Dogs are like humans, they could sick and get diseases at anytime anywhere. Therefor, it is our responsibility to take care of them and prevent all of those things that might be harm our beloved dogs. Keep a watchful eye on them so they could stay as long as possible with us. Learning what kind of diseases and their symptoms could be the first thing we could do to keep our dogs safe.
Diseases could attack dogs at all ages and breeds, without any exception. Our dogs could catch it in parks the place where they are playing, in groomer, even in the shelter before we adopted them. It is a wise move to keep an eye of their behaviour, and observe; is there appears any unusual suspicious habit from them.
A lot of time, the most dangerous disease appears with a little symptoms and seen as something harmless. And if you are not pay any attention from now on, it could be very late to treat you dogs – the worst – it could take away your dogs forever. It is thoughtful if you consider getting your pet an insurance, it could help you to pay all of the treatments and more.
Therefor, we are going to share to you 4 unknown but deadly dog diseases every dog owner should know. It would help you to known all the symptoms and prevent it properly.
1. Canine Circovirus
It’s been viral in the media about the appearance of a new virus that could kill a dog in 48 hours from the onset of symptoms. At least three dogs in the Cincinnati area (Ohio) had die, and it has been track that another several more find affected. Circovirus symptoms included bloody diarrhea, vomiting, lack of appetite, extreme lethargy, and also neurological problems.
Turn out, California also struggling with this problem. There is a virus that has the similar symptoms happened to attack several dogs in the spring. This virus normally only be found in pigs, and this is the first time for circovirus shown to affect dogs. Canine circovirus is considered as a very contagious virus, so, if your dog – unintentionally come in contact with the affected dogs, there is a high possibility that your dog also get affected.
This virus is very hard to kill. Vets gonna prevent this virus with the first aid which is by providing a lot of fluids and electrolytes for the affected dogs. But it’s very often that the illness is the fatal one. So, the only thing could prevent this virus is vaccinated and keep them away from all dirty infected things such feces.
2. Lyme Disease
This disease is commonly will found in the northeast United States. It is very hard to determine which dogs should be treated because most dogs that has been test positively are not clinically ill. Also, the other interesting is, that this disease not only affect dogs, because humans could get affected too! Yeah, lyme disease basically is a very controversial topic for everyone.
The cause of this disease is a bacterium called spirochete bacteria borreli burgdorferi that comes from tick bites (commonly deer tick). When it got to the bloodstream it can travel to different body part organs and cause pain to human and dog. The tick that carry this disease living in tall grass, thick brush, wood, and marsh.
Lyme disease symptoms included fever, lose appetite to eat, lameness, reduced energy, commonly dog will feel stiffness, pain, and discomfort, and also swelling in their joints. This disease also can spread to the kidney failure which is very serious event.
You could prevent this disease by vaccinated your dog, and inspect you dogs for ticks after walks through a wood or grassy place – and remove the tick as soon as possible (if you found any of it).
3. Heartworm
Heartworm disease start from a bite by infected mosquito, then the worm or parasites gonna enter the dog’s system and spread to the bloodstream, and finally gonna enter the heart and lungs. This disease can be deadly because the infection has no visible symptoms. The vet has to perform the blood test to detect the infection.
Heartworm disease carry symptoms such exercise intolerance, coughing, difficulty breathing, and enlarged liver. The things you could to to prevent and keep your dog from this dangerous worm parasites is to perform annual testing, pills, tropicals or shots to your dog. You also can buy some medication such steroid, antibiotic, and organic arsenic injection.
4. Canine Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a disease that caused by bacteria called leptospirosis. This disease can cause serious damage for kidney and liver that could threaten your dog life. The bacteria come from the urine of the infected animals such skunk, raccoon, rat, opossum, and deer, that highly possibility could caught your dog.
Most infection with this disease is from the direct contact with urine of the infected animals, sometime it also come from water and soil that – still – contaminated by the affected urine. Once your dog get infected, after eight to ten days after the infection, the dog’s immune system will produce antibody to clears the bacteria.
Leptospirosis symptoms included vomiting, loss appetite, fever, lethargy, depression, the increased volume of urine, and over thirsty. It also triggers an jaundince, which means the lining of your dog’s mouth and the whites of the eyes turn to yellow – in the worst cases, it could cause bleeding. This disease will develop quickly and rapidly to the fatal state.
The bad news is, even the blood test routine can’t give you certainty diagnosis of leptospirosis, it can only give you clues to investigate to the symptoms. So, how to prevent this disease? Usually the vets will treat the affected dog with antibiotic therapy that highly effective to fighting these bacteria. As always, vaccinated your dog will highly avoid them to get this disease.
This is the 4 unknown but deadly dog diseases every dog owner should know. We really hope that as an owner, we will watch and more carefully to take care of our dog, so they don’t have to suffer from all of these diseases.