Many of the more common dog health problems are generally easy to spot on your dog. As a matter of fact, when you are doing a home health check up on your pet, it's really important that you are aware of some of the dog health issues that might be affecting your dog.
According to a recent analysis of the veterinary claims made in 2008 the 3 most common dog health problems were ear infections, skin conditions and hot spots. So, how do you spot the symptoms, and what can you do about them?
1. Ear Infections
Ear Infections are the most common overall dog health problem reported by veterinarians, with an estimated 20% of dogs being affected. The severity, diagnosis and treatment can vary from dog to dog, so learning to recognize the symptoms, having them assessed by your veterinarian and administering the correct treatment will relieve your dogs suffering as quickly as possible.
There are several signs of a dog ear infection:
• A strange, often foul odor coming from the inner ear
• Consistent scratching and rubbing of the ear and/or head
• Discharge in the ear
• Overall changes in behavior including depression, tiredness and irritability
• Pain or tenderness of the entire ear area
• Redness or swelling of the inner ear
• Vigorous shaking of the head and tilting to a favored side
2. Skin conditions are second in the list of common dog health problems. Your dog's skin is their body's largest organ and is reflective of your dog's overall health, both mental and physical, and can be affected by inside as well as outside sources. Because of this it can be difficult to determine what the exact cause of the problem might be. Dog skin conditions and dog skin disorders may show one or more of the following symptoms:
• Chronic inflammation of the inner ear canal
• Foul odor to the skin
• Greasy coat
• Hair loss
• Itching- mild to severe
• Large brown flakes
• Pimples and blisters that may discharge blood or pus
• Redness and irritation
• Scabs or crusts
• Very dry skin
• Dog Warts
Common Causes of dog skin conditions include parasites - (fleas, ticks, lice, mange, ringworm), poor quality food, toxic environmental pollutants, vaccinations, Atopic Dermatitis, psychological factors, and allergies
3. Pyoderma/Hot Spots
Hot Spots, is a common term for a dog health problem known as Moist Eczema or Acute Moist Pyoderma, often also called summer sores. The symptoms are suddenly appearing, wet, circular patches of infection on the skin which create intense itching and irritation. They can be very painful, often discharging pus and can spread very quickly. Hot Spots can spread very rapidly across the skin surface and beneath the fur so they may be difficult to see, although common symptoms will be your pet scratching, licking and biting. Hotspots can get much worse within a matter of hours, and in some cases can lead to an extremely painful situation. |
