There are a variety of conditions that can make a dog itch or have hair loss, including autoimmune. endocrine, infectious, and parasitic skin diseases. Therefore, it takes some detective work to identify the cause. A veterinarian may be able to diagnose the problem. Alternatively, they may need to refer your dog to a veterinary dermatologist, who is a specialist in treating skin conditions in animals.
If allergies are suspected, the first thing a veterinarian will usually ask is if the pet is on a flea-control product. Flea allergies are quite common and are the easiest to control. There are many options for flea control on dogs and in their environment. Once flea allergies are ruled out, and if the itch is non-seasonal, food allergies are the next thing to be checked. Food allergies are not related to a season, whereas many atopic allergies start out as a seasonal problem.
Dogs that develop atopic allergies typically show symptoms between 1 and 5 years of age, but food allergies can be a problem at any time. They are high on the list of suspected causes when a dog first gets itchy skin at an age of over 5 years, or less than 6 months. When testing for food allergies, the dog is put on an “elimination diet” for at least 10 weeks. This means the dog is fed food that consists of a protein and carbohydrate that the dog has not eaten before, such as venison, duck, and potatoes.
(more…)
As your dog ages, you want to make sure that you can keep him in the peak of health. You know that this means monitoring his diet and keeping an eye on how easily he moves and his energy levels, but did you know that you should also take a look at his eyes? Dry eye is essentially a condition where your dog’s tear glands stop working properly and it is something that is fairly common among older dogs. The issue that arises is that when your dog has dry eye, he is going to prone to chronic and painful eye infections. If the irritation gets bad enough, the cornea can become severely scratched and this in turn can lead to ulceration of the wound and blindness.
How can you spot dry eye in your dog? This is a fairly common issue and happily enough, it can be treated fairly quickly. Dry eye will first make itself known through a thick yellowish discharge instead of the clear or cloudy tears that your dog might shed to get rid of debris. The lack of useful tears can mean that bacterial organisms are going to overgrow on the eye and in many cases, you will find that they are around your dog’s eyes might look crusty or dusty. Do you notice that your dog is “wiping” his eyes on his foreleg or have you noticed that his sight seems to be worse? He might even be blundering into doorways that he was once able to navigate quite easily.
(more…)
Anyone who has ever experienced a middle or inner ear infection knows the pain and uncomfortable feelings associated with it. Now imagine not beginning able to communicate this pain with others. This is exactly how your dog feels when he has an ear infection. The first and often most difficult step in treating a middle or inner ear infection in a dog is identifying the signs and symptoms that indicate that your dog has one. If left untreated, these infections can lead to much worse issues.
The first signs to look for that suggest your dog may be experiencing ear pain are head shaking, scratching at the ear, discharge from the ear, or inflammation of the face and side of the head. Any of these signs may indicate that the dog has an ear infection. Abnormal earwax build up that has a foul odor often indicates that an infection inside the ear is present.
(more…)
Your new, little puppy scampers playfully at your feet. He romps around in the grass giving you insurmountable joy. He is becoming an important part in your family’s life. To keep your puppy happy, healthy and disease-free you will need to give him the appropriate veterinarian health care.
When a puppy is first born he is protected by his mom’s antibodies from her blood and initial milk supply, known as colostrum. The first stage of your puppy’s maternal antibody protection is approximately 2 days. This window of protection will only include those viruses that the mother is protected against and works according to the level of antibodies in the pup’s bloodstream. There may still be a risk for infection if levels are not strong enough at that particular time. There is no rhyme or reason as to how high or low the levels may be even in different puppies of the same litter.
(more…)
Just as with people, man’s best friend can suffer from a variety of sicknesses. It is important to be able to recognize when your dog is sick and the symptoms that may be indicating a typical canine sickness. One common form of aliment that many dogs suffer from is worms. While numerous pet owners take measures to prevent worms in their four legged friends, some find that their pets develop the sickness regardless of their efforts. Dealing with tapeworms in dogs is one common issue that should not go unnoticed.
Tapeworms are flat and segmented worms with a head that has suctions. The worms uses its suction power to attach itself to the animal’s intestine. The worm then feeds off of the nutrients that the dog receives.
Tapeworms are most often noticed in the animal’s feces or near the anus of the animal. An adult tapeworm can grow to be over 20 inches long. However, the segments that come from the worm that are seen usually look like grains of rice. Before drying out, you may see the segments wiggle and move.
(more…)
Many pet owners fear the word worms when they take their dog to the vet or their dog appears to be sick. Many different types of worms exist in the world of canines. Some of them are potentially deadly and even possibly spread to humans. While worms are definitely something to try to prevent in your dog, most types of worms are successfully treated. While ridding your dog of hookworms is not as easy as treating tapeworms, hookworms can usually be dealt with safely in a series of treatments if action is taken quick enough to the infestation time.
Hookworms enter a dog’s system through its skin. Therefore, a dog can get hookworms from simply stepping in areas where infested dogs have infected an area through droppings. Mother dogs can also pass the worm on to their pups. And of course, dogs can contract hookworms from eating or even smelling, the feces of other dogs.
Once infected with hookworms, dogs typically appear to be tired and begin to lose weight. Their gums may not be a healthy shade of pink as normal and they may have diarrhea with blood in it. You may see the dog scratching more than usual from the worms entering the skin. Overall, the dog will not grow as it is expected.
(more…)
Though you might still remember your dog as a bouncing happy puppy, the years have a way of passing and when you are in a place where your dog is older, you need to expect some changes. Dogs age much like humans do and as they get older they are going to be showing it. How can you tell when the years are catching up with your dog and what do you need to be on the look out for? If you are watching your dog closely, you are already taking the most important step. Simply making sure that you know what to expect can make a huge difference in your ability to cope with your dog’s health needs.
The first thing that you might notice is that your dog’s energy is going to decrease and along with that, their metabolism is going to drop. Have you noticed that your dog is simply beginning to prefer sleeping to roaming the house? One issue that you need to keep in mind is that if you feed your dog the same amount of food that he was getting when he was younger and more energetic, you might notice that he starts to gain weight. Weight gain can be a real problem for dogs as they get older, so consider what kind of food you want to feed them. A diet that is higher in fiber and lower in fat is something that can be very beneficial to your dog. If your dog is not eating quite as well as you would like him to, supplements an also be recommended.
(more…)
Cancer is one of the most dreaded illnesses which humans can suffer from. However, it is not just humans who can be afflicted with this disease and many pet owners are surprised when they find out that their dog has cancer. Just as with people, there are oncologists that specialize in treating animals with this disease. It is not uncommon to discover that an ailing canine or feline has a cancerous tumor. To many pet owners, dealing with a pet that has cancer is emotionally disturbing. It is often difficult to know exactly what type of cancer care is needed for dogs. Dogs with cancer are not always treated for the disease in the same way as are human patients.
As in humans, cancer can affect the organs, the bones and the skin of dogs. Dogs may have cancer isolated in one area of the body or have tumors which have spread to numerous locations. There are several different signs that indicate and animal may be struggling with cancer. However, the cancer may exist for some time before symptoms begin to show. Tests and treatments for cancer in canines can be very expensive.
(more…)
Whether you have raised your dog from a tiny puppy or you have recently adopted an older animal, you will find that as dogs get older, their needs change. Just like people, their bodies are going to grow frailer and unless care is taken, their health can deteriorate a great deal and very quickly as well. Take some time and consider what you need to do to maintain your dog’s health and what steps need to be taken.
First and foremost, when you want to make sure that your older dog stays healthy, make sure that you take some time and observe him, i.e. how he acts (both mentally and physically), does he move around comfortably, etc. Does he look as if he is moving more stiffly or is he hesitating when he first gets up? Some dogs will show their age through generally being less eager to play, while there are certainly dogs that don’t want to slow down at all and will end up hurting themselves in their enthusiasm. As your dog gets older, take some time and make sure that you keep an eye on how he looks. Regular visits to the veterinarian are going to be essential as your dog ages, and you will discover that these visits can keep you appraised of issues that might not have occurred to you.
(more…)
With the current economic crisis everyone is facing today, more and more people are feeling the pinch and tightening their proverbial belts in order to cut cost and save money. Since nobody knows how long this financial turmoil will last, each and every person is doing his share to maximize his purchasing power.
It doesn’t help that there is still the ongoing threat of big multinational firms filing for bankruptcy and monetary bailout packages. If it would come into reality, this would result to mass layoffs and lower, or even negative, economic growth. This grim scenario looms over the stock market and keeps the entire nation on its toes.
(more…)
