Sunday, January 6, 2013

A Bunch Of Different Types Of Dog Illnesses

By Karen Keith


Just like human being dogs do get sick too most of the common types of dog illnesses are similar to human illnesses. Some of the illnesses that dogs are susceptible to are ear infections, allergies and influenza which are diseases that affect people also. Excess weight and obesity affect dogs too much like the human owners.

A common illness is the dog flu and just like in humans the symptoms are running nose, mild fever, cough and sneezing. The influenza canine strain is a result of a mutation of the horse flue and it first appeared in 2004. During a 7 to 10 day contagiousness period it can be passed from one dog to the other. This airborne virus runs its course without any medical treatment.

Allergy is another really common canine illness and happens in one out of seven dogs. This ailment has symptoms such as excessive belly and paws licking, ear and face rubbing as well as irritated itchy skin. The common allergens to dogs include mold, grass and pollen. There is also a possibility that dogs can be allergic to insect bites, food and drugs. Hives are also symptoms of an allergic reaction in dogs and appear as raised red bumps on the skin of the animal and commonly confused for another illness.

Another common illness that dogs suffer from is ear infection that results to ear mites or wax buildup. These infections can either be allergy, fungal or bacterial related. If dogs have hair under the ear flaps they are more prone to this illness. Other indicators of an ear infection are a bad smell, rubbing of ears and head shaking.

According to statistics in every five dogs one has arthritis. The reason why this happens could be because of an injury, general condition or disease. This illness is prone to larger breeds and hip dysphasia is the most frequently seen form in these dogs. Another ailment is kennel cough which is caused by an airborne virus or bacterium. This could cause dogs to have irritation on the trachea and a distinctive cough.

Its not a common occurrence for dogs to suffer heart attack although one out of ten dogs may suffer congenital heart disease. As the heart weakens the illness becomes more prominent. The heart beats faster when there is not enough blood being circulated through the dogs system due to the weakening of heart muscles. Unfortunately this ailment can not be cured.

The most common of all types of dog illnesses is obesity which is also shared by the human population. 40 percent of dogs are estimated to suffer from this ailment. The effects of this illness in dogs are much similar to those in humans which result in high blood pressure, arthritis and diabetes.




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