Prairie Dog Diseases to Watch-out for

If you live in the grassy plains of north or South Dakota or even Mexico, then chances are you have a prairie dog as a pet and are hence in need of knowing all about prairie dog diseases. Prairie dogs are native to these places and these adorable rodents are kept as pets by many of us. Prairie dogs, just like other dogs, are susceptible to a wide variety of diseases, some of which are Zoonotic and some of which are not.
Pneumonia
This is a disease to which prairie dogs, for some reason are overly susceptible. Not only pneumonia, respiratory disorders are quite rampant among prairie dogs. One major reason for this is that these adorable ground squirrels have a tendency to become obese; moreover, their burrows have poor ventilation. Symptoms of pneumonia in prairie dogs include a marked difficulty in breathing, lethargy, a loss of appetite and discharge of some sort from the eyes.

These symptoms are quite similar to those produced when the prairie dog is afflicted with dental or heart disease, but a skilled vet can tell the difference. Administering of antibiotics can help cure this condition. The antibiotics, along with proper care and handling can nurse your prairie dog back to good health.

Mallocclusion
Another prairie dog disease is the overgrowth of incisors or molars. Prairie dogs are especially vulnerable to dental problems. Symptoms of this disease include anorexia, weight loss and excessive salivation. Treatment assumes the form of surgery. The teeth which are the cause of the problem are removed and the animal nursed back to health.

Diarrhea
These little bundles of energy absolutely love eating, and just like humans, overeating can get prairie dogs into a lot of trouble. The symptoms of diarrhea include frequent bowel movements, liquid stool, weakness and dehydration. Treatment includes the administration of oral fluids to replace the fluid lost by the body and the administering of sulfadimethoxine, in case of an infection.

Prairie dogs are highly developed animals and social animals, when they are in the wild, they live in families and they form large communities. A characteristic of prairie dogs is that when they experience any discomfort, their inherent nature is to conceal it, so be on the look-out for prairie dog diseases which may strike your prairie dog.