Understanding a Few of the Most Common Diseases and Conditions Dogs Have

Our dogs are prone to a lot of kinds of different diseases. To better cope with them, we need to understand what they are and what we could do to treat them with the help of our veterinarian. The common types of ills and diseases that our dogs would commonly get into are the following:

* Kennel Coughs - this is the most common type of illness among dogs and is an easily treated respiratory disease.

* Bloating - this is due to overeating. Its symptoms include frequent heaving, depression, and restlessness. This is considered to be a serious condition.

* Parvovirus - it is a contagious type of infection and could kill your dog within three days. It affects the intestines and also even the heart. Its symptoms are a decrease in appetite, severe diarrhea, depression, and the stool of your dog becomes quite different in color with spots of blood in it.

* Leptospirosis - it is a bacterial infection which can also affect humans. Its symptoms include fever, conjunctivitis, lethargy, inflammation of the kidneys, and blood clotting. In its advanced stage it can cause jaundice, intestinal inflammation, and pneumonia.

* Rabies - it is considered to be a very common yet deadly disease among dogs which, up to now, has not found any cure. It is caused by a virus which attacks the dog's central nervous system. It can be transferred by infected dog saliva. It is a disease which progresses in several stages. At first, the symptoms include only a change in behavior. Next, the dog becomes a lot more violent and during the final stage, the dog will exhibit a total lack of bodily coordination.

* Distemper - this is also another deadly disease without any known cure as yet. It is a highly contagious disease. It has been proved to be fatal in 50% of adult dogs and 80% on puppies making it the worst dog disease in the entire world. Dogs become infected by coming into contact with infected feces. Early symptoms include diarrhea, coughing, nasal discharges, chest congestion, and the eyes of the dog appear to have slimy matter. Later on, it will cause paralysis when it affects your dog's central nervous system.

* Canine Viral Hepatitis - this disease spreads by coming into contact with infected feces also. The common signs that your dog has been infected are thirsting frequently, significant loss of appetite, vomiting, and the appearance of hemorrhages in your dog's body. It affects blood vessels, the liver, and your dog's kidney.

* Dysplasia of the Retina - this is caused by the abnormal development of your dog's retina. Its effects range from minor visual problems to complete or total blindness. It also includes the formation of cataracts in your dog's eyes.

* Heartworms - this is caused by a parasite which resides in the chambers of your dog's heart, thus the name. They grow and multiply inside the heart which causes congestive heart failure if left untreated. Common signs include fatigue, lethargy, and mild coughing.

These are the common types of disease that can be found in dogs. Knowing what these are caused by will help us to know what we could do to treat them but going to your veterinarian is still the best way to diagnose and treat these disease

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