Known as man's best friend, sometimes you can think that the pet that is in the home is invincible, however, you need to know the dog diseases, we invite you to continue reading the content of this article, to learn a little more about these diseases.
Dog diseases
When you have a pet at home, you must take into account that it is in danger with some diseases that must be monitored, these diseases are classified as:
parasitic canine diseases
These are caused by parasites, which can simply remain in them because they do not have the proper treatment or because they are fed in the wrong way. It should be noted that the control of food in this type of disease is very important, since, if the dog has a healthy diet, everything will go very well with our friend.
These diseases in dogs are divided into two types:
- External parasitic diseases: These are the ones that cause external parasites, such as mites.
- Internal parasitic diseases: They are the ones that produce the parasites found in feces.
Both types of diseases are common in all breeds of dogs, this is because the mites are often in the dog's environment.
External parasites
- The flea: They are small insects of a few millimeters in size, normally found in animals with a lot of fur, however, there is evidence that even short-haired dogs suffer from this great infection that is fleas.
Fleas can not only harm domestic animals, they can also be seen on farm animals, birds and surfaces where infected animals are found.
In order to eliminate this terrible plague there are home remedies for fleas both for the house as well as for the pet, which is based on carrying out a deep cleaning, which allows moving and removing all the mites with fumigations, while, to eliminate them from the dog, it is necessary to give injections that, place injections or simply baths with special liquids, for the elimination of these animals.
- The stable fly: As its name indicates, this fly is part of the environment of farm animals, due to all the dirt that can be found in it, due to all the animal excrement waste.
These flies are very similar to the ones we are used to seeing at home, but it should be noted that it is smaller and more stylized, its reproduction of eggs is thanks to the blood of the animals where it stays.
The man realizes the presence of this disease when he begins to observe in the hollow animals, which emanate a smell of putrefaction and where the presence of worms can be observed, these worms are the product of the eggs of flies, which They feed on the meat of the animal until they enter its skin, in order to feed themselves better. These flies can also be seen on farm dogs.
- Ticks: Unlike fleas, ticks are not insects, they are mites and one of the most aggressive, they can be seen in different animals, but in greater numbers in dogs, they feed on the blood of animals. There are four types of ticks in dogs which are:
- Amblyomma: This is one of the most dangerous, they are carriers of diseases that dogs cannot control on their own, these diseases are: ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis. They can also affect men.
- Rhipicephalus: It is only with cattle, this tick attacks cattle and bovine mammals, reducing the production capacity of the products that come from these animals. It transmits the following diseases: babesiosis and anaplasmosis.
- Skincare: The tick that we commonly see on dogs, this tick has a flattened shape and is a bit difficult to kill, it can cause excessive itching in the dog, where wounds are usually caused, which are then used by other parasites.
- Ixodes: It is not a common tick, however, it can be present in different species such as animals or humans.
- Leishmaniasis: This disease is transmitted by a mosquito, it only affects dogs, it could be said that it is considered the most aggressive of dog diseases, it is divided into two types:
- Cutaneous: It directly affects the dog's skin and usually appears several days after the mosquito bite, the area where the bite occurred is inflamed and bloody secretions are expelled.
- Visceral: In the same way as the previous one, the mosquito bite directly affects the dog's vital organs, causing them to begin to fail, causing multi-organ failure.
The symptoms of both diseases in dogs:
- Small bumps on some parts of the dog's body.
- Difficulty opening the eyes.
- Inexplicably, it generates an increase in the dog's calcium, which causes some parts of it to be affected, such as the nails.
- The dog's fur begins to fall off quickly, leaving hairs on its skin and appearing dryness or dandruff.
- Bodily damage caused by the dog, when scratching and they do not heal.
- Bleeding in the liquid stools of the dog.
- Stomach ache.
- Serious lagañas problems, which must be treated and cleaned every day.
- Dermatitis, this is one of the most common dog diseases and mostly in those who do not have fur.
- Paralysis of the entire face and inability to eat food, since he cannot move any part of his face.
- Weakness and much sleep.
- The joints begin to undergo changes and episodes of swelling.
- Dogs have pads on the bottom of the legs, these pads are called ganglia, they begin to crack until blood begins to flow from there.
- overall decrease in muscle mass
- Fever.
- Profuse bleeding in the respiratory cavities.
- Abdominal extension.
- Scabies mites: Scabies is a disease that is evident on the skin, causing swelling and itching in the affected areas, it is believed that scabies is spread by bacteria from the earth, when the reality is that it is spread by mites that enter the skin of the dog, the disease spreads throughout the skin and is highly contagious to man and other animals.
- Toxoplasmosis: This dangerous parasite is only found in cat feces, dogs are mostly infected in garbage cans or stagnant water. This disease not only affects animals, it also usually infects people and the most affected are women and even more so when they are pregnant.
- Ehrlichiasis: It is caused by the bite of an infected tick, the most serious thing about this disease is how it affects the bones and the immune system of dogs.
The symptoms are:
- Aggressive attitudes and sometimes you can notice sadness.
- Loss of sense of orientation.
- Decrease in body mass.
- Paralysis and frequent bleeding.
- Extension of the limbs and pads of the dog
- Difficulty breathing.
- uveitis: This is when all parts of the central and middle eye become inflamed.
- Lack of circulation in the nose and tongue.
- Fever.
- Profuse bleeding in the respiratory cavities.
- Darkening in the teeth.
- Babesiosis: This parasite affects the dog's blood, causing its hemoglobin and platelets to decrease considerably.
- filariasis: This disease is caused by the well-known heartworm, which is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, which, instead of sucking the dog's blood, inject a parasite that lodges in the animal's heart.
Internal parasites
- You had: This disease is caused by the best known tapeworm, when it lodges definitively in the intestinal walls there is no way or way to eliminate it.
- Worms: Better known as worms, they live in the intestines of animals and are expelled in the feces of dogs or cats, thanks to commercial medications or home remedies.
- Ascardia: The eggs of the worms affect the intestinal walls of all animals, causing severe damage to the large intestine and lungs.
Common diseases and their symptoms
They are diseases caused by different types of viruses, these can be:
Distemper
This canine ailment is usually very contagious and is transmitted by a microorganism, which causes breathing problems for the dog and loss of appetite, to the point that a veterinarian cannot do anything for him and the dog dies. Many of these dog conditions are also contracted from other pets.
The symptoms are:
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- Fever, at the beginning of the disease it appears in the form of a breakdown and then the degrees of it increase, causing pain in the extremities and general malaise.
- Decreases the dog's desire to feed.
- Lack of interest in playing, running and interacting with other animals and people.
- Significant decrease in muscle mass.
- Dehydration
- Respiratory tract, with much nasal fluid.
- Cough
- Difficulty breathing.
- Eye conditions, such as color change of the cornea.
- Presence of amounts of lagañas, which cover the entire eye.
- The dog's tear ducts begin to dry out, this causes the dog to be unable to keep its eyes open.
- Sharp pain in the cornea
- Upset stomach, presented as vomiting, diarrhea, among others.
- The soft parts of the legs begin to harden.
- Lumps in different areas of the body.
- Loss of the color of the teeth or, failing that, total loss of the teeth.
- Paralysis
- Epilepsy
- Nervous tics in some areas of the body, mostly in the legs and head.
- Corona virus: This virus lodges first in the walls of the dog's intestine and then goes directly to the walls of the lungs, causing serious damage to them, even leading the dog to death, this disease is not spread to humans through the dog, however, it is known that there are animals that can spread it to humans. In the same way, the human infected with coronavirus cannot infect the dog in any possible way.
- Parvoviruses: This is one of the dog diseases with the highest mortality rate, it affects all the organs of the dog when it is a puppy, for that reason it is necessary that the dog has all its vaccination control up to date.
- Hepatitis: As in man, this disease comes from the liver, causing serious damage to it and other vital organs. The way to prevent this disease is through vaccinations and only three are given throughout the dog's life.
- Rage: It is only spread by wild animals that do not have any type of vaccine against this disease, these animals can be:
- Bat, which can also be a carrier of the coronavirus disease.
- Zorros
- Raccoon
- Skunk
The most common symptom of rabies is the presence of thick, white slime on the dog's snout.
Hereditary diseases
These dog diseases are presented according to the breed of the dog, they can be:
hip dysplasia
This genetic disease is very common in large dog breeds, it consists of the loss of circulation to the rear legs of dogs, this disease is exposed showing its first signs when the dog is still a puppy, with just six months.
The breeds of dogs in which this disease is normally evident are:
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- German shepherd
- St. Bernard
- Belgian shepherd malinois
- Pyrenean Mastiff
- Great dane
- Neapolitan mastiff
- French bulldog
- Bernese Mountain Dog
- English bulldog
- rottweiler
Osteoarthritis
Normally it is evidenced when the dog limps, osteoarthritis in dogs is very common, it affects the hips and extremities, it is easy to identify this disease, since when touched they become aggressive with their owner because of the strong pain they feel. The treatment of this disease is very expensive, since it is treated with broad-spectrum pain pills.
The dogs that normally suffer from this disease are:
-
- german shepherds
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador Retriever
- St. Bernard
- Rottweiler
- staffordshire-terrier
Rheumatism
In dogs, this disease often triggers other serious and painful diseases.
It is a disease that affects the bones and some organs of the dog, such as:
-
- The heart
- Lungs
It is a degenerative disease, worsening as time goes by, even if the dog is controlled by a veterinarian. Normally, this disease appears when the dog is two or three years old or even when they are puppies.
Sometimes when hip dysplasia worsens, it can also cause rheumatism, some symptoms of rheumatism are:
-
- Stiffening of the joints.
- Acute and intense pain in the extremities.
- Difficulty moving and even getting up.
- Heat in some areas of the body, it may be internal fever.
- Impossibility to climb stairs, jump and even sleep on a hard surface.
Gastric torsion
When the accumulation of gases is too much, dogs often suffer from gastric torsion, this disease usually causes a lot of pain in both dogs and cattle.
Respiratory diseases
Cough is a reflex phenomenon, whose consequence is the expulsion of air and materials or secretions contained in the respiratory tract, in general, animals that live in the city have a greater tendency to develop chronic respiratory diseases as a result of environmental pollution. in which they live.
On the other hand, animals that live in rural areas are exposed to the inclemency of the environment, causing damage to the respiratory tract, to the point of causing pneumonia, suffocation due to foreign bodies that enter the respiratory system and allergies related to grass.
There are many causes that can cause coughing in dogs, it is often related to heart failure, constituting an important alarm signal, for this reason, it must always be taken seriously, especially if it happens to an elderly animal.
Those that are of infectious origin
Depending on the location, they can be rhinitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchitis or deeper infections such as pneumonia, the scope of these conditions being variable, the appearance of the cough in these cases can give us very important clues, because if it is about diseases of the airways Upper respiratory tracts are usually loud, frequent, and intermittent.
In addition, there may be associated symptoms such as fever, dysphagia, difficulty swallowing, and salivation. On the contrary, the cough is usually short and mild when it comes to deeper conditions and if so, the general condition can be very significant.
When they are of allergic origin
They are much less frequent among carnivores than among other mammals, however, we must not forget the asthmatic crisis of dogs, whose dry cough is intermittent, the only early symptom in its earliest courses, it is usually daytime cough, not It is rare for a dog to have allergies to grasses or human dander, which makes them urge to cough or sneeze to relieve the itching problem.
It is difficult to diagnose this type of condition, however, once the cause is established, there are self-vaccines and effective treatments based on expectorants for this type of allergic cough.
Of cardiac origin
It is when the heart, like all organs, suffers from the effects of aging, 75% of dogs over 8 years of age have valvular lesions, the heart pump loses efficiency, occupying 30% of cardiac capacity in the final third of life. ; Other possible causes of cough in dogs are certain parasites or their larvae that migrate to the heart or respiratory system.
Most of the tumors that could irritate or compress the lungs, foreign bodies, trauma to the respiratory system are especially in the trachea and in small breeds. Also, it can be a way to eliminate gases, a symptom of a cold or inflammation of the throat or catarrh.