We Are The Cure Blog | Canine Cancer Information

We are all aware of the potential benefits of calcium in our diet. The same is true for our dogs as well. Calcium is mandatory for strong bones and teeth but the proportion in which we give it to our pets determines their true bone health. Do you know that both little or excess calcium can be devastating for your pet’s health?

If you give it to him in very low quantities your dog may develop a condition called ‘ricket’. This is a disease in which the bones become ‘porous’ and ‘brittle’. However, large amounts of calcium can result in bone abnormalities. Large bones are usually very low in density. But calcium supplements become inevitable during pregnancy and post pregnancy. Otherwise, it may lead to ‘eclampsia’ or milk ‘fever’ a life-threatening condition characterized by low blood calcium levels.

Although calcium plays a significant role in your dog’s diet, the importance of other vitamins and nutrients cannot be undermined. In fact calcium works hand in hand with phosphorous. Vitamin D also plays an important role in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. However, excess vitamin D can be detrimental to your dog’s health.

So, for the right proportion of calcium in your dog’s diet always seek the advice of his vet.

Nurturing a puppy can actually give you hands on training on how to look after a baby if you haven’t had any exposure till date. Yes, they also go through exactly similar phases in their transition towards adulthood and ‘teething’ is perhaps the most prominent of them all.

Just like human babies, puppies are also born toothless. By the 6th or 8th week they have around 28 teeth. These are known as ‘deciduous teeth’ or ‘milk teeth’. Although these are temporary, they help in the process of chewing. They eventually fall off between 4 months – 1 year thus paving way for the permanent ones. The incisors grow between 3-6 months of age, while the premolars develop between 4-6 months. The canines and molars appear between 5-7 months. Unlike human babies their teething process is complete by 8-9 months of age.

Some puppies drool excessively during this period as they develop an affinity for chewable stuff. However, this acts as a lubricant which sets the stage for tooth growth. Although drooling is a very common phenomenon during this phase, sometimes it could also be an indication of underlying problems like upset stomach or gum disease. In case you feel all is not well with your buddy rush him to a vet.

There are several ways in which you can take care of these problems. Always keep a towel handy so that you can wipe their faces and paws with it. Provide them with plenty of chewable toys. However, ice cubes or wash cloth dipped in water are the safest bets. The ‘itchy’ sensation in their gums sometimes ensues bad behavior. To ease their discomfort you can sit beside your puppies and slowly run your fingers on their gums.

Sometimes, a few deciduous teeth remain as they don’t fall off. So, if you don’t get them extracted they won’t allow the permanent ones to sustain resulting in improper jaw alignment or malocclusion.

Ear problems can afflict any dog and cause unbearable pain. As they can’t explain their discomfort, indications like occasional shaking of head, ear scratching, groaning and walking with head tilted at an angle are good enough to alert the owner that something is wrong with his pet’s ears.

If your dog has an ear infection his ears would smell pungent and you would also notice some discharge in the ear canal that may be brown, yellow or red in color. This infection is generally caused by an insect called mite. They creep around the ear causing irritation. The ears of your doggy react to these insects by secreting a wax like substance which is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria, fungus and yeast. This further accentuates the problem.

Some people try to treat it at home with help of a doctor, but it’s always better if you take him to a vet and allow the doctor to examine his ears. The vet would basically look out for mites, bacteria or yeast. Sometimes, foreign bodies present in the ear canal also cause excruciating pain. Under these circumstances your pet may need antibiotics or other medications.

However, for the accurate examination of his ears, the vet resorts to anesthesia. He takes a sample of the discharge and either examines it himself or sends the swab to a laboratory for a culture and sensitivity test. The result of the investigation enables him to chart the course for treatment.

Sometimes infections in the ears keep recurring due to narrowing of the ear canal, tumorous overgrowths, natural deformity or skin infection. If his ears remain perpetually moist, infections will never resolve. So, the vet takes recourse to a surgery in which he removes the skin overlying the outer portion of the ear canal. This allows for proper air circulation thus resolving the infection completely.

However, there is another surgery called ear ablation in which the entire cartilage of the ear canal and the hole going down to the eardrum are done way with. Although it resolves the infection for good, the dog becomes deaf in that ear.

So, you should always consult a doctor if you suspect ear problems in your pet.

Also known as infectious tracheobronchitis, kennel cough is a highly contagious illness that affects the upper respiratory tract in dogs. It is caused by many viral and bacterial agents. The disease affects a vast majority of dogs in the US every year.

The symptoms for tracheobronchitis may range from dry cough, running nose to lethargy, fever, lack of appetite, pneumonia and in extreme cases even death.

Although the symptoms of kennel cough are quite conspicuous for reaching a definitive conclusion, the diagnostic techniques occasionally employed may entail bacterial cultures, viral isolation, and blood work.

The treatment for kennel cough depends on the severity of the disease. If it’s in the mild state, antibiotics may or may not be administered. Instead bronchodilators like aminophylline or cough suppressants may be used.

In more complicated cases, the dog is treated with antibiotics like doxycycline or trimethoprim-sulfa. However, there are many options available nowadays. Bronchodilators and even aerosol therapy can be used.

Under these circumstances it is advisable that you put a head collar or harness around your dog’s neck because pressure on the throat and trachea can worsen his cough.

However, the pertinent question here is can you prevent ‘kennel cough’? Yes of course you can by exercising little caution like keeping your pooches away from other dogs especially puppies and also by getting proper doses of vaccine administered. The kennels which are breeding grounds of bacteria should be properly disinfected and the  contaminated pets should be isolated. Also those dealing with them should take adequate precautions.

Earlier humans were out of the ambit of this infection. But recent studies have found that children and adults with comprised immune systems are at an increased risk of developing the disease. So, just like pooches, human beings should also avoid coming into contact with infected animals.

I was absolutely overwhelmed to read in the papers that dogs are living longer than they used to. Now that Rover has entered the 10th year of his life, there is always an unknown fear lurking at my heart. This news came as a welcome relief for me.

A renowned doctor from K Heart Veterinary Clinic in Great Falls has attributed this to the growing bond between the pet and his owner. He said that dogs have literally become a part our family. We treat them no less than our children. Moreover, access to more information has also changed the way we feed our pooches. Earlier, owners would hardly discriminate between pet food and human food. But now they have become very choosy when it comes to picking food items for their buddies.

Dr Manzer also emphasized the advancements in medical science that have contributed to prolonging their life span. He in fact revealed that arthritic treatment in dogs has become more advanced compared to that in humans.

The dog you choose to adopt can also play an instrumental role. It has been scientifically proven that small and medium sized dogs live longer than their bigger counterparts. Dr Manzer said that earlier people used to get an idea about a dog’s age in human years by multiplying it with 7.

But there is a new formula in vogue now. According to this, a 1 year old doggie is equivalent to a 12 year old child while a 2 year old pooch is equivalent to that of a 24 year old person. As the dog grows in years you have to keep adding 4 to its original age. This basically boils down to the number of years a dog has in hand, told the vet.

So, according to the new formula my Rover is only 56 years now. Hey that’s a great news!

With the rising lung cancer deaths among non-smokers it has been rightfully established that passive smoking is as dangerous as active smoking. We can still avoid passive smoking if we want to but what about our canine friends? Do you know that the stale vapors from cigarettes can predispose our buddies to lung cancer? The risk increases manifold if there is more than one smoker in the family.

The fumes have a detrimental effect on canine blood vessels and this is the reason why their eyes look sore after prolonged or repeated bouts of passive smoking. The toxic smoke can also affect their ears.

Although passive smoking can harm any breed, ones with long noses like greyhounds are more susceptible to cancer. The poisonous fumes can also result in other life threatening conditions like repeated coughing and spluttering. Smoke can trigger allergies in our pets by irritating their esophagus.

Nothing matters more than our pets’ well being. So, if you still haven’t given up on smoking it’s high time that you kick the butt because it’s our responsibility to make the earth a better place to live in.

If you wish to know more about canine pulmonary tumors you can refer to our cancer library.

Like humans cognitive disorders also affect our canine friends. But unfortunately it goes mostly unnoticed because of the lack of awareness on our parts. So, a renowned holistic vet, Dr. Shawn Messonnier, has come up with a book called Unexpected Miracle which provides comprehensive, well-researched solutions on dealing with canine dementia.

The doctor emphasizes natural remedies for treating the disease as opposed to AnipryIR, a conventional medicine which has been recently approved by the Canadian Health Protection Branch. He conducted a study on the nutritional supplement Cholodin and found a number of nutritional ingredients like choline, phosphatidylcholine, methionine, inositol, and various B vitamins. He drew a conclusion that these nutrients can actually increase the formation of nerve transmitting chemicals in the deteriorating neurological system and enhance mental awareness in affected pets.

But how would you know your pet has dementia? The common symptoms include deafness, lethargy, sleepiness, difficulties in indoor training, blank look, difficulty in recognizing the owner and lack of awareness of surroundings.

The doctor says that he starts examining doggies since 5 years. Larger breeds like Great Danes which have a life expectancy of 7 years usually develop the disease as early as 4 or 5. The vet also points out that clinical signs are absent in giant breeds until 7 or 8.

At this point you must be curious to know whether there is a definitive way of detecting the disease. The doctor, however, rules out such a possibility. He rather explains that the aforementioned symptoms could mean the advent of other illnesses like diabetes, heart disorders, kidney disease, liver disease, cancer especially brain tumors, hypothyroidism and cushing’s syndrome. So, a thorough physical examination along with routine tests like complete blood count and urine analysis must be performed. If no abnormality is detected, then it’s a confirmed case of dementia, adds Dr. Messonnier.

For further details you can log onto petcarenaturally.com.

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) or ‘dry eye’ is a disease that affects the tear production system in a dog’s eye. It can either result from allergy to sulfa medications, trauma, distemper infection or abnormal degradation of the lacrimal glands. The reduction of the aqueous layer of the tear film leads to tissue damage which if left untreated may cause blindness.

KCS is generally asymptomatic until tear production is less than 10 millimeters in 60 seconds. Some of the noticeable signs may be yellow green mucoid discharge, cloudy surface of the eye, redness in or around the eye, pigment or conspicuous blood vessels across the clear portion of the eye, squinting, eye pain, inflammation of certain parts of the eye like the cornea, eyelids, and sensitivity to light. Sometimes this disease also aggravates to ulcers of the cornea which if not treated properly may inflict permanent damage to vision.

Breeds like Bloodhounds, Boston Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Chihuahuas, Cocker Spaniels, Dachshunds, English Bulldogs, English Springer Spaniels, Lhasa Apsos, Miniature Schnauzers, Pekingese, Pugs, Samoyeds, Shih Tzus, West Highland White Terriers and Yorkshire Terriers are predisposed to KCS.

Early detection is important for preserving the vision and the most reliable diagnostic work-up for KCS is a Schirmer tear test. It is a very simple method in which a small strip of absorbent paper is placed on the lower eyelid for 60 seconds. It is expected that the paper would soak up 20 millimeters of tears during that time. However, if the paper remains dry for most part of the time, the presence of KCS is confirmed. However, if the amount of tears is found between 12-18 millimeters, the chances of recovery are greater.

Artificial tear replacement eye-drops and topical application of cyclosporin are recommended for treating KCS. However in case of further deterioration like eye infections, corneal damage, or glaucoma additional treatment may be required.

‘Organic food’ has become quite a rage in the backdrop of ‘green revolution’. A growing number of people are turning to organic food because of its multifarious health benefits. So, in this kind of a scenario how can our canine friends be left far behind? You would be amazed to know that there is a variety of organic dog foods available in the market.

The advantages of organic food are galore. Here’s a quick look at some of them.

1. It reduces the risk of heart diseases in dogs.

2. It reduces the risk of diabetes in dogs.

3. It reduces the risk of skin diseases and allergies in dogs.

4. It prevents diarrhea in dogs.

5. It prevents accumulation of gas in dogs.

6. Unlike other dog foods, organic food items are very high on the nutritional quotient. They also act as a high source of energy and protein as they are mostly made from simple grain extracts.

7. Quality of nutritional constituents present in organic foods strengthens the immunity system. This in turn helps in combating infections.

If you want to ensure your pet’s health and well being in this chemical riddled world, switching over to organic food is the best possible way of doing that.

There are many diseases affecting our canine friends. So, far we’ve dealt with a handful of them. But there are still quite a few that deserve mention. Not all of them are preventable, but there are a good number of viral and bacterial infections which can be prevented with vaccine. So, being a responsible owner you should do all that is required to safeguard your pet against the onslaught of diseases.

Here’s a list of some of the most common ailments that can pose threat to your pet’s life but can be easily averted by exercising little caution:

Rabies:
Do you know how many people die of rabies each year? An alarming 55,000. However, this shocking estimate can be reduced considerably if you vaccinate your dogs. Rabies is a highly contagious disease that can spread from animals to humans. It can prove fatal once symptoms occur. Other ways to prevent the disease is by not allowing children and pets to come into direct contact with stray animals.

Canine distemper:
Canine distemper is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory and   gastrointestinal tracts. More often than not it also affects the central nervous system. Puppies between 3-6 months are highly predisposed. Canine distemper spreads through coughing. However, the virus can be shed through urine also.

Hepatitis:
Hepatitis affects the liver. Also known as canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1), it spreads  by coming into contact with an infected dog. Hepatitis can also be transmitted by parasites like fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks. The clinical signs may include vomiting, fever, diarrhoea, swollen lymph nodes, pale gums, and yellowish eyes. Although it is mostly administered to young pups, unvaccinated adult dogs can also be safeguarded with vaccine.

Leptospirosis:
The bacteria can be transmitted through the urine of infected animals. The bacteria usually enters the body through skin, eyes, nose, or mouth. The clinical signs may include fever, vomiting abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, general debilitation, depression, stiffness and pain in the muscle.