Dogs Top 5 Diseases and Their Treatment

1-Parvovirus a.k.a. Parvo:

It’s part of the core vaccines all puppies should be given—which means most dogs should not actually get this preventable viral disease that attacks their intestines and heart.

Puppies in breeding facilities or shelters are most at risk of coming in contact with an infected dog. Most dogs contract parvo by coming into contact with the poop of a contaminated dog, either directly or indirectly, like on a shoe.

Symptoms include severe diarrhea and weight loss, vomiting, and lethargy. The chance of survival is not great—more than half the dogs that get parvo will die.

“Puppies with parvo can survive but survival depends on the severity of the illness, age of the puppy, and swift medical treatment,” Dr. Eckholm says.

“Parvo is treated with supportive care, which can be very costly.”

But again, parvo is largely preventable by vaccine, much like several other highly deadly diseases part of the core vaccinations—distemper, hepatitis, and rabies.

“It’s very important to get your dog the core vaccines as soon as possible,” Dr. Eckholm says. “Making sure your dog or puppy is vaccinated will help prevent widespread outbreaks.” 

2-Gastric Torsion a.k.a. Bloat: 

Does your dog wolf his food down in a blink of an eye? Then he may be at risk of bloat, which is basically an enlarged stomach; this can become even more complicated if the stomach also turns. This prevents fluid and air from escaping the stomach, which prevents the dog from belching or vomiting.

Symptoms are sudden but noticeable:

• Retching and the inability to vomit

• Enlarged stomach area

• Restlessness

• Salivating

Bloat can affect any dog at any age but there are breeds more susceptible to it: usually large breed, deep-chested dogs like Great Danes, German shepherds, boxers, Labrador retrievers, bloodhounds, and weimaraners. Mid-size and smaller dogs aren’t much at risk, with the exception of basset hounds and dachshunds, who also have long, broad chests.

“Have your dog eat slowly,” Dr. Eckholm says. “I recommend putting food in Kong toys to make the dog dig around for it. This will prevent him from inhaling it and decrease the risk of bloat.”

There are also time-releasing food bowls on the market, even a toy ball your dog has to knock around to get the food out. This stimulates your dog’s mind while forcing him to eat slowly—a win-win. 

3-Kidney Disease a.k.a. Renal Failure: 

Kidney disease can develop on its own over a dog’s lifetime or as a complication from medications or other diseases (like Lyme disease).

Unfortunately, kidney disease that develops over a pet’s lifetime—a.k.a. chronic kidney disease—is not preventable most of the time. Dogs with a genetic predisposition to kidney failure are most at risk.

However, there is one cause of chronic kidney disease that is preventable: dental disease. In the advanced stages of dental disease, bacteria from the dog’s gums can enter the bloodstream and damage vital organs, like the kidneys.

So keep those chompers clean! Brush regularly throughout your dog’s lifetime—meaning at least once a week—offer bully sticks or other hard chew toys to remove plaque, or get a professional teeth cleaning done at your vet’s office, which requires anesthesia but is quite effective.

On the other hand, acute kidney disease is largely preventable. Acute kidney disease is caused by a number of issues: poisoning, infection, or complication from medicines, to name a few. Symptoms are sudden and severe and can include fever, vomiting, change in water intake, change in appetite, and change in amount of urination.

To avoid acute kidney disease, keep human medications away from your dog, unless advised otherwise by your vet. Also, keep antifreeze away from dogs; they like the taste but it’s quite poisonous, even in low doses. There are various ways dogs can get their paws on antifreeze, including licking it off the garage floor or getting it from winterized pipes. 

4-Lyme Disease 

This tick-borne illness is another highly preventable disease. It is caused by a bacteria transmitted by slow-feeding deer ticks that have been attached to the dog for at least 18 hours. It’s the most common of the tick-related illnesses.

The number-one symptom is lameness in limbs that can shift from leg to leg over a period of time. Stiffness and decrease in appetite also can occur.

If not caught, Lyme disease can lead to kidney problems—even kidney failure.

Treatment is through antibiotics and although symptoms are usually resolved in four weeks, they may not always fully go away.

Keeping your dog away from tick-prone areas and checking your dog for ticks are always good ideas, but preventative tick medicines are the most effective way to prevent Lyme disease, and other tick-borne illnesses.

There are topical medicines to repel and kill ticks you put directly on your dog’s fur, like Frontline and K9 Advantix. There are also pills, like NexGard, and even collars your dog can wear, like Preventic. Just keep in mind the effectiveness of topical medicines decreases through the month, especially if your dog goes swimming or has a bath. Year-round prevention is best. 

5-Heartworm Disease: 

Would you rather pay for heartworm medication now or costly and painful treatment later? Unfortunately, most people choose the latter, even though preventative meds are fairly inexpensive.

All it takes for your dog to get heartworm is a single bite from an infected mosquito.

“If you live in a heartworm endemic area, which is an area with mosquitoes, heartworm prevention is a must,” Dr. Eckholm says. “There are parts of the country where mosquitoes aren’t prevalent and therefore heartworm prevention isn’t used as frequently.”

It used to be dry climates were considered safe from heartworm, but the disease has been reported in all 50 states. Better to be safe than sorry, especially considering the involved treatment.

“Heartworm disease is treatable with an [arsenic-based] intramuscular injection given multiple times,” Dr. Eckholm says. “It is painful but effective in most cases.”