Animal health
For each dog owner, the health of their animal is essential. While it’s impossible to totally keep your dog illness free, there are some common dog health issue that can be recognized early on. In order to understand your dog much better, be able to acknowledge the indications and signs of these 5 common illness.
Ear infections
Probably the most common disease for dogs is ear infections. These are caused by allergies, ear mites, bacteria, and other irritants. Most dogs will get some sort of ear infection, especially dogs with larger ears.
If your dog starts to shake its head and scratches its ears frequently, check to see if the ear canal is red and swollen. Cleaning and medicating the ear regularly will soon get your dog back to its happy state!
Harmful worms
Another fairly common problem for dogs is worms. These internal parasites are difficult to notice, but can be even fatal and harmful for some dogs like puppies. There are a few signs that can indicate your dog has worms such as diarrhea, weight loss, a dry coat, a change in appetite, and an overall poor appearance.
To diagnose at home is difficult, so be sure to take a dog to the vet when not sure if the dog may have worms. If worm infestation is suspected at an early stage then promt treatment is usually very effective.
Fleas and more fleas
As any dog owner knows, keeping your dog flea free is a challenge. While topical medications keep them at bay, a new pet or forgetting to use the medication will put your dog at risk for this health problem. If you think your dog has fleas, it probably does.
Excessive scratching, hair loss, flea dirt, and hair loss are common symptoms of fleas in a dog. Since untreated fleas can cause further health problems for a dog, talk to a vet about flea medication for a dog. Generally this will include a flea bath and then using a topical medication every few months that will keep fleas away.
Those hot spots
One health problem that you may not think of is hot spots. This is a medical term for bare, inflamed areas on a dog’s body that show up periodically. This is actually dermatitis generally caused by a bacterial skin infection.
Since hot spots are caused by a variety of other problems like fleas, there isn’t generally one recommended treatment. Generally, a vet will recommend antibiotics or a topical medication that will give relief in the area so that the dog avoids chewing or scratching it. Generally hot spots will clear up within a few weeks with treatment.
Vomiting
Vomiting is a common health problem in dogs. There are dozens of possible causes that range from an infection, heat stroke, and even poisoning. Since many dogs will vomit up their stomach’s contents after getting into something like the trash, generally they can be left alone.
However, if a dog has blood in the vomit, is lethargic, or continues to vomit, seek out a vet as this is a sign of a severe problem.
Early treatment
These are 5 major dog health problems and some of the common causes and treatments. Most of these problems are mild and are treated effectively at home or with the help of a vet.