Spontaneous iris melanosis is usually a condition affecting one (but may affect both) eyes of cats. It starts out as small pigmented areas on the iris that eventually spread and cover the whole iris or large portions of it. Due to the possibility of iris pigmentation from uveitis and from melanoma (cancer) it is important to have your vet check the eye periodically. It is usually OK just to make sure this gets done on the yearly physical exam visits but if there are any obvious changes like a visible tumor (a lump or noticeable thickening of the iris) or clouding of the eye it is best to get it checked immediately.
hello all, here’s a question fom Denise ask about Shi tzu
do shi tzu dogs take about a year to train?
anyone can answer this question ?
Dog barking problems are common but should be looked at on a case by
case basis. As an owner, having this problem with your pooch is stressful
for both you and your dog. Dog language is never understandable to
humans, especially if your interpretation goes on like a guessing game
between you and your pooch. Relying on spur of the moment reasoning
usually gets pet owners exhausted and dead tired. When your safety is not in
question and there are no cats in the vicinity, it is nerve wrecking
not knowing what’s causing the noise your dog makes. Not to worry, every
cloud has its silver lining, you’d just have to stop and arm yourself
with know-how and proper ways of dealing with your dog’s quirks.
Have you ever wondered what classification your dog’s breed falls
under? Excessive barking can mean lots of things; consideration to its breed
helps you understand your dog. Terriers and several toy dogs are alarm
dogs, meaning they have the tendency to bark a fit. Sadly, pet owners
who take matters in their hands do not consider the genes of their pet.
It is rather unfair to brand a dog as a bad dog if it barks according
breed. There was a case where in a hybrid Chihuahua/ Mini Pinscher was
reprimanded by an ignorant visitor who thought just because she handles
a docile Great Dane, she can handle the mini-dog. The size of your dog
is negligible; attention to the breed’s temperament is what matters.
Chihuahua/Mini Pinscher s are protectors and very possessive of their
owners, while Great Danes are docile, peace loving and protect in danger
only. Lap Dogs, some Terriers, Sporting and Hunting dogs are bred to
bark lots. These dogs were bred to be bark alarms when they spot game.
Even if you don’t hunt, your dog has a built-in tendency to do just that.
Dogs that are highly strung as these breeds may undergo training to
improve their social skills and bark control.
Continue reading 'Dog Barking – Understanding Your Dogs Needs'»
Hotspots are usually superficial bacterial infections of the skin. They can be caused by anything that irritates the skin enough to allow bacteria to get a foothold and grow. This produces itchiness that makes the dog chew or scratch, which further damages the skin, leading to a bigger area of infection……. and the cycle can go on rapidly and spread widely. I don’t know if the name comes from the inflammation that is visible, the warmth around the wound due to the inflammation or the rapidity with which these skin infections can appear and spread. What is usually seen is an area of hairloss with very red skin that may be exuding serum. In some cases there
isn’t much hairloss but the skin gets crusty or scabbed, anyway. Keeping the areas dry helps to limit their spread but it is often necessary to use some form of itch control to get these to resolve.
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DO NOT give any cat a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication without consulting with your vet first. Acetaminophen is toxic to cats, aspirin is extraordinarily easy to overdose in cats because the half-life of aspirin in a cat is 72 hours (3 days!) and other non-steroidal medications do not appear to have been studied much in cats, probably due to the problems with these two common ones. For arthritis, we do sometimes use aspirin but it must be used cautiously and it is important to know the patient’s medical condition well prior to its use.
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Nosebleeds can occur for a lot of reasons. In older dogs a major concern would be nasal tumors or nasal infections. Tumors can be pretty hard to find even with endoscopy and X-rays in some cases but the tests for this make it less likely. In any age dog bleeding disorders need to be considered when nosebleeds occur. Ehrlichia canis, immune mediated thrombocytopenia, immune mediated hemolytic anemia and other causes of bleeding should all be considered. In older dogs a fairly common cause of bleeding disorders is hemangiosarcoma, a type of tumor. Heartworms can cause nosebleeds in the later stages of the disease. It can be difficult to identify the cause of bleeding disorders.
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This is a condition in which the esophageal muscles lose their strength and the esophagus dilates to a much larger size. Usually dogs with this condition regurgitate food as well as water but I have seen at least one other dog that started out just regurgitating when it drank water. Sometimes the enlarged esophagus is visible on plain X-rays of the chest but often it is necessary to use some kind of contrast medium like barium to make the enlargement visible.
There are other possible problems like esophageal diverticuli, hiatal hernia, esophagitis, pylorospasm, esophageal tumors and probably others. In addition, there are about thirty disorders that can cause a secondary megaesophagus problem.
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This is a rare disease of the immune system. In this disease, the immune system forms antibodies against the nuclear component of its own cells. This can cause a variety of effects but the most common ones are arthritis, kidney disease, skin disease and blood disorders (anemia and/or decreased in platelet numbers). A great number of other effects and side effects of this disease can occur so it is hard to rule in or rule out when faced with a multi-systemic disease. In general, this disease is not considered to be present unless testing to determine if antibodies against the nuclear elements of the cells are present (positive ANA test) AND clinical signs of at least two of the common disorders are present. Even then, it is hard to be sure that this disease is actually the problem.
Continue reading 'Lupus Erythematosus'»
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