Dog Conditions and Diseases

Dog conditions and diseases are a very widely studied area in veterinary medicine, this is simply because dogs are mans best friend and every dog-owner loves his or her pet dearly. Dogs can suffer from various medical conditions, some of which are completely unique to dogs and some of which overlap with common diseases which we humans are prone to. These medical conditions can be due to a variety of reasons bacterial attack, viral attack, fungal attack, parasite infections, protozoal attacks or simply aging disorders.

Problems Related to the Heart

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a dog condition which commonly affects aging dogs. This happens when the heart gets enlarged and is not able to pump sufficient blood in order to meet the bodys circulatory needs. Symptoms of this condition include chest pain, shortness of breath, lethargy and tiredness and a generally unwillingness to play or fetch. Treatment of this condition can be accomplished by administering ACE inhibitors, restricting salt intake, a vaccine is being developed for this disease.

Canine Herpes Virus

Canine herpes virus is another illness which should not be given a miss on an important list of dog conditions and diseases. Symptoms of this disease includes a general weakness, depression, crying, yellowish feces and a loss of the ability to suck (this condition generally occurs in puppies). Treatment can be accomplished by administering antibodies via an injection. Another thing that is important is the temperature at which the puppies are kept. This should generally be on the higher side.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

This is a Rickettsial disease which is transmitted to dogs by the bite of the tick which carries the bacteria. Symptoms of this disease include fever, lethargy and lameness, soreness of muscles, difficulty breathing and skin lesions and rashes. Treatment can be administered by given the dog appropriate antibiotics. Chloramphenicol is a drug which is often administered in this case. Cortocisteroids also help to treat this condition.

Von Willebrand Disease
This is a hereditary condition in which the blood fails to clot on account of the absence of the Von Willebrand factor. The main symptom of this disease is excessive bleeding; some affected dogs also have a lower level of thyroid secretion. Treatment generally involves blood transfusion and a drug called Desmopressin acetate. There are many, many dog conditions and diseases out here a dog owner should know about, these are just some of them.