We caught up with Katie Shine, Head Veterinary Nurse at Medivet Greenwich to answer your questions about the six most common dog health problems as we move into the warmer Spring and Summer months.
The most common dog health problems you need to know about
Worms
How do dogs get worms?
Dogs can get worms from infected faeces or eating an infected animal. Bitches will pass on worms to their pups both during their pregnancy and after through their milk.
What are the symptoms?
You might not see any obvious signs of worms until an infestation has developed.
Signs and symptoms often include:
- diarrhoea,
- vomiting,
- weight loss (although in puppies you might see a pot-bellied appearance), and
- loss of appetite.
How is it diagnosed?
Worms are passed in faeces, and in severe cases, vomit. Diagnosing whether a dog has worms or not is completed by obtaining a faecal sample for your Vet to examine.
What treatments are available?
There are many treatments available – mainly in oral form (tablets and chews) – available to cover dogs against worms.
Veterinary-recommended products are strongly advised because of their wide coverage against many internal parasites. Your Vet will advice which one is best for your dog and how often it needs to be done depending on the age and lifestyle of your dog.
Vomiting
My dog’s been vomiting, what should I do?
This can be due to many things and can (sometimes) be nothing to worry about. This is especially if it’s only happened the once, and there’s been no other symptoms and your dog is bright and happy otherwise.
- Make sure water is available and withhold food for a few hours.
- Keep your dog rested and monitor for any further vomiting episodes.
- Many people will offer something very bland at the next meal to help soothe the digestive system, this is a very good idea.
If your dog’s unable to keep down food and/ or water, there’s been more than one episode of vomiting, or if the vomit contains blood and your pup seems lethargic, we highly recommend you contact your Vet for further advice.
How do you diagnose the problem?
Diagnosis for dog vomiting isn’t always as straight-forward as you think.
Your Vet will require a detailed history to see if anything crops up to aid in a diagnosis.
If the vomiting has become a frequent thing and/or further symptoms develop, your Vet will want to start performing investigations involving blood tests and/or Diagnostic Imaging or Ultrasound.
What’s the most common reason for dog vomiting?
The most common reason for dogs vomiting are usually as a result of an intolerance to something they’ve eaten or scavenging.
Irritable Bowel Disorder (IBD)
Can dogs suffer from an irritable bowel?
Dogs can suffer from an irritable bowel – it’s known as Irritable Bowel Disorder (IBD) and the cause is often unknown.
What are the symptoms?
Common symptoms seen are:
- Diarrhoea,
- Vomiting,
- Weight loss, and
- Appetite loss.
How is it diagnosed?
Your Vet will perform basic tests on faeces and blood, but the most useful diagnostic test is performed by taking biopsies of the gut from an Endoscopy.
What treatments are available?
Treatments can vary greatly depending on the severity of IBD. Your Vet will look at a range of treatments including food trials to probiotics to medications. In some cases, a combination of all listed treatments are required. Treatment is often for life.
Arthritis
What are the symptoms?
Some people might be surprised to hear that dogs of all ages can get Arthritis, not just older ones. Common symptoms seen in dogs with Arthritis include:
- Exercise intolerance,
- Difficulty getting up,
- Stiff moving after a sleep, and
- Some periods of lameness.
How is it diagnosed?
Vets can sometimes determine if a patient has any degree of Arthritis on physical examinations. The best way to diagnose Arthritis and the degree of its severity is through diagnostic imaging such as X-rays or a CT scan.
What are the treatments available?
There are specialised food products which contain ingredients that work with improving the mobility of your dog and there are also many available joint supplements in forms of tasty chews or tablets.
In severe cases, your Vet might recommend a combination of anti-inflammatories and pain relief.
Hydrotherapy is excellent at helping Arthritic patients rebuild limb muscle. It works by helping the limbs support their weight better, and rebuilds and maintains joint movement while reducing pain.
Regular Veterinary checks are recommended to assess your dog’s progression of Arthritis. This way, your Vet can make any necessary changes to treatment plans to give your pup the very best care.
Diabetes
What are the symptoms?
We commonly see Diabetes in middle-aged to elderly dogs. Obesity in dogs is known to increase the chances of a dog developing diabetes.
A few of other common symptoms seen in dogs with Diabetes include:
- Increased drinking,
- Increased urination,
- Weight loss,
- Lethargy, and
- Vomiting (sometimes).
How is it diagnosed?
Diabetes can be quickly diagnosed through obtaining a urine sample to check for glucose and/or a blood test to check the blood sugar levels (very similar to how we test in humans).
What treatments are available?
Treatment of dogs with diabetes will mean regular injections in addition to a controlled diet to keep your dog stable. Your Vet will demonstrate giving these injections to your dog.
How can I maintain my dog’s health in the warmer months?
Stay cool
As it starts to get warmer, our main concern is keeping our canine companions cool.
Walking your dogs early morning and late evening to avoid the midday sun, making sure they have lots of water available and cool areas to rest in the home or garden are all important to avoid overheating and dehydration.
Pesky parasites
Ensure you’re compliant with parasite control and it’s all up to date (this is advised all year round but can be worse in summer months).
Check regularly in and behind your dog’s ear and between their toes (especially long haired breeds and those with floppy ears).
Grass seeds can cause a lot of trauma to these areas and can cause a lot of distress in dogs.
Got any questions of your own?
Let us know in the comments below if you’ve got any questions for the professionals. Head on over to the Medivet Greenwich Facebook page and give them a ‘like’!
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Puppy Care Tips
If you didn’t catch Katie’s video with us talking all about puppy care tips you can watch it below.