In the UK a wide variety of companies provide pet insurance, helping people to manage the costs of keeping their pet healthy. The pet insurance plans available vary in quality and scope so when making a comparison between different policies, you should always check that your pet insurance can accommodate your pet’s needs.

Some dogs suffer from lick granulomas which are lesions of thickened, firm plaque that develop if a dog repeatedly licks the bottom half of their leg. Sometimes a secondary infection can develop on the lesion which complicates the condition and can lead to further discomfort.

Causes tend to be psychological and canine lick granulomas often results from a form of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in dogs. However, excessive licking can also be triggered by physiological factors such as allergies, nerve damage, bacterial or fungal infections and joint disease.

A visit to your vet should determine whether the cause is mental or physical. If a dog is bored or stressed, they are often more prone to psychological disorders; for this reason lick granulomas seems to be most common in large, active breeds of dog which are left alone for extended periods of time.

One of the central problems with lick granulomas is that, whatever the cause, once the habit is formed it can be extremely difficult for the dog in question to break it. The excessive licking leads to irritation, pain and itching which in turn triggers the dog to lick the lesion even more.

As soon as you notice a problem it is worth consulting your vet. If your pet suffers from allergies, then the vet might recommend a hypo allergic diet, fatty acids or antihistamines to help relieve the lick granulomas. If the root cause is deemed to be psychological, then extended walks or more general interaction in the home could make all the difference.

Whatever the cause, your pet insurance should be able to cover the costs of vet’s fees. Most reputable pet insurance plans can protect you financially from the cost of treating conditions that have psychological as well as physiological causes.

A large number of us are pet owners – in fact there are currently 24 million pets in the UK.[1] With such a large number of us sharing our homes with animals, understanding their needs is of the utmost importance.

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Dog lymphoma is a disease that occurs when the lymph tissue is damaged by cancer cells. As this lymph tissue can be found in any organ or part of your pet’s body the disease can grow and affect almost every organ of the dog. Lymphoma can be found more commonly in middle-aged dogs.
Symptoms of Lymphoma in Dogs
The most visible symptom is swelling of the lymph nodes. Depending on the area that is affected the dog will show symptoms in that area. Probably the most common areas affected by the disease are gastrointestinal tract and chest. If your dog shows loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss it may suffer from gastrointestinal tract lymphoma. If you notice shortness of breath in you dog it may be suffering from chest lymphoma.
Diagnosis
In our days there are many types of cancer and also many causes. Lymphoma in dogs can be diagnosed with a biopsy of the affected lymph nodes or organs. The stage of the disease is very important when it comes to treatment and prognosis. To discover how bad the disease is, there can be performed also tests like bone marrow biopsy, x-rays, ultrasound, blood analysis. You’ll never know the cause of the condition. The best thing you can do is to focus on the treatment. Untreated dogs die usually after 2 months from the discovery of the disease. If the disease was discovered early, immune modulation in most cases offers the greatest chances of recovery. Early diagnosis gives your dog 50% chances of survival.
Treatment
The best treatment you can get only from a veterinarian. As in humans with cancer, lymphoma in dogs is treated with chemotherapy. Although only a small percentage of dogs are hospitalized due to side effects, nausea or infections may occur due to chemotherapy. Ask your veterinarian for more information on side effects and emergency hospitalization. If your dog is in later stages of the disease it is very likely that it won’t respond to this treatment type. Fatty acids, like those found in fish oil, may help slow down the growth and spread of cancer tumors, and also prevent weight loss and muscle wasting.
Studies have shown that dogs rarely die of cancer. They usually die of liver or kidney failure. These conditions are cancer’s side effects and they can be avoided by controlling the pet’s diet in most cases.
Prognosis
The treatment of lymphoma in dogs can be effective in most cases. However, this is one of the diseases that will likely recur in the future. A second treatment with chemotherapy can be given, but the effect will last even less that the last one. Although the disease seems curable it keeps on coming back. You should also know that this chemotherapy treatment protocol can be very expensive. No matter how many treatments you administer to your pet if the disease keeps on coming back your dog may pass away in a couple of years from diagnosis.
If you have any doubts and you think that your dog might have this deadly disease called lymphoma don’t hesitate and visit immediately a veterinarian for a full diagnosis.

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