Health

Dogs don't experience heart attacks the way humans do, but this doesn't mean they don't die of heart disease. Heart failure is increasingly common in America's dogs, with many showing symptoms by age seven or eight. Even some young dogs develop congestive heart failure, inheriting the propensity for the disease from their parents. Conventional medical practitioners consider congestive heart failure and other circulatory problems to be progressive and irreversible, but holistic veterinarians know that in many cases, heart disease can be slowed, reversed, and even cured. Understanding heart disease will help you prevent it in healthy dogs and treat it in dogs who are already ill.

The esophagus is a muscular, distensible organ that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Megaesophagus is a common disorder in dogs that describes slow motility with resultant dilation of the esophagus. As a result of hypomotility, food will pool in the esophagus and stretch it. The stretching leads to damage to the nerves. This worsens hypomotility - a vicious cycle.

All dogs can benefit from probiotics, which aid digestion and modulate the immune system. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in the digestive tract. There are a variety of different species belonging to genera that include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, and Enterococcus (often abbreviated by first initial only in names). Some species, such as Lactobacillus, live primarily in the small intestine, while others, such as Bifidobactera, reside in the large intestine (colon).

Kanis Fitzhugh, a member of the Almost Home organization, knew she had to rescue Pandy, an extremely thin and seemingly vicious four-year-old Dachshund. Pandy had been relinquished to a shelter in Orange County (California), who turned her over to Southern California Dachshund Rescue. Deemed people- and animal-aggressive, Pandy appeared to have been starved, and weighed just 13 pounds. Fitzhugh thought the dog deserved a break, and brought Pandy home in May 2007. During the first couple of weeks in her new home, Pandy managed to pull a chicken down from the counter and proceeded to eat the entire bird, including bones, plastic tray, and grocery bag, in less than the 10 minutes that Fitzhugh was out of the room. Pandy was rushed to the vet and emergency surgery was performed, as the bones had ruptured her stomach lining in three places. Luckily, she survived. Pandy's voracious appetite, large voluminous stools, and aggressive disposition were all caused by a medical condition called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). With Fitzhugh's loving care, including enzyme supplements and a change of diet, Pandy stabilized. Within a year, Pandy had transformed into a beautiful, funny, 26-pound Dachshund who gets along great with all the human and animal members in the Fitzhugh household. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, or EPI, also referred to as Pancreatic Hypoplasia or Pancreatic Acinar Atrophy (PAA), is a disease of maldigestion and malabsorption, which when left untreated eventually leads to starvation. One of the major difficulties with this disease is in the prompt and accurate diagnosis. Astonishingly, visible symptoms may not appear until 80 to 95 percent of the pancreas has atrophied.

Lyme disease affects thousands of Americans and their dogs and horses each year. Named for Old Lyme, Connecticut, where it was discovered formally identified in the 1970s, Lyme is a regional disease, with 90 percent of its cases in New England and the Middle Atlantic states. The rest come from the upper Mississippi (Wisconsin and nearby states) and parts of California and Oregon. A few dogs and people with Lyme disease live elsewhere, but they are believed to have been infected during travel or, in some cases, by ticks from migrating birds. Veterinarians in the Northeast know Lyme disease well. Its symptoms are very noticeable in dogs

Hundreds of drugs developed for human pain are used by veterinarians to treat chronic pain in dogs, but only nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (abbreviated as NSAIDs and pronounced EN-seds") and two non-NSAID prescription drugs (Galliprant and Adequan) have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for canine use. For many veterinarians

complications from incorrect bandaging can be severe. The original wound on this foot was bandaged for several days by the owner. The dog was seen at a veterinarian's office after the bandage became wet and had an odor."

A muscle strain here, a pulled ligament there, a sprain, a bruise pretty soon we're talking about serious problems. Canine sports injuries are increasingly common, but there is much you can do to catch them early, treat them correctly, and reduce the risk of your dog getting badly hurt, needing surgery, or having to retire from competition.

Don't despair if your dog has seizures or is diagnosed with epilepsy. Informed care and complementary methods can help these dogs live long, happy lives. Seizures can occur for a variety of reasons across the whole range of ages, and are the most common neurological disorder found in dogs. Making the diagnosis of canine epilepsy is a process of elimination.

Are the classic plastic cones really all that bad? It depends on which dog you ask. Some dogs seem to accept the weight of the heavy plastic, the restricted visibility imposed by the opaque material, the need for increased clearances around the house, and even being gouged by the thick plastic tabs that are supposed to be belted by the dog's collar at the base of the cone. Today there are a number of alternatives to the classic Elizabethan collars to prevent a dog from licking a wound, aggravating a hot spot, tearing out his surgical stitches, or removing a bandage. The alternatives offer a dog greater comfort, better mobility, and improved visibility.

Urinalysis is a screening test that may be helpful in diagnosing many diseases, but it is an especially important test to perform whenever any urinary tract disease or abnormality is expected. Abnormal appearing urine (cloudy or red colored), difficulty in urinating, abnormal frequency of urination, or abnormal flow are all indications for ordering a urinalysis.

Many people are aware that hypo-thyroidism (low thyroid function) is a medical condition that can cause an afflicted dog to become lethargic, dull, and fat. But far too few dog owners are aware of the behavioral symptoms that hypothyroid can cause. This is unfortunate, since these symptoms include unexplainable aggression, so-called rage syndrome