Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment

Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment

Fellow Dog Owner, If You’d Cry If Your Dog Died, Then You Need To See This!

Discover The Deadly Secret The Dog Food Industry Spends Millions To Make Sure You Never Find Out!

Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment With regards to Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment choosing pet food for the dog, it’s really a challenging choice. There are so many various pet food brands, tastes, dimensions, and shapes of pet food out there that creating an option can be hard. If you are choosing food for the canine, you want to make sure that you receive them the best possible food. They should get meals that will help keep them wholesome, match, and happy. So, when you are choosing the food for your canine, you’ll have to think about dietary requirements, the manufacturers accessible, your personal choices, and maybe the cost of the food. However, before you make your final choice, the following are several questions you should ask.Query Number1 – What Size is Your Dog? – To begin with, you are going to have to Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment think about about how big your dog. Have you got a very large canine, a moderate dog, or perhaps a little or toy dog? How big your dog is definitely going to influence the type of meals that you buy. When you are searching for food, look for pet food that is specific to the size of your dog. Small canines won’t be able to get their mouths round the meals designed for big canines, and enormous canines will need something more considerable than meals Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment designed for smaller canines.Question Number2 – Does Your Pet Have Allergies? – You should also ask yourself regardless of whether your dog has any allergies when you’re selecting dog food too. Should there be certain ingredients that your pet is hypersensitive to, you’ll have to be cautious when creating your decision. Ensure that there are no ingredients within the dog food that may cause an allergic reaction with your dog.

Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment

Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment Question #3 – What is Your Canines Grow older? – The age of your pet is another important consideration when you are picking out food for your canine. Is the dog an older canine, a young adult canine, or a small puppy? There are different meals available depending on the chronilogical age of your pet. You’ll find puppy food for young puppies, adult pet food for grownup dogs, and there is older pet food available for the dogs that are getting older. A dogs requirements are very different as they age, so you’ll need to get the right dog foods for their age.Question #4 – Are there Any Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment Health Concerns to think about? – Any health issues that the canine may have can influence the kind of dog food you purchase for the dog as well. Does your pet take some dog dietary supplements within the meals to assist with health issues like eye issues, stylish dysplasia, or perhaps other joint problems? Also, some components may not be easily broken down by canines which have health issues, so keep this in mind as well.Query Number5 – How Active may be the Canine – It’s also wise to think about about the level of activity of the dog as well. Is your canine really energetic or perhaps is your dog more on the inactive aspect? You will find dog meals available which are especially for canines that are very energetic. Nevertheless, ensure give this sort of pet food to some dog that is not as active.Query #6 – Is There Real Beef within the Meals? – An additional query to ask is whether or not there is any real meat within the food that you choose. The beef ought to be within the first few components, and great beef consists of fish, lamb, poultry, and goose. When there is no meat, there ought to at least be “meal” indexed by the first couple ingredients.Question #7 – Is the Food Produced by an excellent Company? – The caliber of the company that makes your meals are certainly essential as nicely. You would like to be sure that the food comes from a organization that you can trust which will supply your pet with the healthy meals that is needed. Take time to check into the company as well as their background before you choose food from that company.So, prior to choosing any type of food for the dog, make sure to request all of these questions. If you are sure to request all these concerns before you choose the dog food, you will be sure to get the kind of meals that your canine enjoys. Also, you will get meals that is high quality and healthy for the dog as well.Dr. Mayra Alfonso, the writer from the new ebook Dog Food Allergy Symptoms Treatment InchThe Nature of Dog Recovery, The Conclusive Alternative Guide for your CanineInch has compiled a very reference on dogs, including the problems they face in health and nutrition. This ebook is an excellent supply for anyone who want to be aware of real information about their dogs’ health. Visit Doctor. Alfonso’s blog at [http:Or/www.CoolDogHallofFame.org] ,to obtain the latest, enjoyable and useful information about dogs.Significantly increase the pleased years of your pet by looking into my totally free report. I expose all of the secrets and techniques I have personally accustomed to develop a happy, more healthy canine. Go to [http:OrOrworld wide web.DogNaturalHealing.org/83percent.html] right now prior to we wise up and choose to no longer give this unique report free of charge!
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Heartworm in Dogs

What are heartworms?

Heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) are parasitic worms that can live in the heart, lungs and associated blood vessels of your dog. Male heartworms are four to six inches in length with females being larger at about 10-12 inches when fully grown after one year after infection. These nasty parasites are long-lived and are good at avoiding your dog’s immune system, and on average live inside your dog for about five to seven years.

How does my dog get heartworms?

When heartworms mature at about a year old, the adult worms mate and the females release their offspring  called microfilariae, into the blood stream where they are sucked up in the blood when the dog in bitten by mosquitoes  The mosquitoes then go off to drink from another dog and in the process they release the young heartworms into the bloodstream of the dog they have just bitten and thereby infecting the new dog with heart worms to repeat the cycle. While dogs are the definitive host for heartworms they may infect more than 30 species of animals such as other members of the canine (dog) family (coyotes, foxes, wolves) and even domestic cats and ferrets.

Can people get heartworms from dogs?

In extremely rare cases, heartworms have infected people, but it cannot complete its life cycle in a human being. The juvenile heartworm migrates to the lung and cause a spherical lesion that resembles a tumour. But again these are very, very rare cases.

What are the signs or symptoms of heartworm in dogs?

The heart and lungs are the major organs affected by heartworms and will be affected to varying degrees depending on a number of factors such as the level of infection, age of the dog and also the dog’s activity level. Older and active dogs will usually show a greater level of symptoms as they will already have strain placed on their cardiovascular system that is under attack from the heartworms also. A younger dog that is a couch potato is less likely to feel the strain on their cardiovascular resources from a heartworm infection. General symptoms of heartworm infection are a cough that worsens over time and scale of the infection, exercise intolerance, difficulty breathing and abnormal lung sounds, enlargement of the liver, poor blood flow to the brain resulting in temporary loss of consciousness, abnormal heart activity to eventually death.

How to detect heartworm in dogs

Usually a blood test is required to give a definite answer to whether your dog has heartworm or not as usually this is an antigen based test looking for chemical markers that are specific to female heartworms. This is necessary before a dog can begin treatment for heartworm disease.

Preventing and treating heartworm infection in dogs

The best course of action is to prevent heartworm infection in the first place using a product specifically designed for heartworm such as ‘Proheart’ injection that is given once a year when your dog has their vaccination, but other products that are used once a month are also effective. It is just easier for most people to remember the injection once per year than a tablet or spot-on once per month.

Treating heartworm is a much more lengthy and dangerous process as well as being more expensive also. Sometimes prevention may not be an option if you are adopting an older dog or a dog from a shelter or rescue that may already have a heartworm infestation. Your vet will advise you on the appropriate course of action depending on the maturity of the heartworms in your dog but in all cases a dog that is undergoing treatment for heartworm should avoid even moderate exercise.

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Leptospirosis in dogs

Leptospirosis is an acute, chronic or clinically inapparent highly infectious disease of animals and man characterized by fever, haemoglobinuria, jaundice and abortion. Leptospirosis is world wide in distribution and is of zoonotic importance. Leptospirosis is also known as Weil’s disease in man.

Leptospirosis in dog is caused by Leptospira icterohaemorrhagie, Leptospira canicola, Leptospira Grippotyphosa and Leptospira pomona. Leptospira is a spiral-shaped bacteria with long, helically coiled bodies.

Which animals are susceptible to leptospirosis?
Dogs, cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, horse, donkey are susceptible to leptospirosis. Cases of leptospirosis in cats are rare

Which dog is most susceptible to listeriosis?
Dogs of all ages suffer from leptospirosis but young dogs between the age group of 1-4 years are more suspectible to leptospirosis than matured dogs. Large breed of dogs are more susceptible than smaller breed of dogs. It is common in German Shepherds, Retrievers, mixed breed and working dogs.

How is leptospirosis transmitted in dogs?
Transmission of leptospirosis takes place by direct contact with urine of infected animals and rat. Ingestion of contaminated food and carcass, bite wounds, abrasions of skin or mucous membrane also transmitts the disease. Dogs drink, walk and swim through contaminated water and so they are very prone to leptospirosis. Stagnant water, contaminated with urine is a common source of infection as the organism multiply more in stagnant water. Indirect transmission takes place by contaminated water source, food, bedding etc. Incidence of leptospirosis is high during flood. Ticks may transmit the disease from an infected dog to a healthy one by deposition of the organism in the exposed skin and mucous membrane. Recovered dog excrete the organism in the urine as long as three years.

What are the signs and symptoms of leptospirosis in dogs?
Incubation period is usually 2-14 days.Signs in dogs include fever, anorexia, depression, oculonasal discharge, lethargy. As the disease progresses the organism damage the blood vesels of kidney and liver. In this case vomiting, dehydration, lumbar pain can be seen in dog. Kidney failure, liver disease occurs in severe cases. The dog have foul breath (halitosis) because of ulceration of buccal mucosa and tonsillar movements. In dogs with moderate infection of leptospirosis the mucous membranes, fatty tissue and unpigmented skin show yellow tinge (indicating liver disease like icterus) and this yellow discolouration is found mainly in the abdomen, foot pads, inner sides of ear. The dog increase its daily water intake and so there is increase urination. The dog has blood tinged reddish urine and uremia. Reproductive failure also occurs in dogs. Majority of these dogs recover in two or three weeks but some lose kidney function and die slowly from accumulation of waste product (uremia).

What are the signs and symptoms of listeriosis observed in man?
In the first phase of the disease non specific flu like symptoms like headaches, eye pain with bright lights, muscle aches followed by chills and fever are seen. Eye becomes red and symptoms seem to improve by the fifth to ninth day. The second phase begins with fever and aching with stiffness of the neck. Inflammation of the nerves to the eyes, brain, spinal column or other nerves develop in some cases. Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting occurs. The symptoms in humans appear after a 4–14 day incubation period.

Diagnosis of leptospirosis:
Diagnosis is done by the following:
(a) History of the dog- Whether the dog is vaccinated or not, whether the dog came in any contact with infected animals, ingested contaminated food and carcass etc
(b) Clincal signs- Yellow discolouration of skin, increase daily water intake, increase urination, blood tinged reddish urine etc
(c) Laboratory findings like elevation of leucocytic count, raise bilirubin values, raise BUN level
(d) Demonstration of organism by dark field microscopy
(e) Culture of urine or blood or infected tissues
(f) Histopathological examination of kidney, liver and brain tissues using Silver or Giemsa

stain
(g) Animal inoculation is done by injecting suspected materials from liver, spleen or brain into

mice
(h) Serological tests like ELISA, Fluorescent antibody technique etc is done

Treatment of leptospirosis in dogs:
(a) Intravenous fluid- in case of dehydration and also to flush out the kidneys and prevent their destruction
(b) Antibiotics like sodium penicillin G eliminate leptospiremia followed by doxycycline to eliminate the the renal carrier phase .Ffluoroquinolone antibiotics such as enrofloxacin are also effective
(c) Corticosteriod – to speed up the elimination of urea
(d) Vitamins and minerals- to restore vitality

Prevention and control of leptospirosis in dogs:
Dogs should be vaccinated at 9 weeks of age. Booster should be done at 12-16 weeks of age and then anually. A killed mixed vaccine of L.icterohaemorrhagiae and L.canicola is used. A new vaccine by Fort Dodge now also protects against the serovars L. grippotyphosa and L. pomona. Antibiotics like Amoxicillin or doxycycline should be given for 7-10 days to those dogs that have been recently exposed to leptospirosis to prevent infection. Rodent populations should be controlled as rodents are the main carrier of leptospirosi. Adequate measures should be taken to prevent contamination of water. Suspected or infected dogs should be seperated from healthy ones. Recovered dogs should be separated for atleast two months following clinical recovery.

Prevent exposure of the dog with rat or any other wild animal

Prevention and control of leptospirosis in man from dog:
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease and can pass the infection to man through contact with infected dog and also from contaminated water. Wear gloves and wash hands thoroughly after cleaning up vomit, faeces ,urine etc of infected dog and also while handling the infected dog. Do not allow the children to handle or play with dogs infected with leptospirosis or suspected of being infected from leptospirosis. Leptospira organism are destroyed by heat and disinfectants. Urine from infected dogs and other contaminated surfaces should be cleaned with antibacterial cleaning solution or a solution of 1 part household bleach in 10 parts water. Disinfectants like sodium hypochlorate, calcium chloride and sodium hydroxide can also be used. Water should not be allowed to remain stagnant for a long period of time.

Your Pet Can Give You a Disease

Kriss Szkurlatowski (sxc.hu)

In recent years, the drug-resistant bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which used to be found exclusively in humans, has turned up in pets. Humans can acquire MRSA (often pronounced “mersa”) during a hospital stay, then pass it on to their pets, where it can live for several months before being passed back to humans who have close contact with the pets. Dogs and cats both appear to be potential carriers of the bacteria, which can cause severe skin infections, pneumonia and even death in both humans and pets. For protection, always wash your hands after handling a pet, and don’t let a pet lick your face. Take your pet to the vet if he/she has any sign of a skin infection.

Other diseases that you can get from your pets…

DOGS

Roundworms. Toxocariasis is an infection acquired from the roundworm parasite that lives in the feces of infected dogs. Roundworm eggs find their way into the soil and can be ingested after gardening in infected soil or petting a dog that has been rolling around on the ground. Once ingested, the eggs develop into worms that migrate around the human body. Roundworm infections are more common in arid areas, where the eggs can survive in soil for years.

Human symptoms: Mild infections may not cause symptoms. More serious infections may cause abdominal pain, cough, fever, itchy skin and shortness of breath.

Human treatment: Antiparasitic drugs.

Dog symptoms: Diarrhea, weight loss.

Dog treatment: Deworming medication.

Prevention: Wash hands thoroughly after working in the garden or petting your dog.

Hookworms are in the feces of infected dogs. Hookworm larva can penetrate the skin and develop into worms that tunnel under the skin, creating itchy red tracks.

Human symptoms: Itching, rash, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite.

Human treatment: Antiparasitic drugs.

Dog symptoms: Diarrhea, weight loss.

Dog treatment: Deworming medication.

Prevention: Avoid bare-skin contact with soil or beaches where dogs may have defecated.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that affects the urinary tracts of dogs and other animals that acquire the infection through their noses or mouths after spending time in habitats shared by raccoons and other wildlife. Humans acquire it when an open sore or mucous membrane comes in contact with the bacteria.

Human symptoms: Some infected people have no symptoms. Others have high fever, severe headache, chills, vomiting and sometimes jaundice.

Human treatment: Antibiotics.

Dog symptoms: Lethargy, loss of appetite, jaundice.

Dog treatment: Fluids and antibiotics.

Prevention: Wear gloves when working around soil or a habitat shared with raccoons. Avoid swimming or wading in water that might be contaminated with animal urine.

CATS

Ringworm is not a worm but a fungal infection named for the circular rash it causes on humans. Ringworm is transmitted via direct contact with an infected animal’s skin or hair.

Human symptoms: Ring-shaped rash that is reddish and often itchy.

Human treatment: Antifungal ointment.

Cat symptoms: Hair thinning and loss.

Cat treatment: Antifungal ointment.

Prevention: Keep your cat inside to minimize the risk for skin parasites.

Toxoplasmosis. Some cats shed a potentially infectious organism in their feces that can be particularly dangerous if ingested by pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems. Cats typically become infected when they eat infected prey, such as mice or birds. Humans can accidentally ingest the parasites after cleaning out a litter box.

Human symptoms: Most people never develop symptoms. Those who do may have headache, fever, fatigue, body aches.

Human treatment: Certain medications can reduce the severity.

Cat symptoms: Often no signs.

Cat treatment: Antibiotics.

Prevention: Pregnant women should avoid cleaning litter boxes. Keep your cat indoors.

Cat scratch fever. This is a bacterial disease caused by Bartonella henselae. The organism usually is carried by fleas that live on the cat.

Human symptoms: Swollen lymph nodes, fever and malaise.

Human treatment: Antibiotics.

Cat symptoms: Most cats don’t show any signs of illness.

Cat treatment: Flea medication.

Prevention: Promptly wash and disinfect any cat scratches.

BIRDS

Psittacosis. Some birds carry bacteria that cause a bacterial respiratory infection in humans, acquired when they inhale dried secretions from infected birds.Human symptoms: Fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and dry cough.

Human treatment: Antibiotics.

Bird symptoms: Typically no symptoms, though some birds show signs of respiratory illness, such as lethargy and discharge from eyes and nasal airways.

Bird treatment: Antibiotics.

Prevention: Use extreme care in handling any pet bird showing signs of respiratory illness.

Source:  Jon Geller, DVM, a veterinarian at Veterinary Emergency Hospital, Fort Collins, Colorado. Dr. Geller writes for numerous pet magazines and answers dog owners’ questions online at http://www.dogchannel.com.

If Your Dog Enjoys The Lake, Look For Signs Of Parasites - CBS Minnesota

Reporting Bill Hudson

Filed under

Health, Local, News, Seen On WCCO-TV, Syndicated Local, Watch + Listen

Related tags

Bill Hudson, Cassandra Carlson, Como Lake, Diarrhea, Dogs, Giardia, Heidi Mittelsteadt, Infection, Parasites, Swimming, Veterinarian

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – We’ve all heard about the dog days of summer, when lake water starts to look like only your dog would swim in it.

But it turns out there is a real threat to swimming dogs that is invisible.

The Giardia parasite can be swallowed by dogs while they are swimming and playing in the water. If your dog has diarrhea after being in a lake or a river, visit your vet right away.

Four-and-a-half-year-old Max has loved the water since he was a puppy. Fetching his ball from Como Lake is always on Max’s to-do list. His owner, Cassandra Carlson, says he never gets sick from swimming.

“I guess I’m just not too concerned at this point, just because he swam all his life and he has never had anything happen to him from doing so,” Carlson said.

But veterinarian Dr. Heidi Mittelsteadt says Giardia cases are frequent during the summer months.

“All throughout summer we see dogs with Giardia,” Dr. Mittelsteadt said. “I had two German Shepard puppies here this morning with it.”

Giardia can be transmitted from dog to dog through licking, but the most common source is water.

“They do ingest lake water, river water. Like I said, drinking out of puddles in the woods – that can also be a source of infection,” she said.

But some dogs can be infected with Giardia and not show any symptoms. A dog should still be screened every year to cut down the transmission of the parasite.

“I think the best thing is for you to bring in a stool sample if your dog is symptomatic: has diarrhea, decreased appetite, anything like that,” she said. “Bring in a sample on your yearly exam so we can screen for it.”

The treatment for the parasite is quite effective, so swimming is not out of the question – as long as you pay attention to your pet.

“But I’m also a big quality-of-life person, so I let my dogs swim in lakes,” she said.

Dr. Mittelsteadt also says it’s very unlikely a dog can get Giardia from a clean water source, like a shared water bowl at a dog park.

But she stresses that annual checkups are crucial.

Symptoms To Watch For In Your Dog: Excessive Head Shaking

by Jana Rade

You might have noticed that when talking about symptoms, sometimes a qualifying word is included, such as excessive panting, excessive drinking, excessive head shaking. That is because these are normal behaviors and whether or not there is a problem is a question of degree.

Dogs will shake their heads in response to any irritation, such as pain, an itch, a tickle or a bug bite.

If your dog is shaking their head persistently, you need to pay attention and look for a cause.

On our summer walks, JD will shake his head quite often, to fend off bugs. Deer flies in particular seem to like him. I think they know they can drive him nuts. Jasmine was much less concerned about them, she was a bush dog at heart. It was me who was following her around and chasing them off. She didn’t seem to care.

The other day, on the way from the farm, JD kept shaking his head.

This was cause for concern and we were going to check his ears when we got home. He kept shaking and shaking … and then we saw an ant waltz out of his ear. There was our culprit. The shaking stopped.

When an especially mean stray tick got on Jasmine’s ear, her instinct was to shake her head. 

(Stray tick because it was one of the only two we ever found at the ranch.)

The bite was painful for Jasmine though, so every time she started to shake her head she’d cry a little, stop and hold her head down, tilted towards the affected ear.

This immediately alerted us to a problem and we found and removed the invader.

When your dog starts shaking their head like that, examine the ears, eyes, head, neck and skin carefully. Pay particularly close attention to the ears.

Some culprits are obvious and easy to deal with. Some require attention of your veterinarian.

A common cause of head shaking is otitis, inflammation of the ear canal. Grass awns, ear mites and other things might be at play but, allergies are also very common causes of ear inflammation.

An inflamed ear makes a great playground for bacteria or yeast. Infection often follows.

If there is redness, swelling, discharge or bad odor to the ears, it’s time to see your veterinarian. If pain is involved, see your veterinarian right away. If you have a reason to suspect a foxtail, also don’t delay. Those nasty little things can travel throughout your dog’s body and cause serious damage.

Some breeds are also susceptible to ear vasculitis, which is inflammation of the blood vessels in the ear flap.

This condition typically comes with thickening of the ear margins, which eventually ulcerate and crust over.

Dogs with balance issues, be it from trauma, stroke, inner ear infection or vestibular syndrome, might shake their heads in an attempt to relieve their symptoms.

Not only is excessive head shaking a symptom of a problem, it can actually be a cause for one as well.

Sometimes a dog can shake their head so much that it will cause the blood vessels in the ear flap to rupture, resulting in a hematoma.

This will look like a swelling of the ear flap. It really is a pocket of blood and it will cause your dog to shake their head even more. Ear hematomas require veterinary attention if they are to heal without permanent disfigurement.

All this refers to voluntary head shaking.

This is what we typically picture as a head shake. There are such  things as involuntary head tremors, which are another story all together.

***

Further reading:
Head shaking – an ear of an issue!
Why Does My Dog . . . Shake His Head All of the Time?
My Dog is Shaking His Head

Related articles:
Symptoms: Recognition, Acknowledgement And Denial
Symptoms To Watch For In Your Dog: Excessive Panting
Symptoms To Watch For In Your Dog: Excessive Drinking
Symptoms To Watch For In Your Dog: Bad Odor 
Symptoms to Watch For In Your Dog: Excessive Drooling  
What Can Your Dog’s Gums And Tongue Tell You? 
Symptoms To Watch For In Your Dog: Coughing

the Signs of Dog Disease

Following is a list of most common diseases and in a dog and signs that characterize them. However, this list is not intended to be used to diagnose and treat your dog, but rather as a tool to tell when your dog is ill. Communicating with your veterinarian is a key part of ensuring good health care for your dog.

DISEASES	SIGNS
Abscesses (according to site)	difficulty moving, fever, loss of appetite, pus
Arthritis	painful to touch
Burns	rapid breathing, shedding coat, ulceration
Cystitis (inflammation of the bladder)	abdominal pain, blood in the urine, difficult or no urination, painful urination, urinary incontinence
Dermatitis (skin inflammation)	shedding coat, skin irritation, ulceration
Diabetes Insipidus	intense thirst, urinary incontinence, urinary incontinence, voracious appetite
Diabetes Mellitus	bad breath, coma, frequent urination, intense thirst, urinary incontinence, voracious appetite
Distemper	abdominal pain, convulsions, cough, diarrhea (normal), loss of appetite, fever, low spirits, poor appetite, rapid breathing, trembling, vomiting, voracious appetite
Eclampsia	changes in behavior, convulsions, bedsores, fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, loss of balance, painful breathing, trembling
Eczema	shedding coat, skin irritation
Enteritis (inflammation of the intestines)	abdominal pain, diarrhea (normal), loss of appetite, vomiting, weight loss
External Parasites	scratches the ears, shedding coat, skin irritation
Foreign Bodies	abdominal pain, constipation, cough, cyanosis, diarrhea (normal), difficulty swallowing, intense thirst, loss of appetite, painful to touch, scratches the ears, swelling of the abdomen, vomiting
Gastritis	abdominal pain, bad breath, loss of appetite, swelling of the abdomen, vomiting
Hemorrhage	conspicuous inner eyelid, painful breathing, rapid breathing, shock
Heart Disease	abdominal distension, convulsions, cough, lethargy, mucous tissues pale, painful breathing
Heat Stroke	changes in behavior, coma, bedsores, fever, intense thirst, loss of appetite, loss of balance, low spirits, painful breathing, painful to touch, rapid breathing, shock, ulceration
Infectious Hepatitis	abdominal pain, diarrhea (with blood), fever, intense thirst, jaundice, lethargy, loss of appetite, painful breathing, rapid breathing, vomiting
Internal Parasites	cough, diarrhea (with blood), diarrhea (normal), mucous tissues pale, swelling of the abdomen, vomiting, voracious appetite, weight loss
Intestinal Blockage	abdominal pain, constipation, convulsions, lethargy, loss of appetite, poor appetite, vomiting
Leptospirosis	abdominal pain, blood in the urine, cyanosis, diarrhea (normal), difficult or no urination, fever, jaundice, lethargy, loss of appetite, painful urination, poor appetite, rapid breathing, vomiting
Leukemia	lethargy, loss of appetite, low spirits, mucous tissues pale, conspicuous inner eyelid painful breathing, rapid breathing, vomiting
Metritis (inflammation of the uterus)	abdominal pain, convulsions, cyanosis (low blood oxygen), lethargy, loss of appetite, conspicuous inner eyelid, pus, swelling of the abdomen, vomiting
Nephritis	abdominal distension, abdominal pain, bad breath, cyanosis (low blood oxygen), difficult or no urination, fever, frequent urination, lethargy, low spirits, painful urination, swelling of the abdomen
Otitis	convulsions, loss of balance, pus, scratches the ears, skin irritation
Para-Influenza	cough, painful breathing
Parvovirus	convulsions, diarrhea with blood, diarrhea (normal), fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, low spirits, conspicuous inner eyelid, poor appetite, rapid breathing, vomiting, weight loss
Poisoning	changes in behavior, convulsions, cyanosis (low blood oxygen), diarrhea (with blood), diarrhea (normal), poor appetite, rapid breathing, shedding coat, shock, trembling, vomiting
Rabies	changes in behavior, convulsions, fever, intense thirst, loss of balance, low spirits, mucous tissues pale, conspicuous inner eyelid, poor appetite, trembling, weight loss
Ringworm	shedding coat
Stones	abdominal pain, blood in the urine, difficult or no urination, painful urination, urinary incontinence
Tartar	bad breath
Tonsillitis	cough, difficulty swallowing, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting
Toothache	bad breath, difficulty swallowing, intense thirst, loss of appetite
Torsion of the Stomach	abdominal pain, changes in behavior, coma, convulsions, difficulty swallowing, intense thirst, loss of appetite, conspicuous inner eyelid, mucous tissues pale, painful breathing, painful to touch, poor appetite, rapid breathing, swelling of the abdomen, vomiting
Tuberculosis	cough, loss of appetite, low spirits, conspicuous inner eyelid, painful breathing, rapid breathing, trembling, weight loss
Tumors	abdominal distension, loss of appetite, mucous tissues pale, conspicuous inner eyelid, painful to touch, weight loss

What is an Addisonian Crisis in Addison dogs? - Addisons in Dogs

An Addisonian crisis in Addison dogs is a medical emergency. Symptoms can be vague and mimic gastrointestinal disorders, acute renal failure, liver disease, insulinoma, hypothyroidism or hypoglycemia. Here are the symptoms that generally indicate Addison’s crisis in most cases:

Symptoms of an Addison’s crisis in Addison dogs:

• severe weakness


• lethargy


• slow heart rate (bradycardia)


• not eating


• drinking and urinating frequently


• rarely, vomiting blood and/or blood in the stool


• rarely, seizures due to hypoglycemia

A dog in an Addisonian crisis needs specialized care by a veterinarian who will look at several factors before treating your pet. If your pet arrives at the vets with cardiovascular collapse  and atrial standstill, aggressive therapy will be needed to correct low blood volume (hypovolemia), electrolyte disturbances (hyponatremia), low levels of cortisol, and a variety of other life-threatening conditions that may be present. Depending on the condition your pet is in at the time, treatment may include:

1. IV saline solution to help replace lost electrolyte and other minerals. IV saline can also dilute the high levels of potassium in the blood


2. IV prednisolone sodium succinate or dexamethasone sodium phosphate to replace glucocorticoids


3. DOCP or Florinef to replace mineralcorticoids.


4. IV Calcium gluconate to treat life-threatening heart arrythmias.

Our dog, Shakti, survived an Addisonian crisis in October, 2009. After at first appearing like the had a virus (she was depressed and off her food), the crisis emerged within hours: her legs wobbled, she couldn’t walk more than a few feet, she was severely depressed and lethargic, barely responding to her name. Her heart rate was slow and the rhythm was off. Luckily, an emergency vet administered IV fluids–which temporarily restored electrolyte imbalances–and saved her life.

Addison dogs may only have some of the above symptoms–or it may have different symptoms. Addison’s is a common disorder in dogs (some estimates say it’s 100 times more frequent in dogs than in humans!). If in doubt, see your vet and get a simple blood test to check for Addison’s disease.

Reference:

Reference:  Tilley L, Goodwin J. Manual of Canine and Feline Cardiology. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Saunders. 3 edition (January 15, 2001)

Cavalier heart failure symptoms | MayaLu Dogs

Maya – her story – the final chapter

By the end of 2009 we noticed Maya slowing down a bit in her everyday activities and the heart disease had progressed to moderate a bit more quickly than we hoped. An air of inevitability set in as I started sensing she didn’t have years left. She became a permanent fixture sleeping on our bed as I wanted her to have as much enjoyment as possible and that was heaven to her. In the winter she’d like to sleep under the sheets next to Jim and didn’t move all night long. By 2010 we certainly noticed that Maya wasn’t running the speed she used to, even at the lower jump height of 8,” but she wasn’t too far off in speed and still beat the other dogs in her class in AKC and USDAA. Some days she was still dynamite and beat dogs in the other classes too. By the middle of 2010 I could see she had less verve and stairs went from a moderate to slow trot or walk (she used to dash up the stairs in younger years). Dr Woodfield upped the blood pressure medication. Surprisingly as Maya got older she became more interactive with other people, cuddling up to a gentle guest at the house and even warming to those noisy children.

Maya (facing the camera directly) is with Dinke and other pups.

By January 2011 her heart disease had progressed just a bit further with resting respiratory rate constantly around the danger zone of 30 per minute and she started scaring us with occasional coughing fits. Dr Woodfield started her on the diuretic Furosemide, which increased her energy. I decided that if we wanted to get a Performance Agility Championship title in agility now would be the time, so we entered a few more trials and completed our title in April 2011.

Maya and me with her PACH bar. I’m also wearing a black and tan agility Cavalier tee-shirt with her image on it. The shirt was not created by me. Someone else found that image online and created the shirts.

Maya’s last AKC certificate for agility.

In May 2011 Maya went back to Dr Woodfield for another checkup, where more progression of the disease was seen and her medication increased again and Vetmedin added. Maya ran her last ever AKC trial in Sequim in June 2011. It was very hot for June so she just did the first run and had her rest in the cool car, even though she ran like the wind. Later in June I brought her to our local vet as she seemed especially fatigued with more frequent coughing and the x-ray showed pulmonary edema.

Results from Maya’s last agility trial. She beat all dogs in the 8″ and 12″ classes that day.

We seemed to bring the edema under control with increased Furosemide and Maya tried to do what was meant to be her retirement run in USDAA in early July. I could tell after the first few jumps she was having trouble maintaining speed and then she stopped on top of the A-Frame and gasped for air. I pulled her straight off the course and decided we’d enjoy full retirement after that. By early August we were finding her energy level varied day to day and sometimes her breathing was quite labored. One night her breathing was very labored and she was very restless. This was not completely unexpected as she’d grown increasingly uncomfortable at night over the last few months, often shifting many times during the night. Also in the evenings when we all usually relaxed together she found it uncomfortable sitting on the couch and went off to find a cool piece of floor by herself. By this time it had been years since she wanted to sit in someone’s lap.

In the morning she seemed a little better but by the time we got home from work Maya was breathing at about 70 breaths per minute. Her walking was slow and weak and I knew we had to go the emergency vet. I had hoped through careful management of medication we’d be able to keep her comfortable despite progressive and irreversible heart damage and that no “heroic measures” would be needed. However, when I saw how much better Maya was on oxygen we proceeded with the intravenous Furosemide. Two mornings after the incident she was ready to come home, much weaker than before but with increased verve and spirit as if she knew there was another chance. I realized that in my efficiency to get the weekly pills and supplements measured out that I’d forgotten to include the Furosemide for the 2.5 days leading up to the emergency. Apart from feeling rotten about my mistake it also made us feel that there was hope with increased meds and Spirnolactone was added to the mix.

Maya’s medication list documented for everyone in the family to make sure we had it correct.

A real cough set in this time with the extreme heart enlargement and pressure on the trachea but Maya couldn’t cough as hard as before. We added Hydrocone for the cough but I’m not sure it ever made too much difference. And to my mind her breathing never really returned to its pre-emergency state. In the last 6 weeks with increased medication Maya enjoyed wandering in the garden occasionally and wanted to be more interactive than before, although as Dr Woodfield warned the brief summer heat caused fatigue. She battled a urinary infection and struggled with stabilizing her breathing such that we successively upped her diuretics, but still managed to maintain them on a twice daily schedule. I worried constantly about her breathing and brought her into work when it seemed bad to make sure I’d be there if she started suffering.

Maya resting in bed in mid-August 2011. Sometimes she let me get a spot too.

We had stopped the Prednisone after the emergency but had to reintroduce it as she was being driven crazy with scratching. The Prednisone also seemed to help the coughing after the initial bad morning burst but I’m sure wasn’t helping her heart. She also became very demanding barking at the fridge for treats and wanting to get involved in puppy tussles just like the old days, which made her cough and gag. I even caught her chasing a bird and then lunging and barking at the other dogs coming in from the potty spot to show them who was boss, just like the old days, except it wasn’t the old days anymore.

In the last 2 weeks I was in contact with our vet Dr Rice or at the vet several times culminating with a visit to confirm the pulmonary edema I was hearing. We decided the diuretics needed to go up to 3 times a day so I brought Maya back to work. Between that last visit and the next morning we had given her another 20 mg of Furosemide making the 4th dose that day to try and dry everything out, but she continued to struggle and wheeze with every breath.  When Maya screamed in pain the following morning along with her regular coughing fit, Jim and I felt we had reached the end of our capabilities to keep Maya comfortable at home. Faced with another visit to hospital, time in an oxygen chamber, an opinion from Dr Woodfield that it may not help, and medication that no longer seemed to help enough we made the difficult decision to say goodbye on September 16, 2011. Maya was 9 years and 2.5 months old.

Thankfully the end was very peaceful for all of us. Maya happily munched on cheese. Her fur was really soft and fragrant as we’d washed her the night before, not expecting this to be the day. She looked so gentle and beautiful as we walked out the door wanting to keep the memory of how she looked forever in our minds.

A photo of Maya from 2006 with her favorite chew treat that she enjoyed her whole life. This photo shows her wonderful soft coat.

Dog Ticks: Recognize the Lyme Disease Symptoms in Dogs

Can you recognize the Lyme Disease symptoms in dogs? Lyme Disease in puppies is dangerous and at times life threatening. If you have a dog that frequently goes outside where it can pick up deer ticks, you need to recognize the conditions to get your dog treatment as soon as possible.

Lyme Disease Symptoms in Dogs

Lyme Disease symptoms in dogs come in two phases – early and late. In the early phase, before your dog is even diagnosed, you’ll note a number of or all these symptoms:

Muscle and Joint Pain – Lyme Disease usually causes lameness due to muscle and joint tenderness. Your dog may have many of the same symptoms as arthritis and have enlargement in the joints. You’ll notice this because your dog will have difficulty walking, walk laboriously or not want to walk around much at all.

Enlarged Lymph Nodes – If your dog is limping and showing pain when it moves or walks, check the lymph nodes to see if they are swollen. Lymph nodes are little glands that assist the immune system function. Check for the lymph nodes in your dog’s neck and the joint of their legs (similar to the armpits and groin in humans). If you feel swelling or enlargement this is a sign your dog has some type of infection, illness or possibly Lyme Disease.

Chills and Fever – Dogs can have fever and chills just like humans. Some dogs with Lyme Disease develop fevers anywhere from 103 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fatigue - You may notice your dog acting tired and sleeping a good deal more than usual.Lack of appetite – A sudden loss of appetite is another sign of Lyme Disease.

Depression - Lyme Disease affects the nervous system and can cause depression in dogs. Suddenly, your happy and playful dog is acting sad or wants to stay away from family members.Necessarily

Bad Breath – Breath with a strong ammonia-like smell is a good indication your dog has Lyme Disease.If your dog shows any of these signs or symptoms, you need to take him to the vet for a checkup. Bear in mind, your dog will ordinarily have a number of of these symptoms — not just one. And just because your dog has one or more of these symptoms doesn’t absolutely suggest your dog has Lyme Disease.

Your dog is valuable to you and is part of your family. To be absolutely sure whether your dog has Lyme Disease, you need to get a positive prognosis from your vetrinarian. Only then can you begin therapy for your dog to put a stop to long-term injury or even death. Familiarize yourself with these Lyme Disease symptoms in dogs and be able to know them to keep your dog out of harm’s way.

Dog Distemper Symptoms

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is an airborne type and highly contagious viral disease that is often fatal and can affects the respiratory, urogenital, gastrointestinal, optic nerves and central nervous systems.
Canine distemper is closely related to measles in human so if human has vaccine and immune to measles then they will also has immune to dog distemper. However there is a report that humans can possibly be infected with dog distemper disease but will show no signs or symptoms at all.
Large number of animal species and weasel-like animals such as lion, ferrets, foxes, wolves, coyotes, skunks, wild hogs, badgers, raccoons, pandas etc. can also develop this type of diseases. Dog distemper cannot affect or pass on to cat except other problems like skin irritations, mange, fleas, etc. Cat distemper is known as feline panleukopenia.
Puppies between 3-6 month of age are most susceptible to diseases infection and may suffer from more serious illness conditions such as inflammatory illness of the lung (pneumonia) and acute inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) when compare with older dogs. Around 15 percent of canine inflammatory central nervous system diseases are caused by canine distemper virus (CDV).
Nursing puppies has lower chance of CDV infection because a certain degree of immunity is passed down to puppies by colostrum-milk but this can only be done by giving colostrum-milk during the first 8-24 hours after birth.
Older dogs has little or no opportunity to become infected or exposed to the CDV virus because of the immunity build up but however there is a case that 7-8 years old dog has been infected with distemper.
Seasons has direct effects on the spread of dog distemper virus. Summer season and warm weather can force CDV to become dormantand lower their prevalence rate while CDV can be most virulent during early spring, fall and winter season.
Dog distemper incubation period ranges from 3-21 days in approximation and may be longer depend on other factors such as seasons, temperature etc.

Dog distemper symptoms

Early signs and symptoms of dog distemper

• fever


• loss of appetite (anorexia)


• mild eye inflammation (usually last two day)


• temperature rise to above 103 degree fahrenheit


• depression


• nasal discharge


• discharge from eye (conjunctivitis)

Dogs will have following symptoms when CDV affects theintestinal tract.

• vomiting


• diarrhea


• loss of appetite


• suddenly weak


• lethargy

Dogs will have following symptoms when CDV affects the lungs and upper respiratory tract.

• coughing


• sneezing


• vomiting


• green discharge from nostril


• discharge eye (conjunctivitis)


• diarrhea


• cough and labored breathing (pneumonia)


• runny nose (rhinitis)


• fever (usually unnoticed)

Dogs will have following symptoms when CDV affects the brain and spinal cord (encephalomyelitis), secondary bacterial infections.

• seizures


• muscle incoordination (ataxia)


• uncontrollable muscle twitch (myoclonus)


• hard pad disease


• depression


• abnormal increase in sensitivity to stimuli of the senses including hearing, tasting, feeling sense (hyperesthesia)


• partial or incomplete paralysis (paresis)


• deterioration of mental abilities

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Home » Our History

Our History

Beginnings 

The connection began with Gabe.

Nearly two decades ago, Licensed Social Worker Rick Yount received an unexpected Christmas present from two friends who were veterans of Operation Desert Storm: Gabe, an eight week-old Golden Retriever puppy.

A year later, Gabe accompanied Rick to work – the same day he transported an 11 year-old-boy from his biological mother into foster care. Rick found that during this most traumatic of times Gabe instinctively knew how to soothe the devastated child, and a seed was planted. Gabe became a certified therapy dog, and continued to work his magic on a daily basis.

The Warrior Connection

 When our troops began arriving home from the Iran and Afghanistan conflicts with serious physical wounds and mental trauma, Rick became convinced that dogs could play a pivotal role in their healing.

In July 2008, Rick created the first Warrior dog-training program to provide a safe, effective, non-pharmaceutical intervention to help treat the symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The program, based at the Palo Alto VA’s Men’s Trauma Recovery Program in Menlo Park, CA evolved into a highly respected intervention. To date, hundreds of Service Members and Veterans suffering from symptoms of combat stress have participated.

 The Program Expands

 Rick was asked in 2009 to establish the Warrior dog-training program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) in Washington, D.C. In October of 2010, he and the program were invited to be part of the PTSD and TBI research, treatment, and education mission at the new National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), in Bethesda, MD – located at what is now the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

In 2011, Warrior Canine Connection was founded to expand the availability of this therapeutic service dog-training program to DoD and VA medical treatment facilities throughout the country, and to conduct research to establish this model as an evidence-based therapy for PTS and TBI. Read more about this research here.

Timeline:

1996   Licensed Social Worker Rick Yount begins working with his first Certified Therapy Dog, Gabe

2008   The first Warrior dog-training program to help treat the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is created in Palo Alto, CA

2009   The program is established at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) in Washington, D.C.

2010   The program becomes part of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), in Bethesda, MD

2011   Warrior Canine Connection is created

canine mental illness | No Dog About It Blog

Archive

Posts Tagged ‘canine mental illness’

Is your dog mentally ill? Maybe.

August 21, 2012 Mel 10 comments

Dog Health

My friend Hilary shared this link a while back (The Signs of Mental Illness in Dogs) and I thought it was worth sharing. It’s a piece highlighting a new textbook on canine mental illness and some of the mental illnesses being found in our furry friends.

Reports like these always interest me because they provide insight into a dog’s mind and behavior. They also allow me to be more aware and better educated about dogs in general.

As dog owners, I think we most often attribute dog behavior to the dog or the owner (i.e.,  “bad dog” or “bad owner”), but as this piece demonstrates, sometimes the behavior can be mental illness. I have known some dogs who have suffered a mental illness, I just never realized that so many different types exist.

Among the many illnesses described by the author, Diane Garrod, are:

Schizophrenia

Depression

Unprovoked acts of aggression

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Separation Anxiety or Panic Disorder

Extreme fear

Neurological diseases and disorders

Symptoms vary, but among the ones mentioned are:

Appetite suppression

Aggressive behavior

Increase or decrease in water intake

Stress Hair loss

Fatigue

Obsession

Accelerated hyperactivity

Garrod also references a new textbook by Dr. Franklin D. McMillan (the Director of Well-Being Studies at Best Friends Animal Society), titled “Mental Health and Well-being in Animals”. Although textbooks aren’t usually my favorite reading material, I have to admit that this one sounded interesting.

One of the statements on the publishing site caught my eye: “Recent research shows convincingly that an animal’s physical health and immune system function are strongly influenced by its mental state.” It makes sense doesn’t it? A dog that is mentally stressed is likely to show it in their physical being as well. A dog that is balanced and happy is less likely to show symptoms, but not always.

Understanding how a dog’s mental health can impact behavior is just as important as understanding how their physical health can impact behavior. I am so glad that now veterinarians and animal behaviorists will have one comprehensive place to find this information. In the end, it benefits us and our dogs.

Categories: Dog Behavior, Health Care – Dogs, Pet Safety Tags: Best Friends Animal Society, canine mental health, canine mental illness, Diane Garrod, dogs, dogs and mental illness, OCD in dogs, the mental health of dogs

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