Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Dog Diseases: A Quick Guide To Fight The Early Symptoms

Title: Dog Diseases: A Quick Guide To Fight The Early Symptoms
Author: Ashish Jain

Like all the domestic animals, dogs are susceptible to many
diseases. So in order to keep them healthy, it is necessary to
understand the various diseases they can suffer from. Here is
your quick guide on common dog diseases:

Rabies: This disease is caused due to a virus which affects the
central nervous system of the dog. It generally spreads through
the saliva. Rabies has several stages. In the first stage, there
appears some behavior changes in your dog. As it reaches the
second stage, the dog becomes very aggressive and by the third
stage the body parts of the dog stop coordinating with each
other. Once encountered the disease, there remains no cure.

Distempter: This is considered as the biggest threat to the
whole population of the dog species. The symptoms are heavy
nasal discharge, congestion in the chest, weight loss, coughing,
gunky eyes and diarrhea. As the disease reaches its later
stages, it has a direct effect on the nervous system of the dog
causing paralysis. It is a contagious disease and the virus can
be encountered by the air. Even by coming in contact with the
excretion of the infected dog, the healthy dog can get
afflicted. Once the dog is infected, then there is no cure for
the disease. This deadly disease can be prevented by giving a
proper vaccination to the dog.

Bloat: It is a serious disorder in a dog, wherein there occurs
a twisting in the stomach of the animal. It generally occurs due
to over eating. If the dog appears restless and depressed with
dry heaves, then you must treat him for bloat.

Parvovirus: This virus is a fast killer as the symptoms can be
seen in the dogs within hours of the virus attack, even killing
the dog within 48-72 hours. It is a contagious disease and
directly attacks the intestinal tract of the dog's digestive
system. The effect of the virus can also be seen on the heart of
the dog. The symptoms include depression, severe form of
diarrhea, vomiting and also loss of appetite. In this disease
the color of the feacel matter changes and often have blood
stains.

Canine Viral Hepatitis: This disease directly targets the
kidney, the liver and the blood vessels of the dog. The symptoms
include loss in appetite, intense thirst, vomiting and
hemorrhages. The virus of the disease spreads through the faecel
matter of the other dogs. The dogs can be prevented from this
disease by administering them with the vaccination.

Kennel Cough: This is the most common respiratory disease among
the dogs, wherein a typical kind of cough can be seen in the
dogs. If given proper treatment, the disorder can be mended.

Leptospirosis: It is a bacterial disease. It spreads through
the excretion of the animals. If human beings any how come in
contact with this virus, they can also be infected. There is not
one but several species of bacterias that produce this disease
in dogs. The common symptoms of this disease are kidney
inflammation, lethargy, conjuctivita, low grade fever and even
sometimes clotting of blood. If the disease is more chronic the
symptoms can be jaundice, pneumonia and intestinal inflammation.

Retinal Dysplasia: It is a disorder where there is an abnormal
development of the retina. There occurs folds in the outer
layers of the retina. It is the most common type of disease that
is present in most of the breeds of dogs. A minor form of
dysplasia causes minor vision problems, whereas an acute one can
lead to total blindness in dogs. Cataract is also accompanied by
this disorder.

Lyme Disease: It is a bacterial disease that is spread by
ticks. The dog suffers from joint pains, loss of appetite, fever
and lethargy. Tetracycline, an antibiotic is used for the
treatment of this disease.

It is thus important to detect early symptoms of these diseases
in your pet dogs and meet your vet as soon as possible. This
will not only keep your dog healthy but will also keep it away
from any of the life threatening diseases.

About The Author: The author writes about a number of different
topics. For more information on pet dogs visit
http://www.thepetdogs.com/ and also visit the article pages:
http://www.thepetdogs.com/dogs-and-health/ and
http://www.thepetdogs.com/dog-breeds/

.

__,_._,___