Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.
Discovering a lump on your dog is a scary business. Fortunately, not all lumps are tumors. It is possible that what looks and feels like a lump is a swelling instead. Potential causes include immune reactions or infections which can be due to: insect bites and stings injuries foreign bodies The essential step in dealing with a lump is identification—that…
Blood loss for any reason is bad news. With external bleeding, at least you see it. When your dog is bleeding internally, how can you tell? Think about what blood does–it caries nutrients and oxygen to all tissues in the body. Symptoms of blood loss, then, reflect the lack of oxygen and include: pale mucus membranes (e.g. gums) panting lethargy…
After your veterinarian has narrowed down the origin of diarrhea to the large intestine and if your dog is still suffering from diarrhea (continual or intermittent) for 3-4 weeks, it is time to delve in with a more aggressive workup. With diarrhea that doesn’t go away, it is crucial to revisit the history and disease progression with your veterinarian. Details…
Large intestinal diarrhea (both acute and chronic) is often seen in young or debilitated dogs. A closer look at acute large intestinal diarrhea tells us it is acute nonspecific inflammation of the colon. The inflammation causes mucosal damage which results in bleeding. What does acute colitis on dogs look like? The blood seen with colitis is bright red. This is…
Acute small intestinal diarrhea forms the majority of all the cases of “smooth mooves” that I see in the hospital. The primary function of the small intestine is to continue the digestion of foodstuff from the stomach, and absorb fluids and electrolytes. When it is not functioning properly, the amount of stool produced is going to increase drastically. The stool…