subject: Dog Health: Recognizing and Preventing Common Dog Ailments [print this page] Dog Health: Recognizing and Preventing Common Dog Ailments
Why Every Owner Should Know About Dog Ailments
Common Dog Ailments - How To Spot Them: How To Treat Them
It is a sad fact that if left untreated, or unrecognized, many of the most common Dog ailments can actually be life threatening for your animal. In order to keep your beloved Dog safe from harm, it is vital to educate yourself around the most common Dog ailments that may possibly effect your pet. What the symptoms are and how to recognize and treat them.
Rabies is a Dog ailment that is contracted by the bite from a wild Rabid animal. Once considered fatal in all cases, the mortality rate of Rabies has been significantly reduced with the advent of medical knowledge. Vaccination will prevent your Dog from contracting Rabies and should be administered by a Veterinary specialist at the earliest opportunity. Although uncommon in todays society Rabies cases are rare, but not unheard of. The symptoms include a severe change of behavior, signified by increased aggression. Foaming at the mouth, rolling, wild eyes and in later stages, Coma and death. A truly horrible disease, luckily easily preventable.
If you haven't heard of Distemper then you owe it to yourself and the well-being of your animal to educate yourself around this particular dog ailment. At the turn of the century, Distemper was one of the most prevalent diseases amongst domesticated and wild Dogs. Recognizable symptoms include aggravated coughing and Diarrhea. As these can also be harmless stomach bug type symptoms, many dog owners 'weather the storm' rather than taking their Dogs for a secondary medical opinion. This is the wrong move. If it turns out to be nothing - fine, but Distemper can lead to neurological damage to your pet which remains incurable. Luckily the disease can be prevented with vaccination by a medical professional.
The third Dog ailment that creates respiratory problems in Dogs is actually caused by the bite from disease carrying Mosquitos. It is an ailment known as Heartworm. Suffering Dogs will experience fatigue, breathing challenges and fits of coughing. Being very difficult to treat without the right medical drugs, this is of particular concern to dog owners in Hot climate countries where Mosquitos are rampant. If your Dog contracts heartworm then the good news is that it is indeed curable, via monitored doses of the specialist drug Ivermectin.
The Dog ailment Bloat is another common condition that affects many Dogs. Prevalent amongst larger Breeds. It comes about through the Dog overeating or eating too fast for its body to break down and process the food efficiently. Bloat will cause great discomfort for your Pet, as the internal build up of Gas and fluid leads to a swollen, painful abdomen and potential twisting of the stomach. The symptoms of a possible Bloat attack are incessant coughing, dry heaving and irritability in your Dogs behavior towards usual activities such as family interaction. This is not a disease which can be cured or prevented by Vaccination. Instead, it is up to the owner to monitor your Dog at meal times to ensure they are eating a given amount in a relaxed manner. That is why larger Breeds are better to eat smaller portions throughout the day rather than one big meal.
As you have read, Dog ailments can be deadly if left untreated. Thankfully, with todays ever ongoing increases in knowledge around Dog health and Dog ailments, all of the above can be prevented or treated via vaccination and owner responsibility. Make sire that your beloved Dog stays healthy and happy by giving them a regular medical health check with a trusted local Veterinarian.
