A quick reference of dog related topics...
Serious Dog Diseases...
WHAT IS PARVOVIRUS IN DOGS…
Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease that can produce a life-threatening illness. The virus attacks rapidly dividing cells in a dog’s body, most severely affecting the intestinal tract. Parvovirus also attacks the white blood cells, and when young animals are infected, the virus can damage the heart muscle and cause lifelong cardiac problem
WHAT IS DISTEMPER IN DOGS…
Canine distemper is a contagious and serious viral illness with no known cure. The disease affects dogs, and certain species of wildlife. Canine distemper belongs to the Morbillivirus class of viruses, and is a relative of the measles virus, which affects humans, the Rinderpest virus that affects cattle, and the Phocine virus that causes seal distemper. Young, unvaccinated puppies and non-immunized older dogs tend to be more susceptible to the disease.
WHAT IS RABIES IN DOGS…
Rabies is a severe, and often fatal, virus that specifically affects the gray matter of the dog’s brain and its central nervous system (CNS). The primary way the rabies virus is transmitted to dogs is through a bite from a disease carrier. Infectious virus particles are retained in a rabid animal’s salivary glands to better disseminate the virus through their saliva.
PROTECTING YOUR PETS FROM MESOTHELIOMA & ASBESTOS EXPOSURE.
It’s bad enough when your loved one is diagnosed with mesothelioma, but you don’t expect that your pet can develop the same rare cancer.
Unlike many health conditions, mesothelioma is not unique to just humans. While it’s uncommon, your family pets, including cats and dogs, are at risk of developing the aggressive, asbestos-related cancer. Exposure to asbestos can lead to serious diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Inhaled or ingested fibers become lodged in the body, causing inflammation and damage, often resulting in malignant tumors years later. Even minimal exposure is dangerous, especially in older buildings and industrial settings.
To learn more about this disease & it’s prevention in dogs & cats please read the following 2 articles for a more indepth look at this disease and how it may impact your pet.
Asbestos Exposure
https://www.asbestos.com/blog/2015/11/09/protecting-pets-mesothelioma-asbestos-exposure/
Common medical problems in dogs...
BLOOD PARASITES IN DOGS…
There are many parasites that can cause ill health in dogs. Heartworm is one of the more well known, which is carried by mosquitoes. They are many others you may not have heard of.
B. canis — A large piroplasm that infects dogs, B. canis is distributed worldwide, and there are 3 subspecies based on genetic, biologic, and geographic data. B. canis vogeli has been reported in the U.S., Africa, Asia, and Australia.
B. canis rossi is the most virulent and is present in Africa. B. canis canis has been reported in Europe.
Recent studies have identified at least three genetically distinct small (2–5 µm) piroplasms that can infect dogs.
B. gibsoni — small piroplasm that infects dogs; worldwide distribution; emerging disease in the U.S.
B. conradae — small piroplasm that infects dogs; only reported in California
Theileria annae (Spanish dog piroplasm) — small piroplasm that infects dogs; reported in Spain and other parts of Europe
Babesia sp. (Coco) — large piroplasm identified in dogs with a surgically removed spleen, and immune suppressed dogs in the U.S.
Failure of the kidney — which among other things regulates blood pressure, blood sugar, blood volume, water composition in the blood, and pH levels, and produces red blood cells and certain hormones — can take place so slowly, that by the time the symptoms have become obvious, it may be too late to treat the condition effectively. Often, the kidney will find ways to compensate as it loses functionality over the course of months, or even years.While chronic renal failure cannot be reversed or cured, treatment and management aimed at reducing the contributing factors and symptoms can slow its progression.Chronic renal failure can affect both dogs and cats. If you would like to learn more about how this disease affects cats, please visit this page in the PetMD health library.
The liver is an important organ for your dog. It helps with digestion and blood clotting, and it removes toxins from his system. If it’s not working right, it can make your companion sick. But liver disease can often be treated and managed.
Symptoms – It’s easy to miss the symptoms of liver disease. They’re similar to those for other problems.Your dog’s symptoms may include:Loss of appetite, Weight loss, Vomiting or diarrhea, Increased thirst, An unstable walk, Increased need to pee, Confusion, Yellowish eyes, tongue, or gums (jaundice), Signs of weakness, Blood in his pee or poop, Seizures, Ascites (a build-up of fluid in the belly)If your dog’s liver disease isn’t caught early, it can lead to a serious brain condition called hepatic encephalopathy.
Canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT)
Although CTVT tumors look very bad they are curable in most instances.
Treatment choices for TVT include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is often very effective, usually resulting in complete remission. Because the cancer is transmitted between animals and across generations, the cancer itself is thought to be very old! TVT has been described since 1876 and is commonly found on both male and female dogs, is thought to be anywhere from 200-2500 years old. Aside from domesticated dogs, it is also transmissible to coyotes, foxes, jackals, wolves and immuno-suppressed mice.
Dog Sayings & Quotes...
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” – Josh Billings
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” – Will Rogers
“The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants.” – Johnny Depp
We’ve begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet – so we bought a dog.
Well, it’s cheaper, and you get more feet. – Rita Rudner
“The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven not man’s.” – Mark Twain
“The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.” – Andy Rooney
“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger A. Caras
“The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” – Charles de Gaulle
“Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. ” – Roger A. Caras
“If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.” – Woodrow Wilson
“The more boys I meet the more I love my dog.” – Carrie Underwood
“If you don’t own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life.” – Roger A. Caras
“I care not for a man’s religion whose dogs and cats are not the better for it.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” – Orhan Pamuk
“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, the whole world would be vegetarian.” – Linda McCartney
“Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” – Agnes Sligh Turnbull
“You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.” – W. Bruce Cameron
“Men are like dogs,” Stacy was fond of saying. And she usually went on to add that, like dogs, they all took up too much space on the bed, and they always went for the crotch.” – Lisa Kleypas
“A lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.” – Barack Obama
“Money will buy a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail.” – Josh Billings
“No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you feel rich.” – Louis Sabin
The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog. – Ambrose Bierce
Properly trained, a man can be dog’s best friend. – Corey Ford
A person who has never owned a dog has missed a wonderful part of life. – Bob Barker
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That’s the essence of inhumanity. – George Bernard Shaw
The love for animals, enhances the cultural level of the people. – F. Salvochea
It doesn’t matter if an animal can reason. It matters only that it is capable of suffering and that is why I consider it my neighbor. – Albert Schweitzer
We can judge the heart of a man according to his love for animals. – Immanuel Kant
A well-trained dog will make no attempt to share your lunch. He will just make you feel so guilty that you cannot enjoy it. – Helen Thomson
The average dog has one request to all humankind. Love me. – Helen Exley
“Scratch a dog and you’ll find a permanent job.” – Franklin P. Jones
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” – Mahatma Gandhi
A house is never lonely where a loving dog waits
If I had a dollar for everytime my dog made me smile I would be a millionaire.
In a perfect world every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog.
Dogs have a habit of finding the people who need them most
Rescued is my favorite breed.
Dogs leave paw prints on your heart
I’m sorry I was thinking about dogs AGAIN
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
The purity of a person’s heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals.