Last Updated on January 19, 2023 by Kunthida
Common Dog Diseases: Cancer in Dogs Has a Promising Treatment
Nobody wants to hear about cancer in dogs.
This terrible disease is so distressing on anyone whose beloved canine has been given that diagnosis and we will do everything to try and change it.
There are many kinds of cancer treatments available and checking our sources may turn up just what we need.
The College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh, North Carolina’s State University, has opened up a dog bone marrow transplant unit.
The transplant unit performs these operations on canines with lymphoma.
They have performed 30 of these procedures over the last two years.
Lymphomas in dogs are one of the most common cancers.
It is not just the older dog that is becoming inflicted with these lymphomas, the younger dogs are getting them too. Lymphomas in dogs affect the lymph system, this runs throughout the body and so surgery is not an option to correct this. Unfortunately, the dogs usually die within two months of diagnosis, and less than 2% of dogs are ever cured.
In the last two years, 70 percent of the dogs who have received transplants are still alive today. Dogs who never got completely cured will be in remission much longer had they not have gotten the transplant.
The true results with canine lymphoma will not be known until a few years down the road, but even at that, we know they will have lived longer.
For a dog to receive a bone marrow transplant they need to be in either complete remission or very close. They can receive a bone marrow transplant anytime after that. The protocol requires several days of preparation.
This begins with twice-daily injections of Neupogen, which will drive healthy cells from the marrow into the bloodstream where they will be harvested. A very low-fat diet is fed so that the extraction is not made difficult.
Stem cells from the blood are harvested one week later from a leukapheresis machine.
Full body radiation is given to the dog and then the canine gets the stem cells that were harvested the day before, infused back into their bloodstream. The whole process is under anesthesia or sedation and is painless for the dog.
To ensure the immune system recovers after the procedure, the dog is kept at the facility for about two weeks. They may experience some hair loss and tiredness and are given antibiotics before and after to reduce any possible infection.
Most dogs that have had relapses all occurred within the first four months. Most other dogs remain cancer-free or in remission for another two years.
While the procedure has additional monitoring costs when you take them home, the average BMT runs about $14500.00 USD. Some pet insurance plans will cover certain costs related to this.
Dogs that cannot receive a transplant are dogs with serious health problems like kidney or heart disease. With other dogs, Cushing’s disease or diabetes places the risk of infection so high, that they are not candidates.
Many more clinics are offering this procedure for dogs with cancer in the United States and soon in other places. With enough research and time, it will become commonplace like many other practices.
Helga Schmitt has been keenly studying and researching dog health, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation hands-on for the past 20 years. She is a Registered Canine Hydrotherapist, Chartered Herbalist, Holistic Nutritionist, and holds a Certificate in Homeopathy. She informs dog owners about complementary health choices. Get your free Older Dog Tips Guide, and to read more on Cancer in Dogs or Tumors in Dogs…
Meet the New Weapon for the Battle with Cancer in Dogs
How superb are dogs?
Not only are they man’s best friend providing steadfast companionship and defending our homes and families, but now we all know that they can also notice cancer and help us achieve prosperous organics living.
A study in the EU Breathing Journal found that dogs were able to detect lung cancer in humans by smelling their breath.
They were correct over 70% of the time. Analysts accept that there had been a particular chemical compound the dogs smelled so as to notice the malignancy. Analysts accept that cancerous cells give off different metabolic waste products than normal cells and that these have a different odor.
These dogs were even able to discern the most significant difference between folk with lung cancer and folks with lingering obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Dogs can also detect other kinds of cancer through smell. One dog named Marine has been given the training to perceive cancer of the colon and can do so with 97% accuracy. She even beats the normal blood tests for cancer by a full 25%.
Another test used dogs to recognize bladder cancer and achieved over 40% accuracy. Analysts at the Pine Street Foundation in California trained five dogs to sniff both breast cancer and lung cancer on a patient’s breath.
The dogs had a precision rate between 88-99% and even navigated around odors like smoke.
And dogs can do a lot more than just sniff for cancer. There are dogs that are schooled to perceive hypoglycemia in insulin-dependent diabetes patients.
These dogs live with their owners as companions, but they are also there for medical purposed. Hypoglycemia can be a dangerous situation for a diabetic and these dogs can alert their owners when their blood sugar levels are getting low, long before an emergency situation.
A dog’s ability to smell is one of its strongest features and is about one thousand to ten thousand times stronger than a human’s sense of smell. Approximately humans have 5,000,000 scent receptors, while dogs have hundreds of millions of them. When dogs smell something, they sniff and collect the air in a special chamber in their nose.
Dogs may be able to breathe out while keeping this air in the chamber which allows the scent molecules to collect until there are enough of them for the dog to identify what it is. And dogs have another organ in their nasal cavity which helps them smell and taste.
It’s called Jacobson’s organ and it suggests that they cannot only smell the air, but they can also taste it too.
If you have ever seen a dog about grinning and holding his mouth in a rather open position, you may be witnessing the dog using his Jacobson’s organ. This pose is known as a Flehman Reaction and is most frequently used when smelling the pee or sexual markers of other dogs.
And not only can dogs detect smells at a remarkable rate, but they can also remember them at an amazing rate. Their olfactory memories are superb and they can recall smells long after being exposed to them. They also gather info from the odors such as the health of an animal, sex, age and even what they ate for their last meal.
So what are we able to do with this new info? There are two ways to proceed. One, we will do more to coach dogs to detect cancer. It’s a cost-effective, low-aggressive solution that can help with preliminary cancer screening. 2nd, researchers need to do more to work out exactly how the dogs are doing it in order that they can apply this information to make machines and screening tests. But once more, nature in her knowledge has supplied a natural solution to one of the best health problems facing people today.
Erricka Broonkinsr is a writer at the same time a healthy living enthusiast. Read on her article of Prosper Organics about organic skincare preventing cancer.
Dog Cruciate Ligament Injuries (Common Dog Diseases)
One of the most common dog diseases that veterinarians see is canine cruciate ligament injury.
This disease affects all breeds, genders, and ages of dogs.
The disease is so prevalent in dogs that a study was performed to assess the estimated economic impact of treating cruciate ligament disease in dogs for the year of 2003 and found the cost to pet owners to be $1.32 billion (JAVMA, 2005).
The unfortunate part is that costs for treatment have only risen since 2003.
The cranial cruciate ligament in the dog is similar to the anterior cruciate ligament in a person and performs many of the same functions within the dog knee.
The cruciate ligaments (cranial and caudal in the dog and anterior and posterior in a person) are named because they form a cross or “X” within the knee. They are named by where they originate on the tibia, with the cranial or anterior cruciate ligament originating on the front of the tibia and inserting on the back of the femur. The cranial cruciate ligament’s function is to prevent forward or cranial slipping or translation of the tibia compared to the femur and to stop excessive internal rotation and hyperextension of the knee.
People usually have to have some form of trauma to the knee to damage the cruciate ligament such as a football player who gets hit in the knee or a skier that falls abnormally on their knee. Dogs can have a similar type of injury as this but can also damage their cruciate without significant trauma from everyday activities like walking and running.
This type of injury is considered degenerative and there is a theory that it occurs because of the slant or angle to the top surface of the tibia where the femur comes into contact with it. These dogs, instead of having a sudden lameness after falling wrong or something like that, just develop a slowly progressive lameness that worsens over months to years.
One big problem with this degeneration of the ligament is that because it happens within one knee, the same problem is likely to happen in the opposite knee, usually within 1-2 years.
The first sign that an owner will see that their dog may have a cruciate ligament tear is lameness on the affected hind leg. This lameness can be all of a sudden while playing or can be a slowly progressive lameness over time.
When the lameness is slowly progressive, the dogs will often show a worsening of the lameness with exercise or after a prolonged rest.
There are two tests that veterinarians perform when palpating the knee to determine if the cruciate ligament is intact. They are the cranial drawer test and the cranial tibial thrust test. Both of the tests attempt to show abnormal sliding of the femur compared to the tibia which suggests that the ligament is not intact.
If this abnormal shifting can be felt then it can pretty confidently be said that the dog has a cruciate ligament injury. Sometimes, like with a partial tear of the ligament, abnormal shifting of the two bones cannot be demonstrated by palpation. In these cases, radiographs are helpful because they will often show swelling and arthritis to suggest that something is wrong within the knee.
Making the definitive diagnosis of a cruciate ligament tear is done by visually inspecting the ligament during surgery. This can be done by opening the joint to look at the ligament (arthrotomy) or by using a camera on the end of a scope (arthroscopy) to see within the joint.
Many factors such as the size of the dog, age of the dog, the activity level of the dog, financial limitations of the owner, and surgeon’s preference are all factors that determine what the best course of treatment is for each dog.
Robert Vonau is a board-certified veterinary surgeon in Denver, Colorado. He spends most days repairing dog cruciate ligament injuries. Want to learn more about canine cruciate ligament disease please visit my site at www.petsurgerytopics.com
Common Dog Diseases: Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) for Dog Cruciate Ligament Injury Stabilization
Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) is a very commonly performed surgery to treat dog cruciate ligament injury. Cruciate ligament tears in dogs are by far the most common orthopedic injury that veterinarians see.
There are many different ways of treating cruciate ligament injury in the dog and there is, unfortunately, no “right” way of treating it. Below I am describing the TPLO, what it is, how it works, complications, and recovery.
The underlying idea behind the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy is that the top part of the tibia is cut and then rotated to remove the slant that is present on the weight-bearing surface of the tibia. Once the slant is removed, a special bone plate is applied to the bone to hold it still while it heals in this abnormal position.
By removing the slant in the tibia, the knee during weight-bearing is in a neutral position and there is no shifting of the femur compared to the tibia. This effectively eliminates the need for the dog to have a cruciate ligament. Understanding why this works requires an understanding of the anatomy within the dog’s knee or stifle.
The part of the tibia that the TPLO is altering is the tibial plateau. The tibial plateau is the top part of the tibia where the condyles of the femur come into contact. Both cruciate ligaments originate from and menisci sit on the tibial plateau. We term the tibial plateau the “weight-bearing surface” of the tibia. In humans, the tibial plateau is a flat surface.
Dogs have a slant to their tibial plateau, usually around 25 degrees, because unlike people, they do not walk upright.
What we have discovered in dogs is that when they bear weight on the leg and all the muscles around the knee contract, because of this slant in their tibial plateau, the femur and tibia try and shift on each other with the femur trying to slide off the back of the tibial plateau.
This desire to shift has been termed cranial tibial translation. The dog’s cranial cruciate ligament is the ligament that counteracts this force and keeps the femur and tibia from shifting.
Unfortunately for the dog, every time they take a step, the cruciate ligament gets stressed trying to stop this force. We suspect this is the reason that dogs develop degeneration of their cruciate ligaments over time and why they can often tear their cruciate ligaments slowly over time without having traumatic injuries like people require.
The TPLO procedure is performed by using a semi-circular saw blade to cut straight across the top of the tibia to free up the tibial plateau. Once free, the semi-circular cut allows the tibial plateau to be rotated downwards or caudally to go from the normal 25 degrees of angle on average to 5 degrees of angle.
Once in the new position, a specially designed bone plate is applied to the tibia to hold the plateau in that position until the bone heals. Once this is done, when the muscles around the knee contract, the tibia and femur are in a neutral position and do not want to shift on each other. This effectively eliminates the need for the dog to have a cruciate ligament.
Although some may think cutting the bone to fix a torn ligament is pretty radical surgery, the procedure has been shown to be very effective over many years and hundreds of thousands of dogs.
As with any surgical procedure, there are complications that can occur with the TPLO and they range from 10-20% of the cases. The most common big complications involve the bone plate and screws. Breakage of the screws or the bone plate can occur if the dog is too active during recovery or if it takes a fall. The screws that hold the plate onto the bone tend to break more often than the plate itself.
Breakage of some of the screws can lead to the bone taking a long time to heal or not heal at all. Infection of the bone plate is a complication that we see which can lead to a delay of bone healing. If the bone plate becomes infected, it can be managed with antibiotics until the bone heals completely.
Often times though, the plate will have to be removed to completely resolve the infection. Damage to other structures within the knee after the surgery has healed, like the menisci, can occur and is seen with all of the types of procedures used to treat cruciate ligament injuries in dogs. Inflammation of the patellar tendon can be seen in dogs during their recovery.
This usually is a temporary problem that will resolve on its own with time. The most common minor complication that we see is an infection of the skin incision or opening of the skin incision, usually from dogs licking at it. This can usually be treated by just closing the skin incision again and treating it with antibiotics.
Recovery from TPLO surgeries will vary depending on the surgeon that performs the surgery because everyone has their own preference for exercising the dogs post-op. Usually, dogs are restricted to on-leash activity only for a full 3 months. No running, jumping, twisting, or turning type motions which tend to damage the repair. In most cases, the dog is encouraged to use the leg for walking as soon as they are willing.
Once the dog is putting the surgery leg down every step, they can start taking leash walks to help rebuild muscle. These leash walks should start slow and short but can steadily be built up over the full 3 months of recovery.
After the 3 months, if the recovery has gone well and radiographs show the tibia to be healed, the dog can be returned to its normal off-leash activity. Depending on the surgeon, other things like physical therapy are also encouraged during the recovery.
The expected outcome with the TPLO surgery is a majority (90%+) of dogs will have good to excellent returns to function on the leg. This means that most will return to near normal or normal function on the leg after the surgery.
Which dogs are the best candidates for TPLOs? That is difficult to say since there are many different surgeries available for dog cruciate ligament injuries and usually which surgery is done is determined more by surgeon preference than by one procedure being the “correct” one.
In general, TPLO surgeries are usually done on medium, large, and giant-breed dogs and the younger and more active dogs. TPLO surgeries can be performed on almost any size dogs except maybe the small toy breeds like Teacup Poodles or Chihuahuas. Deciding whether or not a TPLO is for your dog is a decision that is best made with your veterinarian who can offer their opinion on which surgery they recommend.
Robert Vonau is a boarded veterinary surgeon in Denver, CO. He spends most days performing TPLO surgeries to repair cranial cruciate ligament injuries in dogs. Learn more about tibial plateau leveling osteotomy at my site www.petsurgerytopics.com
Common Dog Diseases – Dog Limping: The Causes and Possible Treatments For Limping In Dogs
Many dogs are taken to the veterinarian because they have started limping. Some heal thru rest and others need treatment sooner or later. We need to find out whether we should visit the vet or maybe wait to work out if healing occurs or not.
There are a few things you can do to help you decide. These are just suggestions and if you are uncomfortable with them it’s best to make an appointment with the vet to understand more about dog limping and its causes.
If your dog starts holding up one leg it’s possible there’s a foreign object stuck between the toes, or maybe there’s a distended are on the pad due to redness. Your dog might have been bitten by an ant or spider. Fastidiously and carefully examine the toes and pad. Identify the quantity of pain your dog is showing.
Sometimes it’s smart to wait and watch for a day or so. If it has not improved after this time or gets much worse, go ahead and take him to the vet as fast as you can.
If you can see nothing bizarre in the foot, look for sensitiveness in the dog’s leg by gently running your hands all the way up. Flex the joints carefully to determine sensitiveness.
If discomfort is noticed, it’s possible your dog sprained a joint or partly tore a tendon. If it walks with a tender leg, let it be for a day or two so you can watch for changes. Just let your dog outside when required and otherwise let it rest. If it doesn’t improve after this time then schedule a visit to the vet.
If your dog’s leg is visibly broken or allegedly painful, don’t hesitate at all in going to the veterinarian. Your dog may limp on occasion, be Ok for a while, but then start limping again. This may be hard to resolve.
Older dogs can have occasionally joint discomfort in their legs or back and may need liquid glucosamine 1500, but if your dog is not old, it could have trained a muscle either in the back or legs. Rest is advised until it either recovers or a trip to the vet is made.
He will prescribe medication for the discomfort and it’d be best to do an inclusive investigation into side effects previously. There are natural supplements, herbal cures and acupuncture available that treat lameness.
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Common Dog Diseases: Going Out On A Limb – Acclimating Your Dog To Having 3 Limbs
When living with a dog with an amputated limb, you have to check with your veterinarian regarding the proper care for him. You would naturally want your pet to get back to his good health, and I know you want him to be happy. The rehabilitation program will also depend much on the reason for the amputation.
To Exercise or Not To Exercise
Most often, dog owners are going through the experience of their beloved pet having an amputation for the first time, and hopefully the last. Almost every single owner of an amputated dog thinks that they should not exercise their dog once it is back home and getting used to living with three legs. This could not be further from the truth.
In fact, you need to run that 3-legged pooch like a Marine recruit! Make it run 25 miles with a 50 lb. backpack; do 200 dog push-ups; swim the alligator pond.
Amazingly, within a week or two, dogs pretty much forget that they are missing a limb altogether. A couple of weeks later, they forget they are dogs altogether. That’s when they start driving your car, re-formatting your computer, using your checkbook.
These doggie “tripods” (as they are called) can actually jump around, run, swim, play, and even climb stairs just as good as other dogs. They adapt very quickly to having only three limbs.
Not only is it a delight to see your dog back to normal, with the exception of a hop or a limp (of which the animal does not notice after a while), watching this quick healing process take place is also an uplift to your emotional experience. In fact, you may go on to purposefully amputate pets, later in life, whenever you are down and need a boost.
Take Care And Watch Out For Your Dog
Your dog might forget that he had just come from surgery. As he heals, he will be very energetic and excited that he can walk again. You have to make sure that he does not move too much. Keep your dog from doing extreme activities for the next few weeks, or until he has completely healed.
Prosthetic legs can slip when in contact with smooth surfaces. This is a challenge facing dog amputees. As a responsible dog owner, put carpets or rugs on the floor to prevent your dog from slipping and getting into another accident.
Remember to check on his remaining limbs. You have to make sure that they remain healthy and able to support the extra weight. Even with only three legs, your dog should still be able to move like he used to with four legs.
Your dog’s remaining limbs should be strong enough to. support your dog. Be mindful of his movement and regularly check if his health is stable. If you notice that he is getting slower or weaker, you have to find something to support the weight.
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Common Dog Diseases – Can Your Dog Live With A Prosthetic After Amputation?
If you feel upset and confused about making such a big decision for your dog, do not be worried. It is quite understandable to feel at a loss when facing a decision that will clearly change your dog’s life forever. The good news is that he will be okay, the same as new, once the surgery is over.
First of all, you should decide on is whether to get your dog amputated at the leg, shoulder, or the hip. This naturally is determined by a few aspects, including the reason for the surgery or whether or not the dog can have a prosthetic limb attached to change the missing one.
If cancer would be the basis for your dog’s amputation, it actually is generally better to eliminate the entire leg. However, in case you have absolutely no medical reason for the surgery plus you might have got a choice of leaving a stump, then this is the perfect situation for a prosthetic. A stump can help the prosthetic to stay attached securely.
When the amputation is conducted beneath the knee, a prosthetic enables your dog to have complete functionality of the leg. The bottom of the stump should be healthy. The surgeon might even include a pad to the bottom or pull an extra muscle from the bone fragments to position at the end of the stump. The pad comes in different pastel or earth tones and will even be made of silk, velour or Egyptian cotton. This is for security, in addition, to further help the connection of the prosthetic leg.
In case your dog will need to have the leg entirely amputated, much like several bone cancer cases, unfortunately, there really isn’t any approach to have a prosthetic installed. And compelled replacement could be really rigid and quite unpleasant for your dog. The only choice is to leave it by itself and enable the animal to get accustomed to life with three limbs, which all dogs can attain quite easily and without suffering.
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Common Dog Diseases: Monitoring your Dogs Elbow Dysplasia
There are many different types of ailments that can affect our dogs. Many we don’t find out until later because dogs will not start showing symptoms until well into the disease. However, elbow Dysplasia is an abnormal growth of cells, bone or tissue and can be detected between 4 and 10 months.
The Dysplasia abnormality can lead to your dog becoming lame if not treated. There is a type of condition similar to this that affects males more than females. Typically this condition is found in the larger breeds like Labs, Rottweilers, Chows and other giant breeds.
Males and females as we said can both be afflicted with Dysplasia. More common though in males more then the female is the condition where the bone fragment is found in the inner surface of the upper ulna. This condition will be found in the foreleg just below the elbow joint.
Dysplasia is not always something your dog will show signs of. Watch him after he has been exercising and see if he shows stiffness or lameness. He might also be favoring the limb by either flexing or extending their elbow away from his body. It’s also good to watch your dog, as they get older because not all dogs will display symptoms.
The cause of this condition is not only genetic but can be caused by nutritional or developmental issues. It is important for you to get your pup to the vet for a medical examination. The vet will be able to make a diagnosis after a series of tests to eliminate other causes for the symptoms.
The symptoms can mean a number of things like joint trauma, possible infection or even some sort of arthritis. The Doctor will take x-rays of the affected limb as well as the other and run more tests before coming to a conclusion. If it is determined to be Elbow Dysplasia, then surgery might be recommended.
It will be important to keep your dog from any strenuous activities for about 4 weeks after surgery. Keep the area iced down off and on during the day for about 5 days to minimize the swelling. You will want to encourage movement in the limb though until your dog is strong enough to get up and around.
For future reference, you can take preventative measures for this condition by not promoting rapid growth of your dog. Manage their weight gain as they grow and feed them accordingly. In addition, do not breed a dog that has been diagnosed with this condition since it is genetic.
This is a fairly common condition in large dogs so don’t worry. If you got your dog from a breeder, it’s important to notify them of the condition. Your dog can continue to live a happy life just remember to get him yearly checkups with the vet.
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Common Dog Diseases: Plaque Attack And Further Information
Everyone is well aware of the fact that the dental hygiene of both humans and animals is very important. In the human world, individuals will regularly have check-ups with their dentists in order to ensure that their teeth are doing just fine.
Animals, of course, will have to be taken to a dental vet in order to be sure that their teeth are still in perfect working order. People love their pets and therefore will have no problem spending a certain amount of money in order to make sure that they are fully happy and healthy. The likes of Plaque Attack can aid in helping to make sure this remains.
Teeth are undoubtedly one of the most useful functions of the body and a lot of animals have them. The majority of the time they are used for chewing the food in the first stage of digestion. Therefore it is a good idea to keep them in good shape so that they are always working. Biting is also a good defense mechanism for dogs and cats alike.
All pet owners will have this as one of their top priorities. Most people will regularly make sure that their animals are taken to the likes of a vet. The Internet is often a good place to get a number of different products, as well as the likes of pet stores. If one is looking for things like Plaque Attack, then be sure to check out nearby stores.
There are of course many pros and cons to this particular product, therefore it is important to examine them thoroughly before making the decision to purchase it. The first thing to remember is that a dental vet is usually the most qualified person to be clearly aware of any filth and grime that builds up in the mouth of one’s dog. Therefore this is always going to be the best option no matter what.
It is also going to be vital that one makes sure the use of this product is regular. Therefore one will need to make sure that it can be afforded regularly. Individuals will probably set aside a certain amount of money in order to make sure that their pets are kept in the top shop. It can sometimes be expensive for people to use, however.
The animals upon which it is being used may not take kindly to it being sprayed in their mouths. Perhaps they won’t like the taste, and therefore will drink and get rid of it or even attack their own.
Therefore it would be important to make sure that they are restrained whilst this is taking place. Eventually, they will get used to it.
But there are a lot of positive effects to Plaque Attack which makes it a very attractive idea. Gum disease is an uncomfortable situation for anyone, whether they happen to be a human or animal.
This can, therefore, aid in the prevention of this. It will help also to make sure that nothing gets past the teeth and causes them to decay.
Plaque Attack is also going to be completely organic, and as well as this it is non-toxic.
Therefore one needs to make sure that their pet has no allergies before use, either. This way, one will be able to make sure that their animal has maximum health.
You can find details about the reasons why you should invest in a dental spray for your pet and more information about Plaque Attack Triple Care Dental Spray on our website at http://plaqueattack.org now.
Dog Health Care: A Practical Guide in 11 Parts (With 3 videos!)
Ear Mites in Dogs: How to Get Your Best Friend Rid of This Bugs (Quick & Easy!)
