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.

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No doubt that dogs are called our best friends, as they are the most faithful and obedient creatures created by god. They are to be taken care of once they belong to us. One of the most important thing before you pick up a dog breed is that number of times you need to give the proper vaccination to them. Also you should make sure the dog health is not in a bad state as dogs are prone to many microbial infections. It should be taken to a vet for proper vaccination before you make it your family member. This furry family friends needs attention in the matters of their body coat as well. Some dog breeds needs daily combing and trimming while others can be weekly combed as the fur is not very thick is some dogs. You need to look into the habits and nature of the skin or hair by researching on the net or from any other reliable sources. The thing of vital importance is that you should choose a dog which fits your lifestyle, you should be able to give an ample amount of time to the dog health as you do it to your family.

Just like the microbes lives in our body, even the dog’s body is a storehouse of microbes, which are harmful as well as helpful to its body. Some of the helpful microbes can help the body in digestion and other process, while many of the microbes which can be called as the pathogens cause an array of diseases in dogs. Lyme disorders, Rocky mountain spotted fever, Brucellosis, Leptospirosis, Ehrlichiosis, Costridium are some of the harmful diseases caused by the parasitic bacteria. Thus, it is very important to keep handy the common antiseptic and antimicrobial medicines to keep the dogs shielded from harmful bacteria. Also gentle handling and abundance of love and care is needed for these faithful buddies. When we love them unconditionally and freely then they also give us the or in fact more in return. They understand and respond to every human emotions, so always think before being harsh to them. Don’t chain the dogs unnecessarily let them be free and let them enjoy the freedom. Dogs can be truly our best friends. Dogs gives us the best in them and don’t even expect anything from us but it is our duty to be with them and give our best care.

The post The Furry And Friendly Family Fellows first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Infectious diseases are the leading cause for morbidity among dogs despite the use of antibiotics and vaccines. Some of the common microbial infections include redness, itchiness and irritation of skin. Microbial infections start from simple skin itching and has the potential to detriment a dog health.

Skin is a very effective protective organ for both humans and animals. The epidermal skin resists the proliferation as well as invasions by microorganisms. Having a clean skin is a must for domestic animals, as it acts as a protective layer against the attack by bacteria.

Allergic skins are always predisposed to microbes and thus cause colonization of pathogenic gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Once the skin has microbial infection, then controlling its growth becomes quite difficult and thus requires continual therapy with anti-microbial agents over a long term.

When the microbial infection on a dog increases, it starts from pustule formation along with fungal infection. The formation of pustules may not be clearly visible outside but causes considerable pain and suffering to the animal. This condition, known as Pyoderma, is one of the commonest skin infections that affect the health of a dog very badly.

Overall health of a dog depends on the nature of skin infection. In the case of surface Pyoderma, the microbial infections affects only the outermost layer of the skin. This condition can be normally resolved with minimal anti-microbial therapy and thus a dog’s health is not affected very seriously. If the surface Pyoderma occurs on a dog’s skin fold, then it can cause considerable damage, as the skin inside its folds are quite moist and soft, which provides a safe haven for bacteria overgrowth.

Deep skin Pyoderma occurs when the microbial infection disrupts the epidermis layer and allows proliferation of bacteria. Common symptoms include: rupture of hair follicles resulting in body hair loss; overall pale skin; presence of crusts, indicating pustule formation; and presence of dark spots due to blood haemorrhage. Deep skin Pyoderma is certainly a serious threat to a dog’s health.

Here are some precautionary measures to prevent microbial infections

Frequent use of anti-microbial shampoo as well as Benzoyl peroxide shampoo helps to prevent bacteria overgrowth as well as microbial infection

Even if the dog does not have any skin infection, it is essential to shampoo it every two days. This routine helps to keep its skin clean.

Preventing the dogs from straying around unhygienic places, as well as cleaning the dog’s kennel quite frequently would prevent microbial infection.

Applying coconut oil on the infected area is an effective treatment for skin itchiness and also helps to keep its skin shining and healthy.

The post How Microbial Infection Deteriorates Dogs Health first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Dogs are the most preferred species of the animals as pets by humans. Many people consider them as one of the family member. Many breeds of dogs are adopted by the people as their companions. Proper care has to be taken if one plans to adopt a dog. Just like human beings dogs are prone to many diseases and sometimes the diseases can also affect the owner. So treatment of the disease has to be done in a proper time and in a proper way. Even a small wound should not be neglected. Dog health is affected if proper medicines are not given in timely interval. Dogs are more prone to the microbial infections due to the fur on the body. When dogs are wet, the fur on them acts as the absorbents, i.e. the fur remains wet, easy drying is difficult. This thing induces the growth of micro-organisms on the body and can cause many microbial infections. Another factor which can cause the microbial growth is the habit of dogs to lick the open wound or cut. This can be very dangerous and in many cases deadly. Any sign of unusual behavior of dogs should be immediately taken care.

The diseases can be caused by bacteria, fungi, parasites, or virus very common bacterial skin diseases in dogs is pyroderma, which is a skin disease. It is generally caused when the dog is injured by any means. Some of the symptoms of this disease is itchiness, yellow pustules, loss of hair and bad odor. Dogs are more prone to the microbial infections due to the fur on the body.

Bacterial diseases in dogs are often not contagious from one dog to another dog but it can be very dangerous to the dog who is suffering from such disease. One treatment is to remove the fur from the affected area and apply antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Moreover, anti-allergic drugs can be combined with it. Leptospirosis is another disease which is caused by the contaminated water, which the dogs might have drank from the unhygienic places like puddle or gutters. It is a contagious disease and even humans can get affected by this disease. Proper bathing of the dogs should be carried out with the antibiotic shampoos. If the infection is severe then the dogs should be immediately taken to the veterinarian doctor so that the doctor can recommend various medicines and treatment for the diseases. By changing the dietary habits and regular exercises, the health of dogs can be improvised and they can be made more to immunized to various diseases.

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Taking care of your dog health ensures that your friend will be healthy for many years to come. Dogs are susceptible to many diseases like people. One of them is valley fever. Infectious diseases in dogs are also a risk to the public health like rabies. So, whenever your dog’s health or well being is in doubt please call your veterinarian or visit nearby. The basic symptom is change of behavior, like your happy dog becomes aggressive suddenly for no reason. If it happens first of all check your dog completely like check if it is annoyed with any noise, having any teeth problem, look for swelling, check if anything is inside the mouth.

Dogs suffer with joint diseases like arthritis, OCD (osteochondrosis), and other degenerative problems with shoulders and hocks. Genetic disorders also affect dog health. Other major diseases are:

Acute cystitis- Inflammation of urinary bladder caused by microbial infection. Most of the bacteria arises from dog’s own intestinal tract and then reaches the bladder. It is more common in female. Apart from microbial infections stones in the bladder can develop this disease. So, watch for blood in urine or increases urination.

Rabies- A microbial infection transmitted by the bite of any other mammal like cat, bat, or raccoon. Infected dogs behave very aggressively increasing the chance to transmit the disease. So, if your dog is bitten by any unknown dog, get it treated without any wait.

Heartworm diseases- If you have mosquitoes in your house, they can kill your dogs. So, keep away the mosquitoes.

Tonsillitis-Inflammation of tonsils caused by microbial or viral infection. Common symptoms are coughing and sneezing. Other symptoms are fever and repeated licking of lips. To prevent this infection keep a check on the oral hygiene.

The prevention of all these diseases is not very difficult. Keep your dog clean; brush their teeth at least once a week to prevent any dental problem. There are many dog toothpastes and toothbrushes available in the market. The other things that you can follow:

• Consult the veterinarian regularly to keep a check on your dog health.
• Keep them in healthy and hygienic environment with daily bathing and brushing.
• Give your dog proper vaccination of rabies, distemper after consulting the veterinarian.
• Give proper exercise and nutrition including minerals and vitamins, which will keep your dog healthy.
• Give them medications of heartworm disease and disease spread by flea.
• Treat your dog as a family member.

The post Dogs Health And Their Diseases. first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Taking care of your dog health ensures that your friend will be healthy for many years to come. Dogs are susceptible to many diseases like people. One of them is valley fever. Infectious diseases in dogs are also a risk to the public health like rabies. So, whenever your dog’s health or well being is in doubt please call your veterinarian or visit nearby. The basic symptom is change of behavior, like your happy dog becomes aggressive suddenly for no reason. If it happens first of all check your dog completely like check if it is annoyed with any noise, having any teeth problem, look for swelling, check if anything is inside the mouth.

Dogs suffer with joint diseases like arthritis, OCD (osteochondrosis), and other degenerative problems with shoulders and hocks. Genetic disorders also affect dog health. Other major diseases are:

Acute cystitis- Inflammation of urinary bladder caused by microbial infection. Most of the bacteria arises from dog’s own intestinal tract and then reaches the bladder. It is more common in female. Apart from microbial infections stones in the bladder can develop this disease. So, watch for blood in urine or increases urination.

Rabies- A microbial infection transmitted by the bite of any other mammal like cat, bat, or raccoon. Infected dogs behave very aggressively increasing the chance to transmit the disease. So, if your dog is bitten by any unknown dog, get it treated without any wait.

Heartworm diseases- If you have mosquitoes in your house, they can kill your dogs. So, keep away the mosquitoes.

Tonsillitis-Inflammation of tonsils caused by microbial or viral infection. Common symptoms are coughing and sneezing. Other symptoms are fever and repeated licking of lips. To prevent this infection keep a check on the oral hygiene.

The prevention of all these diseases is not very difficult. Keep your dog clean; brush their teeth at least once a week to prevent any dental problem. There are many dog toothpastes and toothbrushes available in the market. The other things that you can follow:

• Consult the veterinarian regularly to keep a check on your dog health.
• Keep them in healthy and hygienic environment with daily bathing and brushing.
• Give your dog proper vaccination of rabies, distemper after consulting the veterinarian.
• Give proper exercise and nutrition including minerals and vitamins, which will keep your dog healthy.
• Give them medications of heartworm disease and disease spread by flea.
• Treat your dog as a family member.

The post Dogs Health And Their Diseases. first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Taking care of your dog health ensures that your friend will be healthy for many years to come. Dogs are susceptible to many diseases like people. One of them is valley fever. Infectious diseases in dogs are also a risk to the public health like rabies. So, whenever your dog’s health or well being is in doubt please call your veterinarian or visit nearby. The basic symptom is change of behavior, like your happy dog becomes aggressive suddenly for no reason. If it happens first of all check your dog completely like check if it is annoyed with any noise, having any teeth problem, look for swelling, check if anything is inside the mouth.

Dogs suffer with joint diseases like arthritis, OCD (osteochondrosis), and other degenerative problems with shoulders and hocks. Genetic disorders also affect dog health. Other major diseases are:

Acute cystitis- Inflammation of urinary bladder caused by microbial infection. Most of the bacteria arises from dog’s own intestinal tract and then reaches the bladder. It is more common in female. Apart from microbial infections stones in the bladder can develop this disease. So, watch for blood in urine or increases urination.

Rabies- A microbial infection transmitted by the bite of any other mammal like cat, bat, or raccoon. Infected dogs behave very aggressively increasing the chance to transmit the disease. So, if your dog is bitten by any unknown dog, get it treated without any wait.

Heartworm diseases- If you have mosquitoes in your house, they can kill your dogs. So, keep away the mosquitoes.

Tonsillitis-Inflammation of tonsils caused by microbial or viral infection. Common symptoms are coughing and sneezing. Other symptoms are fever and repeated licking of lips. To prevent this infection keep a check on the oral hygiene.

The prevention of all these diseases is not very difficult. Keep your dog clean; brush their teeth at least once a week to prevent any dental problem. There are many dog toothpastes and toothbrushes available in the market. The other things that you can follow:

• Consult the veterinarian regularly to keep a check on your dog health.
• Keep them in healthy and hygienic environment with daily bathing and brushing.
• Give your dog proper vaccination of rabies, distemper after consulting the veterinarian.
• Give proper exercise and nutrition including minerals and vitamins, which will keep your dog healthy.
• Give them medications of heartworm disease and disease spread by flea.
• Treat your dog as a family member.

The post Dogs Health And Their Diseases. 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.

Most of the canine owners associate the good health of their pooches with shiny, glossy, dandruff-free coat. But dog health extends much beyond a glistening coat. A dog’s health depends to a great extent on the canine owner. Periodic check-up with the vet, ensuring a healthy, nutritious diet, grooming, keeping the dogs well hydrated, and making sure that they get their regular dose of exercise, are very important factors ensuring dog health. Dog health issues among all breeds are very common. The key to their good health is quick detection diseases and commencement of treatment. Dogs are as prone to diseases as are humans.

Since these loveable creatures cannot talk about their sufferings, one can get subtle cues by paying close attention to their daily activities and looking for minute alterations in their eating, sleeping, or drinking habits. Some of the diseases that can really impair the movement of dogs are rheumatoid arthritis, canine arthritis, canine hip dysplasia, etc. Some of the signs of joint pain among pooches are limping, swollen joints, tenderness on physical examination of a joint, tendency to put less weight on or hold up the leg with the sore joint, etc.

In addition to joint pains, dogs are also prone to a number of microbial infections. Microbial infections including those caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses can inflict kidney, eye, skin, ear infections. The following are some the microbial infections that can have an adverse impact on dog health:

Kidney infection: Kidney infection is primarily caused in the dogs due to presence of microbes such as fungi, bacteria, and virus. Other causes could be presence of stones in the bladder, cancer in or injury to the urinary tract. History of surgeries can also contribute to kidney infections. If one detects blood or foul smell in the dog’s urine, a visit to the vet would result in early detection of the infection.

Canine eye infection: Eye infections are also caused by virus, bacteria, and fungi and in some cases as a result of allergic reactions. Key symptoms are redness of the eyes, inflammation, itchiness, and watery discharge from the eyes. After diagnosis, locally administered drugs like ointments and drops can help alleviate their condition.

Canine Ear infection: Ear infections in dogs are caused by the presence of abnormally high number of bacteria and fungi. Excess of ear-wax can lead to yeast infections. Dog allergies are also a likely cause of ear infections. Ear infections can be really painful for dogs and is extremely important to treat them. If left untreated, these can also lead to hearing loss. Treatment can include administering ear drops and ointments over a period of time.

Staphylococcal Pyoderma: Staphylococcal Pyoderma, is a microbial skin infection caused by the bacteria Staphylococci. Though these bacteria dwell harmlessly on the dogs’ skin, they can cause infection in case of cuts or abrasions, resulting in itchiness, formation of pustules and lesions. In severe cases, these can also lead to hair loss. Use of topical ointments will help soothe the skin and treat the infection.

There are a number of other microbial infections that can have an insalubrious effect on dog health, such as ringworm, histoplasmosis, pythiosis, etc, all caused by fungi and which affect skin, lungs and the small intestine, gastrointestinal system and the lymph nodes.

It has been said that prevention is better than cure. Small steps like shielding dogs from dehydration, getting them vaccinated on time, and kennel house keeping, can go a long way in protecting dogs from microbial infections and ensuring that they lead a healthy, disease-free, joyful life.

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