Health Problem of Dogs

Heartworm, Fleas and other parasites

Heartworm - symptoms can include constant coughing, panting and tiredness. Advanced cases can cause loss of weight, coughing up blood and heart failure. Heartworm is spread by mosquitoes, and is a small thread-like worm which actually lives in the pulmonary arterial system, and which can also affect the animal's heart. The dog will normally show no sign of infection for six of seven months after being infected. Luckily heartworm can be prevented by many different products including daily tablets, monthly beefy chunks which are given orally to the dog, liquid "spot on" products applied monthly to the animal's skin or even a yearly injection from your vet.

Fleas and Ticks - symptoms are mainly severe scratching, which can lead to dermatitis and anaemia, plus ticks can cause bacterial infections. Luckily both fleas and ticks are easy to see, and reasonable easy to control through commercial products combined with the heartworm products outlined above, or flea and tick collars, plus spraying the area where they live.

Other Parasites, such as hookworms can cause skin rashes, anaemia and diarrhea which may be streaked with blood, and round worms which can cause a 'pot belly' in your dog.

Dental Disease

Because dogs can't brush their own teeth, the most common type of dental disease is periodontitis. Initial symptoms are bad breath, usually followed by bleeding gums. At this stage it can be treated fairly easily by your vet. However, if left, it can lead to tooth loss, mouth ulcers, gum recession and because by this time your animal will find it painful to eat, poor appetite and loss of weight. click here