Friday, 26 April 2024

The most common dog diseases: which are the most dangerous?

17 March 2021

A dog is man's best friend. It is faithful, loyal and likes to spend time with its owner in any situation. However, it is worth remembering that four-legged pets, just like us, get sick. What diseases are the most dangerous for dogs' health and life?

Very often we underestimate the most visible symptoms of dog diseases. We should remember that our four-legged friends will not say that something hurts them. The guardian should observe all deviations in dog's behavior. If he is energetic, eager to play and has a big appetite, and at some point becomes sad, doesn't want to eat and in extreme cases is aggressive, we should consider whether our pet is not sick for something. It can be diseases of intestines, ears or rectal glands.

Intestinal inflammation in dogs - what are its symptoms?

Enteritisis a very serious conditionin dogs, which is caused by many more or less dependent on us factors. Usually, inflammatory bowel disease is the influence of toxins in the dog's body or the presence of bacteria, for example botulism, present in bad food. The most common symptoms of this disease are strong intestinal pains, which we can observe in form of aggressiveness of our pet or lethargy. However, the guardians should pay special attention to dog's excrements. Intestinal inflammation is directly connected with digestive problems. If we see that our pet has too loose stool for a long time, we should consult a doctor and pay special attention to his diet. It should not be hard to digest and must consist only of food from reputable brands offering dry and wet food for dogs with digestive problems. It is irresponsible to feed your dog leftovers from dinner when symptoms of intestinal inflammation are observed.

Ear inflammation in dogs - a problem that can have many causes

In most cases, dogs' ears are much larger than those of humans. That's why they are exposed to many serious diseases that threaten the health and even the life of our four-legged friends. The most common cause of ear inflammation in dog is atopic dermatitis, the presence of parasites inside the ear canal and various autoimmune diseases. In addition, dogs very often suffer from allergies, which as a consequence of untreated can cause ear inflammation. The consequence of neglecting the inflammation may even be a permanent narrowing of the lumen of the ear canal, which in time will cause a complete loss of hearing. The main symptoms of dog ear inflammation are violent shaking of the head, unpleasant smell coming out of the ear and excessive discharge.

Parotid gland inflammation - what exactly is it?

Anal gland inflammation is caused by the so-called blockage of the perirectal tubules. The reason for this condition may be too loose stool, food allergies, lack of vitamins and fiber in our dog's food, viral and bacterial infections or inborn predispositions, inherited from generation to generation. It should also be remembered that anal gland inflammation may be a consequence of morbid obesity of our four-legged friends. The most common symptoms of this disease are: anal swelling, bleeding, itching and uncontrolled defecation at the least opportune moment.

It is impossible to clearly define which diseases are the most dangerous for dogs. Ignoring visible symptoms of each disease can cause serious health problems, which in extreme cases can even lead to the death of our pet. So it's worth reacting quickly.