Pets are prone to many illnesses. Hence, they should be taken care of very well and also monitored regularly for any symptom of ill health to keep their well being. A pet can be a happy companion to human being only if it is healthy.
Some of the symptoms of pet diseases causing ill health:
Loss of appetite, excessive gain or loss of weight, excess water consumption, abnormal discharges of the nose, eyes etc., abnormal, difficult, uncontrolled waste elimination, lethargy, abnormal behavior, sudden viciousness, limping, abnormal lumps, finding difficult to get up or lie down, dandruff, open sores, dull coat or ragged coat, excessive head shaking, scratching, biting or licking any particular part of the body, tartar on the teeth, foul breath etc.
Common pet diseases:
Lyme disease: This is an infectious disease spread by a tick, which is not larger than the head of the pin in size. It is caused by a bacterium called spirochete transmitted to the pets and humans by the tick bite. If not treated properly it may lead to heart diseases or neurological complications or joint damages and kidney related problems in the pets.
Infestation due to internal parasites: Internal parasites like the hookworms, tapeworms, heartworms and roundworms rob the pets of important nutrients, causing fatigue, loss of appetite, anemia and even death. Especially puppies and kittens are very much susceptible to these kinds of infestations. This can be very well controlled and prevented.
Infestations due to external parasites: Pets are affected by external parasites like the lice, mites, fleas and ticks. They are found everywhere and can cause extreme irritation to the pet leading to skin disorders and skin diseases. Ear mites can cause severe diseases and annoyance in the pet commonly in cats and dogs. Hence, it needs to be treated well by taking the pets to the veterinarian.
Rabies: Rabies is one of the deadly pet diseases caused by a virus which attacks the pet’s nervous system. Normally rabies is transmitted by the bite from a rabid animal. It is not necessary that all rabid animals appear mad and foam at the mouth. Many infected pets can be very tame and calm. Rabies affects only mammals. It does not affect reptiles, birds, fish or amphibians.
Types of cancer in pets:
Cancer is a common pet disease and it accounts for almost 50% of the deaths of the pets over 10 years of age. Some cancer types like the breast cancer can be prevented to a large extent with early spaying, whereas other types of cancers are very difficult to be prevented since the causes are not known properly.
Commonly found cancer types are skin tumors – More common among older dogs, but lesser among cats, breast tumors are seen both in dogs and cats. Early spaying can reduce their incidence.
Head and neck cancer – The common disease is the mouth cancer more in dogs and lesser in the cats. Cancer in the nose also seen in dogs and cats, lymphoma is found in cats and dogs with an enlargement of one or more lymph nodes of the body, testicular tumors are seen in the dogs and rarely in cats and bone tumors are common among large breed dogs and rarely seen in the cats.
