Dog Diseases
When deciding to get a dog, we hope it will enjoy very good health and condition. Unfortunately, just like humans, our pet can also become ill. Some dog diseases progress in a mild manner, while others can pose a serious threat to its life. Dog diseases are varied, and moreover their symptoms are not always clear-cut and can be difficult to notice at times. Quick intervention by the owner often saves the dog from death.
Nowadays, most canine diseases are treatable, although not entirely. However, veterinary medicine already has drugs that can protect a dog from the side effects of a given disease. Therefore, when we notice that our dog is behaving differently than before, it is worth consulting with a veterinarian. Let us also not forget that dog diseases can also be dangerous for us and our children. Therefore, it is worth the future owner of our four-legged friend knowing what they might be dealing with.
Genetic Dog Diseases
When deciding on a specific breed, it is worth familiarising yourself with what diseases it may be genetically predisposed to. Genetic diseases arise as a result of gene mutations, which are passed down from generation to generation. Many people buying a pedigree dog only pay attention to the health testing of the parents of such a young pup. Based on the assumption that if parents are healthy, their children will be too. Unfortunately, this is not entirely the case, as a bad gene in parents may not appear, but in the next generation it will. In dog pedigrees you will certainly find various notations concerning many diseases, it is worth paying attention to this when looking several generations back. Also talk to the breeder about this, ask for health test results, as dogs with a genetic defect should not be allowed to breed further.
The most common hereditary diseases in dogs are:
Progressive Retinal Atrophy PRA, crd-PRA, prcd-PRA, cord1-PRA; Primary Lens Luxation PLL; Hereditary Cataracts HC; Collie Eye Anomaly CEA; Multifocal Retinopathy CMR1; von Willebrand's Disease type 1, 2, 3; Oculoskeletal Dysplasia OSD.
- Haemophilia A
This is nothing more than a blood clotting disorder.
- Neonatal encephalopathy
This is a fatal brain disease. Unfortunately, puppies are born smaller and weaker. Around 4 weeks of age, tremors and very severe seizures occur.
- Ataxia
These are balance disorders, which can appear for example as abnormal gait, poor coordination of muscle groups in the limbs, trunk and head.
- Polyneuropathy
This is damage to the peripheral nerves. The main symptoms are lack of coordination and stability during movement. The dog may fall, there is also loss of muscle mass, and changes in voice may occur when the disease attacks the larynx, which in turn leads to swallowing problems.
- Narcolepsy
This disease is caused by a lack of one of the proteins in the body, which is hypocretin. Its function is to regulate processes related to sleep. The main symptom of this protein deficiency is sudden and uncontrollable attacks of sleepiness.
- Congenital myopathy HMLR, CNM
This is a disease attacking the muscles. It manifests itself in abnormal gait and poor posture.
- Cystinuria
As a result of this disease, cysteine stones form in the kidneys. This is a faulty metabolism involving poor transport of amino acids in the kidneys.
- Leucocyte Adhesion Deficiency CLAD
This is an immunodeficiency disease; left untreated, it unfortunately leads to death. Affected dogs develop severe infections including tonsilitis, gingivitis and skin and joint inflammations.
- Hip dysplasia HD and elbow dysplasia ED
Thanks to the fact that science is developing rapidly, the range of tests we can perform to find out whether our dog is ill will also expand. This will help to reduce and even eliminate dangerous hereditary diseases appearing in breeding programmes.
