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Disease and Allergies in Dogs
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Disclaimer: If you choose to try any of these remedies, you do so at your own Risk! These postings are for General Information Only! I am not a Veterinarian and I am not suggesting that you should try any of these remedies instead of consulting your Veterinarian.
Canine Diseases
Please, Please, Please, do NOT take your pups for walks until they have been FULLY innoculated. If you have other dogs on the property, they should also NOT going on walks until the youngest pup has been FULLY innoculated. There are several Canine Diseases that are deadly to young pups, so it is your responsibility as their owner to protect them from outside contact until they are properly innoculated which is usually at about 12-14 weeks of age.
ParvoVirus
Symptoms: Watery Diarrhea tinged with blood and phlem, vomit tinged with blood, death smell, lethargic, loss of appetite refusing to eat or drink, weight loss, excessive drooling.
How is it Contracted: Parvo is highly infectious and is spread by direct or indirect contact with infected canine feces. It can be especially severe in puppies that are not fully innoculated.
Treatment: Requires Immediate hospitalization if the pup refuses to eat. If the pup is still eating we will prepare Boiled Chicken and Rice, as described below, for him to help absorb the toxins in his intestin and bowel to help eliminate and flush them out.
Recipe:
1 Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breast
2 cups Calrose Rice (follow the directions on the package)
3 cups Water from the Chicken you just cooked.
1/3 Can Swanson's Chicken Broth
Boil the Chicken Breast for about 10 minutes until done (there should be no pink). Take the chicken out and allow to cool on a plate.
Use the water from the chicken to cook the rice. Remove the rice from the heat when the water starts to boil. Let it stand covered for 20 minutes. Be sure to cook this in a teflon pan so it won't burn or stick.
While the rice is standing, you can cut the chicken breasts in strips. I use kitchen scissors to do this. Then to speed up the process, I put the chicken strips into the blender along with the chicken broth and enough water to fill the blender to within 1 inch of the top. Turn the blender on low and grind setting or a comparable setting. It takes less than a minute and the chicken is shredded.
After you have allowed the rice to stand for 20 minutes covered, pour in the chicken and chicken broth from the blender and stir well. Add enough cool water to make the rice mixture like a thick soup.
Prevention: Parvovirus vaccine given as part of the Puppy Booster Regiment and then yearly thereafter.
Distemper
Symptoms: Watery Diarrhea tinged with blood and phlem, vomit tinged with blood, death smell, lethargic, loss of appetite refusing to eat or drink, weight loss, excessive drooling.
How is it Contracted: Parvo is highly infectious and is spread by direct or indirect contact with infected canine feces. It can be especially severe in puppies that are not fully innoculated.
Treatment: Requires immediate hospitalization.
Prevention: Distemper vaccine given as part of the Puppy Booster Regiment and then yearly thereafter.
Hepatitus
Symptoms: Watery Diarrhea tinged with blood and phlem, vomit tinged with blood, death smell, lethargic, loss of appetite refusing to eat or drink, weight loss, excessive drooling.
How is it Contracted: Parvo is highly infectious and is spread by direct or indirect contact with infected canine feces. It can be especially severe in puppies that are not fully innoculated.
Treatment: Requires immediate hospitalization.
Prevention: Hepatitus vaccine given as part of the Puppy Booster Regiment and then yearly thereafter.
CoronaVirus
Symptoms: Watery Diarrhea tinged with blood and phlem, vomit tinged with blood, death smell, lethargic, loss of appetite refusing to eat or drink, weight loss, excessive drooling.
How is it Contracted: Parvo is highly infectious and is spread by direct or indirect contact with infected canine feces. It can be especially severe in puppies that are not fully innoculated.
Treatment: Requires immediate hospitalization.
Prevention: Coronavirus vaccine given as part of the Puppy Booster Regiment and then yearly thereafter.
Kennel Cough
Symptoms: Kennel Cough, also known as Bordetella, is extremely contagious, however is very easily treated.
How is it Contracted: Through exchange of bodily fluids such as saliva.
Treatment: Bordetella vaccine.
Prevention: Bordetella vaccine given every 6 months.
Rabies
Symptoms: Profuse saliva, foaming at the mouth, irrational and extremely aggressive behaviour.
How is it Contracted: Rabies is contracted when biten by a rabid animal.
Treatment: Requires immediate hospitalization. You should not try to capture a rabid animal on your own. Call the Vector Control Health Board in your area immediately!
Prevention: Rabies vaccine given at 4 months of age or younger in some states and then followed by another dose one year later and then every 3 years thereafter.
Lyme Disease
Symptoms:
How is it Contracted: Lyme Disease is contracted by being bit by an infected deer tick.
Treatment: Requires immediate hospitalization.
Canine Parasites
Coccidia
Symptoms: Very loose stool often with ribbons of blood in very extreme cases. In very severe cases, the pup will become letharic. Coccidia will leave a filmy spot on concrete after the fecal matter has been washed away.
How is it Contracted: Coccidia originates in poultry and is rapidly spread through the bird droppings of wild birds. The unfortunate truth is that this parasite is in our drinking water and exhibits no real harm to animals who have mature immune systems.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through a fecal analysis available at your Veterinarian.
Treatment: Puppies will typically be treated with Albon either in liquid or tablet form which is available through your local Veterinarian.
Giardia
Symptoms: Very loose stool often with ribbons of blood in very extreme cases. In very severe cases, the pup will become letharic. Giardia will leave a filmy spot on concrete after the fecal matter has been washed away.
How is it Contracted: Coccidia originates in poultry and is rapidly spread through the bird droppings of wild birds. The unfortunate truth is that this parasite is in our drinking water and exhibits no real harm to animals who have mature immune systems.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through a fecal analysis available at your Veterinarian.
Treatment: Puppies will typically be treated with Metronidazole or Flagyl in liquid or tablet form which is available through your local Veterinarian.
Round Worms
Symptoms: Very loose, sticky stool, yellow to whitish in color often with ribbons of blood in very extreme cases. In very severe cases, the pup will become letharic. These worms are thin spaghetti like white worms visible in the fecal matter.
How is it Contracted: Round worms can lie dormant in soil as well as in the adult female dog. The worms can then be passed on through the mother's milk into the puppies and become active, feeding off of the pup, robbing the pup of vital nutrition necessary for growth and survival.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through a fecal analysis available at your Veterinarian.
Treatment: One treatment for Puppies is Ivermectin however this is not safe for all breeds of dogs. If you see any symptoms of this parasite, your Veterinarian can best advise you further.
Whip Worms
Symptoms:
How is it Contracted: Whip worms can lie dormant in soil. These worms feed off of the pup, robbing the pup of vital nutrition necessary for growth and survival.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through a fecal analysis available at your Veterinarian.
Treatment: One treatment for Puppies is Panacure which is available either online or through your Veterinarian. If you see any symptoms of this parasite, your Veterinarian can best advise you further.
Hook Worms
Symptoms:
How is it Contracted: Hook worms can lie dormant in soil. These worms feed off of the pup, robbing the pup of vital nutrition necessary for growth and survival.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through a fecal analysis available at your Veterinarian.
Treatment: One treatment for Puppies is Panacure which is available either online or through your Veterinarian. If you see any symptoms of this parasite, your Veterinarian can best advise you further.
Tape Worms
Symptoms: In very severe cases, the pup will exhibit weight loss and become letharic. These worms are segmented and look like fat grains of rice attached at the sides and easily break apart. Each segment is capable of producing a new worm. These worms can be visible in the fecal matter or vomit.
How is it Contracted: Tape worms can be found in spoiled foods and soil. Stray dogs often will be prime candidates as hosts for these parasitic worms. This parasite can be transferred through bodily fluids from animal to animal. These worms feed off of the pup, robbing the pup of vital nutrition necessary for growth and survival.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through a fecal analysis available at your Veterinarian.
Treatment: One treatment for Puppies is Drontal available through your local Veterinarian. If you see any symptoms of this parasite, your Veterinarian can best advise you further.
Fleas - Feline
Symptoms: Small red bites, severe itching and scratching, small hard shell insects jumping or crawling on the pup or dog.
How is it Contracted: Fleas can be found in the soil and grass. Any fur bearing animal is a readily available host for this parasite and is the more common flea found on dogs. Fleas can be passed from animal to animal.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through visual examination.
Treatment: One treatment for Puppies is Frontline which can be administered as early as 8-weeks of age. Take precaution to not administer sooner than 30 day intervals. Dosage is according to the weight of the animal. All fleas will expire 18 hours after treatment has begun. An Alternate treatment is to bathe the pup in bathe water with 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol and Dawn Dishwashing soap. Lather up and allow to sit for 5 minutes, then rinse. This will tend to dry the skin and fur, so shampooing afterwards with a gentle shampoo is advised.
Fleas - Poultry
Symptoms: Small red bites, severe itching and scratching, blond specks that look almost like dirt or dandruff. These fleas are also known as Sticky Fleas because of their excretion which is sticky in substance.
How is it Contracted: These Fleas originate in poultry, however they can be found on any fur bearing or feathered animal. These Fleas can be passed from animal to animal.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through careful visual examination.
Treatment: One treatment for Puppies is Frontline which can be administered as early as 8-weeks of age. Take precaution to not administer sooner than 30 day intervals. Dosage is according to the weight of the animal. All fleas will expire 18 hours after treatment has begun.
Ticks
Symptoms: Weight Loss, Itching, Scratching, Letharic movement.
How is it Contracted: Ticks can be found in wooded areas, in tall grasses as well as on any fur bearing animal and are easily passed from host to animal or from animal to animal.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through careful visual examination. Ticks can be brown to grayish in color and either hard or soft shelled. They attach to the skin of the animal and live off of the animals blood supply causing severe anemia if gone untreated. When the ticks are done feeding, they will plant their newborns in the fur and pop off of the dog.
Treatment: One treatment for Puppies is Frontline which can be administered as early as 8-weeks of age. Take precaution to not administer sooner than 30 day intervals. Dosage is according to the weight of the animal. All ticks will expire 18 hours after treatment has begun.
Mange
Symptoms: Raw open sores, hair loss in the area of skin irruptions, severe itching, bad odor originating from the sores.
How is it Contracted: Mange can be contracted through contact with an infected animal. This parasite is often seen in stray dags and is severly contagious.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through a skin scraping. Please see your local Veterinarian for further information.
Treatment: One treatment for Puppies is Ivermectin however this is not safe for all breeds of dogs. If you see any symptoms of this parasite, your Veterinarian can best advise you further.
Myiasis - Maggot Infestation
Symptoms: Flies burrowing in down through the animals coat and possibly crawling maggots can be observed. With close inspection you will see raw open sores or tunnels (holes) in the subcutaneous tissue, hair loss in the area of skin irruptions, severe itching, bad odor originating from the sores. This is a very painful condition for the animal.
How is it Contracted: This parasite is seen in dogs that are in a depleted state such as following whelping of a litter or injury resulting in open sores. The blood from the injury or birthing process will attract flies. Adult flies will lay their eggs in the open wound of an injured animal or in the blood of a mother who has just given birth. In the later case, the adult fly will burrow down into the animal fur, excrete a substance on the animal flesh that will cause the skin to erupt, then she will lay her eggs in that eruption.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis can be made through visual observation. Please see your local Veterinarian for further information.
Treatment: The area in question should be shaved and cleaned with antiseptic solution.
Another alternative is to prepare a tub of water, just large enough to hold the dog (15Lengthx12Sidthx12Depth for a 50 lbs dog). Add the following:
1 Cup Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
1 Cup Rubbing Alcohol
Allow the dog to soak in this solution for 30 minutes. Agitate the water by adding more water to cause the ingredients to mix. After 30 minutes, remove the dog, empty the tub and refill with clean water for rinsing. Once again put the dog in the water and rock the dog back and forth to get the water moving much like a washing machine would do.
You can apply vasoline to the wounds to force out any maggots that are still burrowed. They will come up for air about once every minute, at which point they can be carefully removed with forceps. It is very important that no part of any maggot remains in the dog tissue.
Apply topically antibacterial ointment such as neosporin to the affected area.
Oral Medications to be given in conjunction with this treatment could consist of Cephalexin and Ivermection (given orally). Caution must be taken with Ivermection since this is not safe for all breeds of dogs.
If you see any symptoms of this parasite, your Veterinarian can best advise you further.
More Information: This is a very dangerous condition. The larvae (maggots) produce a toxin that will kill the dog if it is gone untreated. If a nursing mother is infested with maggots, your will see hives on the bellies of the pups from toxicity in the mother's milk or even in utero if the infesting happens during the birthing process.
Allergies - Insects
Insect Bites: Bee Stings, Wasp Stings, Black Widow Spider Bites
Symptoms: Head and Face will swell almost triple the normal size. The reason this reaction is so dramatic is because puppies are very inquisitive and mouth oriented. They learn about their world through their sense of smell, taste and touch. Their general nature is to eat everything in sight, including bugs. If they get stung or biten by one of these it is typically in the mouth or face area, causing immediate swelling. The swelling however is not in the brain, but in the facial tissue surrounding the skull.
Remedy: I will immediately give my pups a double dose of liquid benedryl which will counteract the toxin in these stings and bites within 2-3 hours. I will continue to dose the pup for a period of 3-days following the guidelines on the package.
Dose: I determine the dose to use by using the assumption that a 2-year old human baby weighs approximately 20 lbs. I find the dosage for that age child and use that for a basis. If the pup weighs 10 lbs, the 1/2 of the 2-year old dose is what I would use.
Allergies - Food
Whole Kernel Corn, Corn Glutan, Cornmeal, etc
Symptoms: Itching, Hot Spots. Hot Spots come in all sizes and can become quite inflammed and raw resulting in hair loss at the affected sites. The dog will have a tremendous urge to scratch in an attempt to relieve the itching.
Remedy: Stop feeding any food that contains any form of Corn. It may take several weeks to clear up the affected areas, but you will notice that the itching gradually stops and the sores will gradually heal.
Note: If anyone has pictures of any of the above reactions, I would appreciate copies of them so that I can post them to this site
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