If you own a dog, then the symptoms of dog parvo should be of great concern to you. If you or the vet had detected this problem in your pet, it is a must that you follow all the medication guidelines necessary in order to lead your dog to safety.

Dogs, when they’re infected with the parvo virus, would show symptoms like diarrhea, high fever, lethargy, eating problems, and vomiting. Check the stool of your dog. If it’s watery, yellowish, and has a strong scent, then your dog is likely to have acquired the problem. Oftentimes, the stool would contain blood too.

The parvo virus in canines divides into multitudes of cells inside the dog’s body. They would attack the organs, more particularly the digestive system. When this happens, the dog would have difficulty absorbing water and nutrients. A disruption in its body processes is expected.

The parvo virus is known to mostly infect adult dogs. However, it is also possible for small puppies to acquire the disease due to their weak immune system. Once infected, the dog parvo symptoms would show. You can expect instances of heart failure, shock, and in worse cases, sudden death. The dog parvo disease is a time sensitive disease. The moment you see any of these symptoms, be sure to consult with a veterinarian as soon as possible.

The dog parvo virus can be found on infected soil or dog wastes. If your pet smells or gets in contact with them, they would travel into the lymphatic system. From there, they would divide into great proportions and invade the bloodstream. They would start to mutilate the cells inside the body, until they reach their main destination – the intestinal tract. Once there, they would start deteriorating the walls of the intestines.

The moment the intestinal walls are damaged, the dog parvo symptoms would show. These are lack of appetite, bad-smelling discharges, bloody diarrhea, and foamy vomits. If left ignored, the entire wall of the intestine would breakdown, causing major infection a host of complications. It would eventually lead to dehydration and worse, death for your pet.

To prevent the dog parvo symptoms to show on your pet, the best way to do is to get it some vaccines. For puppies, they should be injected during their 6th to 8th week of age. Depending on the vet, the vaccines have to be boosted or repeated until the dog reaches 4 months. Then a yearly shot has to be given to make sure that your pet has strong defenses from the ill effects of dog parvo disease.

Dogs or puppies infected by the parvo virus should be taken cared of properly. They shouldn’t be allowed to associate with your other pets to prevent the virus from spreading. The parvo virus has the ability to live up to five months on the surfaces it is in contact with. The virus is also resistant to the common home disinfectants. To prevent the virus from proliferating, try to use half a cup of strong bleach diluted in a gallon of water. The solution would serve as your cleaning aid on the places where your infected dog is staying.

Edward Chen
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/a-closer-look-at-dog-parvo-symptoms-755720.html

Dog Diseases number in the scores, just as in humans. But, veterinarians tend to see some much more than others. Sadly, a great deal of grief could be avoided if more dog owners were careful to see that their pets are immunized regularly against preventable dog diseases.

While experts, as usual, may differ, what are the top ten dog diseases? Here’s a list (not necessarily in order of seriousness) with a brief explanation of each disease:

Distemper:

Of all the dog diseases, the American Veterinary Medical Association considers the distemper virus to be the worst canine disease threat to dogs world wide. Distemper is fatal in 80% of puppies and 50% of adults. All dogs are extremely vulnerable, and should be vaccinated, with subsequent boosters in keeping the recommendation of a Veterinarian.

Parvovirus (Parvo):

Parvovirus is a worldwide dog disease. It is extremely contagious, especially among puppies, and can overwhelm a dog leading to death within 48 to 72 hours after exposure. Symptoms include depression, loss of appetite, vomiting and severe diarrhea. Parvo vaccination is essential with booster shots as recommended.

Rabies:

Rabies is a virus and becomes fatal when symptoms appear. Because rabies can be fatal to humans and other mammals, state and local laws uniformly require rabies vaccination, many mandating booster shots yearly.

Kennel Cough:

This is a respiratory disease especially prevalent in kennels and shelters. There are a variety of virus strains, including Bortadella. Symptoms can include a dry hacking cough along with inflammation of the larynx, bronchial tubes and trachea. Vaccination, as often as every six months is recommended.

Leptospirosis:

Symptoms of Leptospirosis include lethargy, kidney inflammation, low-grade fever, vomiting, reddening of the mucous membranes and conjunctiva, and blood clotting abnormalities. Since it is a bacterial disease, also found in humans, it is treated with antibiotics. Veterinarians are often reluctant to innoculate against this dog disease, since there is questionable effectiveness, and puppies can have adverse reactions.

Infectious canine hepatitis:

While this dog disease often manifests itself with mild symptoms such as a slight fever or slight lethargy, it can, in some instances become fatal. Recovery is usually rapid. Vaccination is recommended.

Lyme Disease:

Symptoms of Lyme Disease in dogs will include lethargy, joint pain, lack of appetite, lymph node enlargement, and fever. Lyme Disease is bacterial and is spread by ticks. Treatment is with tetracycline, an antibiotic. The available vaccine is not generally recommended.

Coronavirus:

Diarrhea and vomiting are symptomatic of this dog disease so it can be confused with parvovirus. Other indications are loss of appetite, smelly diarrhea, lethargy and dehydration. Replacement of lost fluids and control of vomiting and diarrhea are the recommended treatments. A vaccine is not generally recommended.

Obesity:

Just as in humans, this dog disease is a serious medical problem. Frequently, obese humans own obese dogs. Obviously, limiting food intake, withholding human food and enough exercise will contribute to a dogs longer life.

Heartworm:

Heartworms are parasites that grow and multiply, infesting the chambers in the heart, arteries in the lungs. Symptoms appear gradually, usually manifested in easy tiring, lethargy and a soft cough. If not treated, it eventually brings on death by congestive heart failure in a once active animal. Prevention with products such as HartGard is recommended.

Your veterinarian should give you a certificate showing your pet’s immunization against the common dog diseases. Ask for a wallet sized card which you can carry with you.

Robert G. Knechtel
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/what-are-the-top-ten-dog-diseases-110785.html

Like all the domestic animals, dogs are susceptible to many diseases. So in order to keep them healthy, it is necessary to understand the various diseases they can suffer from. Here is your quick guide on common dog diseases:

Rabies: This disease is caused due to a virus which affects the central nervous system of the dog. It generally spreads through the saliva. Rabies has several stages. In the first stage, there appears some behavior changes in your dog. As it reaches the second stage, the dog becomes very aggressive and by the third stage the body parts of the dog stop coordinating with each other. Once encountered the disease, there remains no cure.

Distempter: This is considered as the biggest threat to the whole population of the dog species. The symptoms are heavy nasal discharge, congestion in the chest, weight loss, coughing, gunky eyes and diarrhea. As the disease reaches its later stages, it has a direct effect on the nervous system of the dog causing paralysis. It is a contagious disease and the virus can be encountered by the air. Even by coming in contact with the excretion of the infected dog, the healthy dog can get afflicted. Once the dog is infected, then there is no cure for the disease. This deadly disease can be prevented by giving a proper vaccination to the dog.

Bloat: It is a serious disorder in a dog, wherein there occurs a twisting in the stomach of the animal. It generally occurs due to over eating. If the dog appears restless and depressed with dry heaves, then you must treat him for bloat.

Parvovirus: This virus is a fast killer as the symptoms can be seen in the dogs within hours of the virus attack, even killing the dog within 48-72 hours. It is a contagious disease and directly attacks the intestinal tract of the dog’s digestive system. The effect of the virus can also be seen on the heart of the dog. The symptoms include depression, severe form of diarrhea, vomiting and also loss of appetite. In this disease the color of the feacel matter changes and often have blood stains.

Canine Viral Hepatitis: This disease directly targets the kidney, the liver and the blood vessels of the dog. The symptoms include loss in appetite, intense thirst, vomiting and hemorrhages. The virus of the disease spreads through the faecel matter of the other dogs. The dogs can be prevented from this disease by administering them with the vaccination.

Kennel Cough: This is the most common respiratory disease among the dogs, wherein a typical kind of cough can be seen in the dogs. If given proper treatment, the disorder can be mended.

Leptospirosis: It is a bacterial disease. It spreads through the excretion of the animals. If human beings any how come in contact with this virus, they can also be infected. There is not one but several species of bacterias that produce this disease in dogs. The common symptoms of this disease are kidney inflammation, lethargy, conjuctivita, low grade fever and even sometimes clotting of blood. If the disease is more chronic the symptoms can be jaundice, pneumonia and intestinal inflammation.

Retinal Dysplasia: It is a disorder where there is an abnormal development of the retina. There occurs folds in the outer layers of the retina. It is the most common type of disease that is present in most of the breeds of dogs. A minor form of dysplasia causes minor vision problems, whereas an acute one can lead to total blindness in dogs. Cataract is also accompanied by this disorder.

Lyme Disease: It is a bacterial disease that is spread by ticks. The dog suffers from joint pains, loss of appetite, fever and lethargy. Tetracycline, an antibiotic is used for the treatment of this disease.

It is thus important to detect early symptoms of these diseases in your pet dogs and meet your vet as soon as possible. This will not only keep your dog healthy but will also keep it away from any of the life threatening diseases.

Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/dog-diseases-a-quick-guide-to-fight-the-early-symptoms-83151.html