roundworms
• Intestinal Worms
• Intestinal Parasites

Bacterial Infections
Now as a dog owner, I guess, you might have heard about Lyme disease which is a common bacterial infection. Diagnosing these bacterial diseases on time can help cure which otherwise would result in canine liver or kidney disease. The main symptoms are lameness or stiffness, and loss of appetite.

• Kennel Cough
• Pneumococcal Infections
• Canine Lyme Disease
• Leptospirosis
• Staph Infection
• Salmonella Poisoning
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Viral Infections
A very common dog viral infection is rabies which shows some evident and peculiar symptoms like loss of appetite, fever, scratching, biting, weird behavior, wild aggression and paralysis (foam in mouth). This fatal condition needs appropriate treatment measures and care.

• Rabies
• Canine Distemper
• Canine Parvovirus
• Canine Corona Virus
• Canine Herpes Virus
• Meningitis

Endocrine Illnesses
Dogs commonly suffer from canine diabetes associated with excessive thirst and incontinence. You would understand better by going through;

• Metritis
• Gastroenteritis
• Canine Cushings Disease

Dog Arthritis
Another major problem dogs generally suffer from is arthritis which is associated with pain in the joints mainly affecting legs as the evident arthritis symptoms. Arthritis could be of many types like as in humans. The types are mentioned below.

• Panosteitis
• Osteoarthritis
• Hip Dysplasia
• Elbow Dysplasia
• Hypertrophic Osteopathy
• Osteochondritis Dissecans

Skin Diseases
Dog allergies have been the commonest illnesses characterized by scratching and itching of skin leading to hair loss and many skin diseases. The best way to treat these is proper nutrition and hygiene.

• Dermoid Sinus
• Skin Sores
• Skin Infections
• Follicular Dysplasia
• Skin Cancer
• Itchy Skin
• Ringworm Infections
• Skin Tags
• Skin Bumps
• Dermal Fragility Syndrome

As I mentioned, the best way to keep a dog healthy is to feed him with the best dog food available in town. However, chemicals or some poisonous plants like garlic and chocolate are mainly responsible for poisoning in dogs. Dogs have a habit of licking and loitering around which increases the risk for the same and if not treated on time, could lead to kidney failure as well. Here symptoms include repeated vomiting, excessive drinking of water, diarrhea, seizures and coma. Unhygienic low-grade dog food and living could lead to some fungal and protozoal infections enlisted below.

• Pythiosis
• Canine Yeast Infection
• Blastomycosis
• Histoplasmosis
• Valley Fever
• Fungal Infection
• Babesiosis
• Coccidia
• Giardia in Dogs

In case of any of these symptoms, it's better to seek help from a well-known vet to help early illness diagnosis. You could check your dog's temperature at home and carefully observe any changes in his body parts like ears, eyes and gums. I hope this article has helped you solve any doubts on whether your dog is sick or not? Dog sickness is a reason to worry about, hence take good care of your canine by following the appropriate treatment measures suggested by the vet.