The 7 most dangerous diseases that your pet may suffer

As much as you want to take care of your dog, unfortunately, like people, at some point in their lives dogs also get ill. It doesn’t matter how responsible you are, how overprotective you are, sickness can happen and it is not your fault. Just like us humans, dogs have a proper system inside their bodies and sometimes that system may have issues. If it happens, the first thing you should do is to stay calm and reach your veterinarian. And the second thing you should do is to stop feeling guilty. There’s only one thing that can save you from that guilt and that is awareness. That’s why we have listed some of the most dangerous diseases that can affect pets and how to avoid them or deal with them. Fortunately there are tools that help detect issues like a dog ultrasound machine.

Meet the most dangerous diseases plaguing your pet’s life:

Pets sometimes have signs that do not feel good. But on other occasions, these signs are not entirely clear. Or, when they appear, the disease is already well advanced.

It is therefore recommended that, in addition worming and vaccinating your pet according to the timetable lay down, take them to the vet regularly to assess their health status. Regular checkup should be scheduled every few weeks and in case of any abnormal sign, veterinarian should be consulted ASAP. We are mentioning some of the most common fatal diseases that can occur along with their symptoms.

1. Lyme Disease

Also known as borreliosis, this disease is caused by bacteria. It is transmitted by Ixodes ticks. In dogs it is associated with various health problems. Among them.

  • Arthritis
  • Deformation of joints
  • Carditis
  • Nephritis

If the Canine Borreliosis is diagnosed quickly and was administered with the right antibiotics, you can overcome the danger. For cats, the disease rarely occurs. But if not treated early, it is usually fatal. Common symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, high grade fever, laziness, etc. the infection can actually take 2-5 months to expose a threat. Therefore, if the symptoms are diagnosed, the diseases can be nipped in the bud. This disease is amongst the most common one, and most of the times when tested positive, your dog may still not be clinically ill. The disease is a little controversial due to its varying nature. Always keep an eye for ticks as this is most commonly caused by a black legged tick.

2. Renal Disease

Although common in elderly cats, kidney disease manifests also in dogs and cats of various ages. Its origin can be congenital or may be triggered at some point in the life of the animal for several reasons. It is very difficult to detect the problem because it doesn’t show even if the organs are working half their capacity.

In some cases, the disease develops more slowly, giving possibility to some kind of treatment that gives quality of life. Therefore it’s always best to keep looking for clues. Commonly, the dog may stop eating enough and may begin to dehydrate during the earl stage. But, sometimes, the deterioration of the animal’s health is fast and notorious. It is detected with an analysis of blood annually. Age and breed plays a very significant role in exposing the dogs to the threats of renal diseases. Also, this may just a genetic problem too. Therefore, when you adopt a new dog always get him thoroughly checked for any kind of diseases, get his medical history from the previous owners.

Common symptoms of renal diseases may include vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, reduced appetite, weight loss and bad breath. Therefore, if you ever come across if any of these, consult your doctor immediately.

3. Heartworm

Filariasis, better known as heartworm disease, is characterized by the installation and reproduction of roundworms (heartworm) in the right ventricle and the pulmonary blood vessels and furry. The disease is caused by just one bite of an infected mosquito. There is no way to figure out if the mosquito is really infected, therefore it is very important to keep the dog safe. Buy mosquito traps to protect your pets against these disease-causing mosquitos.

This disease is very common among 50 states in the world and can be cured if detected early. If not detected early, the treatment will be very costly and risk factor will increase too. Wherever there’s mosquito, there’s a risk of heartworm, therefore one must keep an eye on any suspicious activity. Once the dog is bitten by an infected mosquito, it will take 7 months for the disease to actually show as this all depends on the larvae to mature into an adult worm. Once the larvae mature into adult worm, then it will start reproducing at great speed and it will infect and infest in all the main organs of the body.

This parasitic disease, which in cats is less common, can lead to death of pets if not treated on time .

4. Distemper

Distemper is amongst the most common and deadliest diseases in the dogs. This virus particularly affects puppies that have not yet been vaccinated, but also adult dogs who were never immunized. Early symptoms include high grade fever, vomiting, loss of appetite and runny nose and eyes. The disease is contagious and attacks the respiratory, nervous and gastrointestinal system of the dog’s body. This disease causes severe illness and

The most common ways of catching the virus is by getting exposed to an infected animal since the virus is contagious. The infected dogs pose a great threat to other animals nearby, by infecting the air. If the virus isn’t killed by disinfecting the environment, the dogs may catch this airborne. Also, the diseases may be transfer to a newborn by its mother while giving birth.

Distemper has a high mortality rate. But the animals that survive often have different problems all his life as a result of having had this virus. For example:

  • Seizures
  • Twitches
  • Footpads toughened

5. Parvovirus

Present in both cats and dogs, parvovirus is highly lethal if not diagnosed on time. The disease is contagious and hence poses a great threat to any other animal nearby. The disease affects the body in two ways; one is intestinal form, other is cardiac form. Most common one is intestinal parvo virus, and this one can be diagnosed easily if kept an eye on symptoms. The symptoms include lack of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. Cardiac form as the name indicates, attacks the heart, usually in puppies and fetuses. You can look for the lowest price on generic Lipitor to reduce the risks of heart failure in your pet. Canine parvo virus can be avoided if the dog is vaccinated regularly since birth.

In dogs, the virus affects the digestive system, but also other vital areas related to the circulatory system. For cats, the disease directly attacks the white blood cells, mainly damaging cells of the bone marrow and the intestinal wall.

6. Feline infectious peritonitis

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is a serious and complex disease that sooner or later, causes the death of the affected cats. It is caused by a coronavirus and affects about 1 percent of infected cats.

Although it occurs most often in colonies or in shelters and kennels, cats can have it all. Yet, in particular, it hits the animals between 6 to 24 months and older than 10 years.

7. Rabies

This acute viral infection attacks the nervous system and has no cure once symptoms begin to develop. The virus affects all the mammals including human and is highly contagious. Throughout the world, Rabies has been eradicated through the vaccination campaigns and by raising awareness of the disease. But in some countries this still holds a serious threat to the animal as well as human population. Because of the vaccine, there has been very significant reduction in cases among the pets. But the virus is still very common and deadly among the wild population.

If you wish to read more about this, grab a copy of Breed Predisposition of diseases from amazon for just $51.00. The book contains comprehensive knowledge on all kinds of pet diseases and ways to diagnose them at early stages.