Canine Melanoma

Canine melanoma is a very serious cancer. It can affect your dog’s toes, mouth, skin, or behind the eye. In most cases, the cancer is benign if it only affects the skin. However, if it occurs in the toes, mouth, or behind the eye, it is usually malignant. So, what are some of the symptoms of this disease?

Symptoms

Dogs with melanoma develop tumors in the affected area. Skin lesions will have an odd color and shape. Most dogs also experience coughing, drooling, bad breath, and difficulty swallowing. It is also common for the dog to lose his appetite, which will in turn lead to weight loss.

Diagnosis

If you suspect your dog has melanoma, you will need to consult a veterinarian. The vet will perform a complete physical exam. A blood sample will also be drawn to get a complete blood count. The next step in diagnosing canine melanoma is to take a chest x-ray. Since the tumors will be visible, a biopsy will also be done.

Treatment

If your dog has been definitively diagnosed with melanoma, he will have three treatment options. They include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Radiation treatment is aimed at reducing the size of the tumor. Surgery involves trying to remove all of the tumor. If this isn’t possible, at least part of the tumor will be removed.

Prognosis

As mentioned earlier, canine melanoma is a very serious cancer. If the skin is affected, the prognosis of a meaningful recovery is very poor. If the eyes, mouth, or toes are affected, the situation is even more bleak. Even with treatment, the tumors may spread. Even if your dog receives successful treatment, the cancer may recur sometime in the future.

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Canine Heartworm Disease

Canine heartworm disease occurs when your dog is infested with a large number of adult worms. They can cause damage to the kidneys, liver, heart, and lungs. The damage can cause congestive heart failure and be fatal.

The worms that cause this disease are transmitted by mosquito bites. Therefore, dogs that live in areas with a lot of mosquitoes are particularly at risk. The worms can grow anywhere from six to 14 inches long. In some cases, there can be hundreds of them in your dog’s body. However, most dogs don’t have this many.

Dogs usually show no symptoms when there are a few worms present. As canine heartworm disease progresses, your dog may develop a cough and have trouble breathing. He will also tire easily when exercising. It is also common for dogs with this disease to lose weight.

If your dog is suspected of having these worms, the veterinarian will initially perform a blood test. The blood test is useful only in the early stages when there are microfilariae in your dog’s blood. Adult heartworms are sometimes present with no microfilariae in the blood. An x-ray and other laboratory tests are needed to make a diagnosis in these cases.

Canine heartworm disease is much easier to treat when it is caught in the early stages. Injections are given to your dog to kill the worms. The worms will then decompose inside your dog’s body after a few months. The small microfilariae will have to be dealt with separately because the injections have no effect. A separate drug is given to kill them off. After receiving treatment, your dog should avoid stress and exercise.

Canine Bladder Stones

Canine bladder stones can usually form from oxalate and struvite. Female dogs usually get struvite stones, while males are routinely affected by the calcium oxalate variety.

Urine naturally contains a substance to prevent oxalate stones from forming. Some dogs produce a defective substance which will allow the stones to form. Normal urine contains small amounts of struvite crystals. Stones develop when the crystals get to be too numerous for some reason.

Canine bladder stones sometimes causes no symptoms. Other dogs will strain to urinate or have blood in their urine. This condition also causes recurrent bladder infections. Other symptoms include lethargy and a reduced appetite.

If your dog show symptoms of bladder stones, the vet will take x-rays to check. As mentioned earlier, there are two common types of canine bladder stones. The specific type of stone will determine how to get rid of it. Therefore, it’s best to get a sample stone from your dog. This can be done through urination, flushing the bladder, or removing the stone surgically.

A urine sample may also help the veterinarian determine which type of stones are present. Bladder infections are a common side effect. So, a urinalysis can also check to see if your dog has a bladder infection.

Once the type of stone has been determined, treatment can begin. Struvite canine bladder stones will eventually dissolve if you put your dog on a special diet. This treatment method won’t work with the calcium oxalate type. They will have to be removed surgically.

Stones may grow large enough to block urine flow completely. This can be life-threatening. Therefore, canine bladder stones should be removed surgically if your dog won’t pass them naturally.

Canine Hot Spots

Canine hot spots are areas on the skin that are inflamed and infected. They can occur anywhere on your dog’s body. Although these hot spot usually appear during warm months, they can appear anytime.

Canine hot spots are usually caused by a bacterial infection. The infection can either be deep or superficial. The hot spots can also be caused by skin injuries, allergies, and parasites.

Skin lesions that form on your dog can appear out of the blue and spread quickly. The lesions may also turn red and ooze. Canine hot spots can be a painful condition. The intense itching will cause your dog to scratch, bite, or lick the area and make the lesions worse. It is not uncommon for dogs to lose their hair when these hot spots develop.

The first step in treating canine hot spots is to clip the hair around the affected area. Since the matted hair can obscure the true size of the lesion, doing this will give a clear picture of the situation. It will also help prevent the infection from spreading. Topical medications can be used to treat the affected area. Some cases are treated using oral antibiotics or steroids.

There are a few things you can do to help prevent your dog from getting canine hot spots. It will help if you clip your dog’s hair during the warmer months if he has long hair. You should also try to control substances around the home that your dog may be allergic to. These include plants, dust, and lawn chemicals. Another way to prevent canine hot spots is to give your dog regular baths using medicated shampoos.

Canine Cushing’s Disease

Canine cushing’s disease normally affects middle-aged to older dogs. The average age of dog’s with this condition is six or seven years old. Dogs as young as two years old have also been diagnosed with the disease.

Canine cushing’s disease is the result of overproduction of glucocorticoid, a hormone that is vital for many bodily systems. The hormone is produced by the adrenal gland after being stimulated by a hormone from the pituitary gland. If a problem develops with either the pituitary or adrenal gland that causes too much hormone production, then canine cushing’s disease will develop.

The pituitary gland secretes a hormone known as ACTH to stimulate the adrenal gland to produce glucocorticoid. If a tumor develops in the pituitary gland, it may lead to the overproduction of ACTH. Most cases of canine cushing’s disease are the result of this. Tumors on the adrenal gland may also lead to oversecretion of glucocorticoids.

Symptoms of canine cushing’s disease progress slowly. Most dog owners mistake the symptoms caused by this disease for normal aging. Common signs include increased drinking and urination, abdominal swelling, and hair loss. Some dogs also develop lesions and have recurrent urinary tract infections. Some dogs only display one symptom while others can display many.

As mentioned earlier, canine cushing’s disease can be caused by a problem with either the adrenal or pituitary gland. Chemotherapy can be used to treat problems with both glands. Adrenal tumors can also be removed surgically. In most cases, treatment of this disease isn’t aimed at lengthening your dog’s lifespan. However, treatment focuses on improving your dog’s quality of life.

Canine Lupus

Canine lupus is a disease of the immune system. Dogs with this rare disease have antibodies that attack the body’s own tissues. This condition can affect a wide range of organ systems. It can cause problems in your dogs heart, kidneys, joints, lungs, and skin.

The symptoms of canine lupus come and go. If the disease affects the kidneys, your dog will likely start drinking and urinating more. Lupus can also affect joints which will cause lameness. Canine lupus also causes symptoms such as oral ulcers, hair loss, and lesions on the skin. The feet and face are two areas that are commonly affected.

Diagnosis

Canine lupus can affect many systems in the body, so it can present symptoms associated with a wide range of other diseases. Therefore, it can be a difficult condition to diagnose. If the veterinarian suspects lupus, he may have to perform a biopsy and special blood tests to confirm the diagnosis.

Unfortunately, canine lupus is an incurable condition. However, it is possible that your dog can live comfortably. The main treatment method is the use of drugs to suppress the immune system. The most commonly used medication is prednisone, a corticosteroid. Dogs with canine lupus need to be monitored continuously because the medication may cause side effects and lead to other problems.

Canine Hypothyroidism

One of the most common endocrine problems for dogs is canine hypothyroidism. This is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormones. It normally affects dogs between the ages of three and eight. Mid-sized and large dog breeds are affected more often than smaller breeds.

Thyroid hormones play a role in almost every organ system in your dogs body. Therefore, canine hypothyroidism causes a wide range of symptoms. Common symptoms include weakness, lethargy, and weight gain. If the condition is allowed to progress, your dog may even suffer hair loss and have a rough coat of hair.

As mentioned earlier, canine hypothyroidism causes a wide range of non-specific symptoms. Therefore, this disease can be very difficult to diagnose accurately. The veterinarian may suspect hypothyroidism based on your dog’s medical history and a physical exam. He will also need to draw a blood sample to check for hormone levels.

If your dog is diagnosed with canine hypothyroidism, you will be happy to know that treatment is pretty simple. You will probably have to give your dog two tablets of thyroxine each day. The specific dosage will vary for each dog. Also, you will need to take your dog back to the vet for blood tests and exams to adjust the dosage.