Shih Tzu Facts
These pint-sized pals make for a great addition to nearly any family. What’s not to love about these adorable and friendly dogs?
Like people, our faithful companions are susceptible to all kinds of dog diseases. Because they can’t communicate with us verbally, we have to be on the watch for signs that they aren’t feeling themselves and that an illness could be the culprit. We have compiled a list of common dog diseases, and their symptoms, to help you determine if you may have a sick dog.
According to our recent claims data*, the most common dog illnesses are eye infections, gastroenteritis, cancer, skin infections, and ear infections.
You may wonder, can dogs get pink eye? And, the answer is yes. In addition to conjunctivitis (a.k.a. pink eye), your dog may be susceptible to many types of dog eye infections. Luckily, you can probably spot an eye infection pretty easily just while your dog is giving you big, puppy dog eyes when begging for treats.
Symptoms may include crustiness or discharge around the eye, tear-stained fur on the face, and redness or inflammation of the eyelid lining. Be sure to look into your dog’s eyes regularly to check for this common illness – and, of course, and for the emotional reward of a loving gaze.
Some prevalent eye-related dog illnesses include:
Gastroenteritis, which is a general term for inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, presents the same unpleasant symptoms in dogs that it does in humans, like vomiting and diarrhea.
Gastroenteritis in dogs is often caused when they eat things they shouldn’t, the stomach flu, or it may signal a parasite. At times, it is a reaction to new food beings introduced to a dog diet or medications.
Cancer can be the most difficult of the common dog diseases on our list to detect. If identified in time, though, the same advanced treatment options humans have, like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and others, are available to dogs.
Schedule a visit to your veterinarian if any of these symptoms appear:
Skin infections in dogs can be easy to spot. You may begin to notice bald patches on their coat or a smell permeating from their fur even after they’ve gotten a bath. Your dog’s skin might also look red, scabby, and have small raised bumps or pimples. They will also want to scratch the infected area a lot. Allergic dermatitis, scabs, hot spots, and excessive scratching, licking or biting at skin can also mean a flea infestation. Your veterinarian can recommend treatment advice and offer products aimed at keeping the little, black bugs at bat.
Allergic dermatitis, scabs, hot spots, and excessive scratching, licking or biting at skin can also mean a flea infestation. Your veterinarian can recommend treatment advice and offer products aimed at keeping the little, black bugs at bay.
An inner ear infection may also cause your dog to do a lot of scratching plus head tipping. Look for fur loss on the outside of the ear and bright red or scabby skin. A good way to tell an ear infection from a skin infection of the outer could be brown, yellow, or bloody discharge and odor coming from the inside of the ear. Bacteria
Bacteria is the most common cause of ear infections, but other possible culprits include yeasts, fungi, and ear mites, which also increase the likelihood of bacterial infection. Brown or black earwax are classic indicators of microscopic ear mites, but only your veterinarian can tell for sure. Alternate causes include trauma to the body, tumors or polyps in the ear or foreign objects in the ear.
Vet bills for both minor and serious illnesses can add up quickly. Pet insurance is designed to help with vet bills so that cost doesn’t limit care options for your pet. Learn more before you buy.
* Internal Claims Data, Jan-Nov 2015