Common Diseases of Dogs

Common Diseases of Dogs
Disease	Nature of Disease	Causative Agent
Distemper	affects non vaccinated (non immunized) puppies in contact with infected animals; symptoms include loss of appetite, fever; inflammation of the brain is usual cause of death; some dogs may recover, but others have spastic tremors; foxes, wolves, mink, skunks, raccoons, and ferrets also susceptible	virus
Infectious hepatitis	affects dogs by causing hemorrhages and severe liver damage; affects foxes (Rubarth's disease) by causing inflammation of the brain; clinical signs are variable because disease symptoms vary from severe to inapparent (i.e., no manifest signs)	virus
Salmon poisoning	occurs after consumption of raw salmon or trout carrying rickettsial-infected flatworm (fluke) larvae (Nanophyetus salmincola); affects dogs, foxes, and coyotes primarily in the Pacific northwestern United States; symptoms include high fever, swollen lymph nodes; usually fatal within five days	rickettsia
Prostatitis	inflammation of a gland near the urinary bladder (prostate gland) in male dogs; usually controlled by antibiotic drugs; other prostate-gland disorders may result from tumours (carcinoma, sarcoma) or from abnormal increase in cell multiplication (hyperplasia)	varied
Congenital heart	may occur in 1 percent of all dogs; heart disorders may lead to secondary disease diseases such as pneumonia, accumulation of fluid in body cavities, laboured breathing, edema; heart failure occurs	inherited tendency
Hip dysplasia	crippling disorder common in many breeds (especially German shepherds); a shallow hip socket (acetabulum) results in an unstable hip joint, particularly during motion of hindleg	apparently inherited tendency
Kidney stones (calculi, urolithiasis)	calculi develop in kidney, bladder, and male urethra (tube from bladder to outside of body); surgery usually necessary; inherited types include cystine calculi in certain dachshunds and uric acid calculi in male dalmatians	hereditary, functional disturbance
Hypothyroidism	thyroid gland may function marginally or be absent; symptoms include awkward, slow movement, coarse, dry coat; treatment includes iodine, thyroid preparations	functional disturbance
Dermatitis	common symptoms include skin inflammation and loss of hair; causative agents include nutritional deficiencies, bacterial infections, hypothyroidism, allergies, hormone imbalances, and parasites (e.g., fleas, lice, mites, fly larvae, and ticks)	varied
Strychnine poisoning	accidental ingestion of 0.75 milligram of the poison (found in rat poisons) per kilogram (about 2.25 pounds) of body weight may cause death from convulsions and respiratory distress	chemical compound
Glaucoma	a group of eye diseases in which the retina and optic nerve are damaged; certain breeds have a hereditary tendency for the disease; other breeds develop glaucoma as a result of other eye disorders	hereditary tendency in some breeds
Granulomatous colitis	usually found in boxer dogs; symptoms include bloody diarrhea; severely and chronically affected dogs become emaciated; an infectious agent observed microscopically in the thickened colon has not yet been isolated or characterized	not yet characterized
Pancreatitis	in acute types the gland may be destroyed because of inflammation from unknown causes; an animal that lives may develop diabetes mellitus or be unable to secrete enzymes from pancreas, or both, thus preventing digestion, which increases the appetite and causes progressive weight loss; treatment difficult	unknown