UK pet insurance offers different levels of cover, so if you compare pet insurance online, it’s worth taking an in-depth look at the policy documents. The cheapest insurance does not always offer the most extensive cover and if your pet becomes seriously ill you could find that your pet insurance is limited.

Malignant melanomas are one reason to take out pet insurance, as some dogs are more likely to develop malignant melanomas than others. The condition seems to be most prevalent in male dogs and dogs with black coats. Middle aged and older dogs (usually between the ages of nine and twelve) are also more at risk.

Some breeds also seem to have a genetic predisposition to malignant melanomas. Poodles, dachshunds, and golden retrievers are more likely to develop melanomas in the mouth whilst Scottish terriers, Boston terriers, Airedale’s, cocker spaniels, springer spaniels, Irish setters, Irish terriers, chow chows, Chihuahuas and Doberman’s are most often affected by this condition on their skin and toes.

It is worth being especially vigilant if your dog fits into one or more of these categories, especially as oral malignant melanomas are quite common; in fact they account for 30-40% of all malignant tumours in dogs.[1] Dog’s suffering from this condition can present a variety of symptoms including bad breath, facial swelling and loss of appetite. They often drool excessively and occasionally bleed from the mouth.

If your dog shows clinical signs of an illness, it is best to arrange for a vet to examine and treat your pet as soon as possible. If you delay a veterinary examination you can jeopardise the terms of your pet insurance policy.

If your vet is able to confirm the presence of a malignant melanoma they may refer you to a national specialist. Your pet insurance may be able to cover your travel as well as your healthcare expenses. In fact, some pet insurance policies pay up to 150 in any period of insurance for travel and accommodation expenses if your usual vet recommends another vet to treat your pet, and you have to make a long journey.

Reputable pet insurance should be able to protect you financially if your pet develops a malignant melanoma, allowing you to focus on your dog’s wellbeing. With early treatment and a bit of good luck your pet should make a full recovery to good health.

[1] – angio.org/pets_and_wildlife/pet/canine_cancer/oralMelanoma.html

The post Pet Insurance – Covering The Cost of Malignant Melanomas first appeared on Puppy Blog.

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.

The post Lymphoma in Dogs – Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment Options first appeared on Puppy Blog.

A constipated dog is unable to empty his bowels by normal means and can experience uncomfortable side effects. The condition is fairly easy to diagnose as the dog will likely take longer than normal to defecate and most will show signs of straining or difficulty achieving results. Their stools are commonly small, dry, hard and round. If a dog’s bowels have not moved for two days or more, they are generally considered to be constipated.

Though a constipated dog is not usually a sign of serious problems, the issue should definitely be addressed in order to avoid more serious complications. Failure of a dog to empty the bowels causes toxins to build up in the body and can result in loss of appetite, sluggishness, abdominal pain, bloating and even difficulty walking. Constipation that is accompanied by vomiting or other severe symptoms could be a sign of serious problems such as intestinal blockage, parasites or internal issues.

There are many possible causes of a constipated dog and most can be avoided by a healthy, active lifestyle with conscientious health care. Among the most common causes are water deficiencies, insufficient exercise and the lack of a healthy diet high in fiber. Water aids in the elimination process by hydrating the body and providing the ability to flush the intestinal tract. Daily exercise in the form of a medium paced walk, a brisk jog or time spent romping and playing fetch will help to stimulate and regulate the bowels. High quality dog foods provide the proper nutrients and fiber necessary to maintain a healthy diet, whereas cheaper brands may contribute to slow moving bowels.

While correcting and stabilizing the issues of a constipated dog, it might be helpful to add small amounts of cooked pumpkin, sweet potato, or green beans to the dog’s food for quick and natural results. Freshly cooked and canned are both acceptable, just be sure there are no additives, seasonings or sugars. Use only 1-2 teaspoons per meal for small dogs, 1-2 tablespoons for medium and 2-5 tablespoons for large dogs. Maintaining a healthy diet with plenty of fresh water and exercise should keep your dog regular and happy.

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Dogs are pretty much like humans when it comes to their health. Improper diet or hygiene can affect the dog health. One of the most common diseases that canines suffer from is microbial infections. It is a misconception that microbial infections affect the skin only. In fact, it can affect the kidneys, eyes and ears, skin, among others. Microbial infections refer to bacteria, fungus and virus.

It is very important that your dog is shampooed regularly, at least once in a week. This will ensure that the coat is clean. You can use a medicated shampoo once in a while to kill any bacteria. Make sure that the dog kennel is cleaned regularly. You can disinfect it once a month to kill any germs residing in it. Regular visits to the vet are a must even if your dog health is fine or does not appear to be sick. Also a balance diet is important to keep the body healthy and less susceptible to any microbial infections.

If your dog has contracted an infection on the skin, you can use some medicated ointment in the infected area. If you detect the problem early, the infection may go away after a few days with regular application of ointment. If the problem persists, you should take your dog to the vet to prevent the infection from spreading.

Microbial infections of the eye and ears are more serious. If you notice any redness or swelling of the eyes or ears, you must take your dog to the vet immediately. In case of eyes, if you notice that your dog has tears in his eyes often, you can show it to the doctor. Also if you notice an unusual amount of ear wax, you can show the doctor. Ear infections are particularly disturbing for dogs. Prolonged infections left untreated can lead to hearing loss. Any changes in behavior, sleeping pattern, agitated behavior or loss of appetite could be symptoms of a more serious disease. Microbial infections can even lead to cancer. If you detect any unusual or foul smell in the dog’s urine, it could also be a sign of some problem.

One of the most common causes of death in dogs is diseases caused by microbial infections. Hygiene and diet of your dog is very important to keep diseases from attacking. Since bacteria and virus thrive in dirty places, try to keep your dog in hygienic conditions are all times.

The post How Microbial Infections Affect Your Dogs Health first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Keep your dogs healthy; because they are not only pets, they are your friends. Visit the veterinary doctor regularly. And if you feel any change in the behavior or any doubt that your dog is not well, don’t hesitate to call your veterinarian.

But if you will take care of your dog health properly, it will not get affected. Let me tell you how:

Clean their teeth with dog toothpaste or baking soda, twice or thrice a week.

Keep their environment healthy, clean their eating bowls, living space, and water bottles. Clean environment saves them from any microbial infections.

• Given them healthy food and allow to do plenty of exercise.
• Consult a veterinarian about their prescribed vaccinations.
• Comb your dog to remove fleas and ticks, especially in warm seasons.
• Keep your dog safe; do not allow going out alone.
• If you have mosquitoes in your house, give it preventive medicines.
• Remove the ovaries and uterus in females and remove the testicles in male by six months of age.

Generally dog suffers from joint diseases such as arthritis, osteochondrosis (OCD) and other degenerative problems with shoulders or hocks. Other dog diseases are:

Ear Infection- Inflammation of the external ear canal is the main symptom. If your dog is scratching its ear, any abnormal odor is coming from ear, when you are touching its ear pain occurs, then go for a checkup. Caused by fungus, bacterial or microbial infections.

Lyme disease- It is a microbial infections. Left untreated can damage heart and liver. Symptoms are swollen lymph nodes, lethargy, and loss of appetite. Use tick and flea repellent medicines to prevent these diseases.

Mobility problems- If your dog moves slowly, shifts its weight to other leg regularly, avoids playing or jumping, or limps while walking. It is suffering from any mobility problem.

Allergies- Most common skin allergies are flea bite allergy, drug reactions, microbial or bacterial allergy etc. Watch for scratching areas on skins, increased skin pigmentation, loss of hair, and head shaking.

Skin Cancer- Excess exposure to sunlight is the main symptom.

Build a file of information on your dog health like physical prescription, medications, surgical or non surgical procedures of your dog, common commands, phone numbers of veterinarian etc. That will help you when you hire any pet sitter or you plan to change your veterinarian for any reason.

The post All About Dog Health And Care first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Keep your dogs healthy; because they are not only pets, they are your friends. Visit the veterinary doctor regularly. And if you feel any change in the behavior or any doubt that your dog is not well, don’t hesitate to call your veterinarian.

But if you will take care of your dog health properly, it will not get affected. Let me tell you how:

Clean their teeth with dog toothpaste or baking soda, twice or thrice a week.

Keep their environment healthy, clean their eating bowls, living space, and water bottles. Clean environment saves them from any microbial infections.

• Given them healthy food and allow to do plenty of exercise.
• Consult a veterinarian about their prescribed vaccinations.
• Comb your dog to remove fleas and ticks, especially in warm seasons.
• Keep your dog safe; do not allow going out alone.
• If you have mosquitoes in your house, give it preventive medicines.
• Remove the ovaries and uterus in females and remove the testicles in male by six months of age.

Generally dog suffers from joint diseases such as arthritis, osteochondrosis (OCD) and other degenerative problems with shoulders or hocks. Other dog diseases are:

Ear Infection- Inflammation of the external ear canal is the main symptom. If your dog is scratching its ear, any abnormal odor is coming from ear, when you are touching its ear pain occurs, then go for a checkup. Caused by fungus, bacterial or microbial infections.

Lyme disease- It is a microbial infections. Left untreated can damage heart and liver. Symptoms are swollen lymph nodes, lethargy, and loss of appetite. Use tick and flea repellent medicines to prevent these diseases.

Mobility problems- If your dog moves slowly, shifts its weight to other leg regularly, avoids playing or jumping, or limps while walking. It is suffering from any mobility problem.

Allergies- Most common skin allergies are flea bite allergy, drug reactions, microbial or bacterial allergy etc. Watch for scratching areas on skins, increased skin pigmentation, loss of hair, and head shaking.

Skin Cancer- Excess exposure to sunlight is the main symptom.

Build a file of information on your dog health like physical prescription, medications, surgical or non surgical procedures of your dog, common commands, phone numbers of veterinarian etc. That will help you when you hire any pet sitter or you plan to change your veterinarian for any reason.

The post All About Dog Health And Care first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Every dog owner wants his dog to be healthy. In order to have a healthy dog, you need to know about dog health problems especially, you need to know when your dog is suffering from an illness. For this reason, it is necessary for you to have some idea of the symptoms of various illnesses with which the dogs normally get affected. Some of these symptoms are easy to identify while there are others that are difficult to tell.

The first symptom of dog health problems is the loss of appetite. This is not an easy symptom to identify because your pet habitually doesn’t eat sometimes. This is seen often with dogs that are not exercised much. When you give food, it will not eat at once but will eat later. The best way to see if your dog has lost its appetite due to dog health problems is to give its favorite food. If it refuses that also, then it is time to see the vet.

Diarrhea and vomiting are serious symptoms of dogs but if your dog looks healthy and playing still vomits its food, you need not worry. It could be relating to another reason and it is not due to one of the dog health problems. But if your dog goes on vomiting or having diarrhea, then it is a serious situation. When these two symptoms appear, you must not lose any time as they pose serious dog health problems.

Bad breath is also one of the symptoms to tell you that your dog is not in perfect health but it is minor one as it could be remedied with proper care to its teeth. Itching is not a mild symptom and also not a serious one as diarrhea. Therefore, if your dog has symptoms like itching and cough, you need to treat them as dog health problems. Therefore, seeing a veterinarian is the better thing when this type of dog health problems is encountered. If you are able to understand the symptoms of illness of your dog, you could be most certain that your dog is going to have a healthy life.

The post Symptoms of Dog Health Problems first appeared on Puppy Blog.

When your dog is not well you are not able to figure out what to do. Unless you are a seasoned dog owner, it is not easy to solve dog health problems. The simple reason is that your canine friend cannot inform you what is wrong with it. Therefore, you need to educate yourself on health issues of dogs. It is good to know how to figure out what is wrong with your pet.

There are certain behavioral patterns of dogs. They like a routine and they like having their food at certain times and dogs do everything somewhat methodically. They want to mix up with their master at certain times. When this routine is changed the dogs could show as if they have dog health problems but these are not problems. In case your playful dog stops playing and tries to hide in a corner in the house, your dog has some dog health problems.

A good way to learn that a dog is undergoing dog health problems is to find if the dog has loss of appetite. When your dog refuses to eat, look for symptoms of fever. If possible, use a thermometer and check the temperature. Feel its breath and see if it is warmer than normal. If these symptoms are there, your dog needs to see its vet.

Diarrhea is one of the most serious dog health problems and you need to take care of it immediately especially if yours is a pup. Diarrhea in pups could be a sign of tick fever. If you are in a region where you find ticks, you need to take extreme care as tick fever is one of the serious dog health problems.

Skin diseases are some of the dog health problems that plague the dogs a lot. They scratch and shake their heads vigorously when they are affected with skin problems. These happen due to lack of grooming most often. If that is the case groom your dog often after treatment in order to prevent recurrence. If you feed your dog, groom it properly and give it the due care, your dog will never fall ill.

The post Dog Health Problems And How to Handle Them first appeared on Puppy Blog.