First it may be a surprise to you, but there are many dogs that have issues with the ears and eyes. Most of the dog breeds that suffer from ear or eye infections tend to have long hair that gets in the way of these two areas. Dogs that have long fur tend to have hair that will grow around the eyes and fall into the eyes. While the hair is part of their body it can cause infections based on the oils as well as the dirt that may be on the hair. You will want to make sure that when you groom your dog you remove any hairs that are near the dog's eyes. Poodles, some terriers, and English Sheepdogs tend to be a few of the breeds that suffer from eye infections. To prevent these eye infections grooming around the eyes should be done once a month. In other words that means that you should check their eyes daily for infection and remove any hairs that have grown in the way, and once a month you should trim around the area. For ear infections you will find that ticks and other small insects can get into the ears. This means that you have to keep the ears clean on a daily basis. You should check to make sure there are no insects in the canals and that any dirt is removed. Hair can also cause ear infections in certain breeds like the Mexican Chihuahua that tends to grow hair in the ears and cause infections. When you are worried about eye and ear infections for your dog breed you should make sure to use a soft wet cloth around the areas each day to prevent any such infection from occurring.
Taking care of your dogs is extremely important. You will find that dogs need to be taken care of to avoid certain diseases and that some of the other diseases are genetic. With genetic diseases you will find that they are difficult to prevent, which means that if your dog is susceptible you will be unable to prevent the disease, but there is much that you can do to help your dog through such diseases. When you are talking about prevention of dog diseases you do need to understand the inner workings of some of the more popular ailments of dogs. We will look at a brief overview of some of the dog diseases that you can prevent.
Another dog disease that can be a difficult is hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is one of the most common ailments you will find in large dogs. Hip dysplasia is caused when the hip bones do not form properly. There really is no reason for the bones not to form, but most believe it has something to do with a calcium deficiency during the puppy stages. Hip dysplasia can be treated in a variety of ways. In English Sheepdogs they tend to cut the tail short to prevent the issues. In some cases they offer nutrition and calcium supplements to help your dog grow the bones as a puppy that they need.
Diabetes is another common ailment in dogs that has been seeing an increase like it has in people. You see with most diabetes cases there is a direct link to an improper diet as well as improper exercise. Diabetes is luckily treated with medication as well as changing the diet of your dog so it can be prevented. In some cases after a dog has suffered diabetes and the nutrition and exercise has been fixed the dog may not need to have medication for life. You will find that most dog breeds can suffer from this disease.
Copper Storage Disease or hepatotoxicosis is an ailment few dog breeds are prone to, but it is also very debilitating for those breeds that are. Basically Copper Storage Disease is where there are extra amounts of copper in the liver that the dog's system cannot breakdown. When this disease is left untreated you will find it is fatal. Certain breeds are more at risk for this disease. These breeds are Bedlington Terrier, Doberman Pinscher, Skye Terrier, and the Western Highland White Terrier. You will also find that some other diseases can spring up because of the Copper Storage Disease. For Bedlington Terriers they can develop chronic hepatitis because of the genetic metabolic defect. For Doberman Pinschers you will find they can develop hepatitis or cirrhosis. For most of the breeds you will find the disease is genetically linked.
The cause of the disease, although genetically linked has not been determined for the exact genetic issue. Vets just know that the accumulation of copper in the liver begins to take an effect because certain proteins bind the copper or there is an abnormal secretion of copper in the bile. The good news is once you understand the cause of the disease and that your dog can be a carrier of the genetic disorder you can take precautions.
Part of the precautions you should take is in the care of your dog. It is important to be able to recognize the symptoms so that an early diagnosis is possible and the dog can be treated. Symptoms associated with Copper Storage Disease include bleeding from the gums and nose, jaundice, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss. A symptom that is harder to see is anemia, which means the blood is actually affected and does not have the hemoglobin it needs. In some cases this can cause blood in the urine. If your dog experiences any of the symptoms you should take them to a vet right away for proper diagnosis. They will test the liver enzymes or do a biopsy of the liver to see if copper is present or if something else may be causing the symptoms. One of the things that can make diagnosis of the Copper Storage Disease harder is the actual symptoms because they are often common with certain types of cancer so there are a lot of things that need to be ruled out.
Prevention is very important in the dog breeds that are susceptible. You can closely monitor the food they eat to make sure it contains the proper enzymes and protein and you can also check to make sure your dog's parents were not in the registry for having the disease.
For treatment of the Copper Storage Disease you have a few options. First pencillamine is offered to help the excretion of the copper. Zinc acetate can also help prevent the absorption of copper into the liver. Most often a low copper diet is preferable and extra vitamin E. Things to avoid are Vitamin C and a high copper diet for dogs that are susceptible. There is no surgery or other invasive treatments for the dogs. Mostly you just have to be aware of the disease potential and take the precautions of the proper diet. Most often when you are taking care with your dog you will find they can live a full and happy life even with the disease. It is only when the disease is ignored or the diet is not changed that can cause the illness to be fatal.
Gerry Ronson has sinced written about articles on various topics from German Shepherd Dogs, Hoodia and Programming. Gerry Ronson has been working with dogs for over 20 years and now works as a writer for the websites and. Gerry Ronson's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.