Common Dog Diseases Symptoms

We treat our pets like family members, that's why it is so hard to know that your dog or cat is sick. We feed and care about them with love, we teach them to act right, we love them even if they aggressive and we need best dog barking deterrent in some situations. But it's still hard to act with the illness of pet, because they can't tell us.

Rabies

This disease is transferable to humans from dogs, if an infected animal bites them. A virus is the root cause of rabies and animals contract it from other infected animals. The virus which causes rabies attacks the dogs central nervous system and makes it hydrophobic as a result.

There are three stages of rabies in the first stage, your dog shows minor changes in behavior and a certain degree of aggression. In the next stage, worsens the condition as there is an increase in the level of aggression, barking and irritability of your dog and lastly, your dog will not be able to move about properly as he will lose all coordination. This results in ultimate death. Rabies cannot be treated, but there is a vaccine HDVC - for it.

Heartworm

Heartworm is a disease which is caused by sniffing the feces of other dogs. It is spread through parasites. It rapidly spreads and grows and causes infection of the heart and this finally results in the death of your dog. Symptoms of heartworm include coughing up of blood and difficulty breathing, weight loss, bloating of the abdomen and egestion of blood along with urine.

The good news is that heartworms can be treated, via injections of Immiticide. Surgical removal of heartworms is also possible.

Distemper

This common dog disease is again contracted through the feces of other dogs who are afflicted with this disease. Symptoms of this disease are diarrhea, coughing, accompanied by discharges from the eyes and nose and ultimate paralysis.

There is no effective treatment for this condition, but there is a vaccine which can prevent your dog from becoming afflicted with this killer disease. Vaccines made from canine tissue-culture are very effective as prevention for this common dog disease.
Common Tick-borne Diseases in Dogs

Tick borne diseases in dogs are a serious problem, especially in areas where it is an endemic. These areas include all the states which lie between and include Massachusetts and Virginia. California too, has been known to be home to the tiresome ticks! Of course cases of tick borne diseases have been reported in all 50 states of U.S.A, but these have generally occurred when the victim in question has visited the endemic areas.

Lyme disease

This is probably one of the most common tick borne diseases in dogs. The culprit? The deer tick which is a carrier of the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, with temperatures going up to the range of 103-105 degrees Fahrenheit.

A marked lethargy, difficulty walking, lack of appetite and even swelling of joints are common symptoms of Lyme disease. This can be treated with the help of antibiotics like tetracycline, penicillin based Amoxicillin and Cephalosporins. You can also do away with the possibility of your dog contracting this disease all together by vaccinating him or her.

Babesiosis

This disease can be fatal as it may be instrumental in your dog developing Hemolytic Anemia. Symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, and deterioration of the body, difficulty breathing, diarrhea and general weakness. You can treat this condition by administering imidocarb dipropionate to your dog, phenamidine isethionate or pentamidine isethionate. Vaccines are also available to prevent your dog from contracting this deadly disease.

Ehrlichiosis

Transmitted by the brown dog tick, the Lone Star tick and the American dog tick, this disease is responsible for your dog developing Thrombocytopenia. This is a very infectious disease and its symptoms include hemorrhaging, anemia, tiredness, fever, and vomiting, increased levels of thirst and frequency of urination.

Treatment of Ehrlichiosis involves the prescription of tetracycline or doxycycline. But in chronic cases, dogs fail to respond to these medicines and die an untimely death. What is worse is that no vaccine is available to prevent your dog from developing this condition.
Other tick borne diseases in dogs include Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Anaplasmosis, Encephalitis and Hepatozoonosis. Tick-borne diseases in dogs are major problems, so protecting your dog from them is every dog-owners responsibility.