Natural Pet Health

Parvo is a serious viral disease that can be deadly even if treatment is given. Parvovirus is a disease that attacks dividing cells. The most prominent location for dividing cells in your dog’s body is the intestinal lining or the lining of the digestive system. When this disease attacks and kills these cells it causes dogs and puppies to not be able to absorb nutrients or liquids. Parvo is seen more in puppies than in adult dogs, but both can catch the disease.

Symptoms of parvo include diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy. Most dogs stop eating or have a loss of appetite, diarrhea, high fever, and depression. Their stool can be very liquid, foul smelling, usually yellow in color, and contain blood. The secondary symptoms appear as severe gastrointestinal distress, which includes vomiting and bloody diarrhea. In the later stages of parvo dehydration, shock, and death.

Everyone seems on edge about the latest outbreak of avian flu. People in China are told to kill their poultry in order to keep the virus from spreading. Meanwhile people in the United States watch on in fear that the avian flu will come to their shores. So what exactly is all the hubbub about? After all, every winter millions of people come down with bird flu.

Origin of Influenza

Influenza, the term, came into use around 1504, though it had little to do with the virus. It came from the word: influence. At the time, influence meant: ‘the ethereal power of the stars acting on men.’ It was basically a supernatural way of explaining the effects of disease on people at the time. During a particularly nasty outbreak of the flu in Europe during 1743, the term was officially attached to the name of the disease. 96 years later, the term was shortened to just: flu.

Almost everyone has heard of distemper, and most dog owners know that their pet needs some type of shot in order to protect them against this disease, but that may be the total extent of their knowledge.

As we discuss distemper in this article series, please keep in mind that the discussion will be generalized and based primarily on research findings. Averages are the basis for any vaccination recommendations and in no way reflect individual variations, individual problems, geographical peculiarities, practitioner preferences, etc.

Every program for vaccinating animals against distemper is based on compromises according to the prevalence of disease, owner convenience, cost, and many other factors. In the final analysis, the pet owner must trust his veterinarian to provide adequate protection.

There are many different types of bacteria some of which are good for your pet and others which are not. Unwanted bacteria can cause your cat or dog to become ill or cause an infection which can lead to more serious health problems, if not taken care of quickly.

Some of the symptoms of a bacterial infection include: Lethargy, fever, skin abscesses, pain, infections in cuts or scrapes, inflammation, redness, loss of appetite, purging, coughing and a runny nose.

Skin infections are caused by the Staph bacteria. Normally, these bacteria live on your cat or dogs skin without causing any problem at all. The infection occurs when the skin is scratched with their paws and an opening is made for them to infect. You can identify it by the scabs, red skin, yellow pustules and skin lesions that suddenly appear. Protecting your dog or cat from fleas, stress and ticks will help to minimize the chance they get this type of infection.

The function of the immune system in a dog’s body is to recognize and destroy foreign substances and pathogens. Sometimes this system can go awry due to one reason or the other and starts attacking the body’s own cells. Conditions caused by such self-destructive responses are known as autoimmune or immune mediated diseases.

The immune system normally removes and destroys red blood cells that are four months old. New red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow to replenish the loss. Immune mediated hemolytic anemia is a condition where the immune system starts destroying red blood cells more than the bone marrow can produce.

What is Canine Distemper and what are the symptoms?

Canine distemper is a highly contagious, extremely serious viral disease which occurs in dogs and other wild canids (e.g.. foxes, wolves and coyotes), raccoons, skunks and ferrets.

It is an airborne virus, which affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system of the animal. Puppies between three and six months and elderly animals are particularly at risk.

Symptoms grow increasingly severe as the disease progresses, they include:

* Conjunctivitis (a watery, pus-like eye discharge) and inflammation of the eye
* Fever
* Nasal discharge
* Pneumonia (Coughing and labored breathing)_
* Lethargy
* Reduced appetite
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Seizures
* Hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli, such as pain or touch)
* Muscle twitching
* Progressive deterioration of mental abilities and motor skills
* Complete or partial paralysis

Distemper is a viral disease that attacks the cells of the skin, respiratory tract, intestinal tract, and brain. It can cause a change in the dog’s appearance, nervous disorders, and death. Young puppies are at highest risk of catching distemper, although all unvaccinated dogs are vulnerable to it.

Distemper is sometimes called the “canine plague” due to its contagious nature. Infected dogs and many other animals, including wolves, raccoons, foxes, and minks, can spread the virus, mainly in their breath. A dog’s breath contains the virus particles in minute droplets, much as is the case with human measles.

If the infection occurs through inhalation of the virus, it is spread throughout the body by the defensive cells that are trying to capture and kill it. However, you can rest assured for your personal safety because humans are not susceptible to contracting distemper.

A recent outbreak of canine Parvovirus (CPV) — a highly contagious, potentially deadly, and the most common infectious disorder in dogs in the United States — caused a great upset with the Pennsylvania SPCA.

The PSPCA handled 25 cases in one week alone, breaking an unfortunate record of the most cases they have encountered in such a short time span. There is still much to be learned about the disease itself as well as the best ways to control it, but prevention is possible.

A lot of people would like to know whether their dogs and cats can catch common colds like humans do. The answer is YES and NO!

Symptoms like a runny nose, sneezing and coughing can develop as a result of a viral, bacterial or fungal infection in the canine or feline respiratory system. But while human colds are usually associated with a change in season, cat and dog colds are independent of seasonality and are usually caused by a virus.

Many pet owners bring their dog or cat to a vet, kennel or cattery while traveling. The risk of infection increases greatly. In addition, the holidays are often a time of high-travel, and pets may come along for the journey.

The signs of distemper vary, but most often include thick, pus-laden discharges from the eyes and nose, along with a deep productive cough, vomiting and diarrhea, pustules on the abdomen, convulsions, body or leg spasms, loss of appetite, weakness, depression, high fever which may fluctuate to normal, and thickening of the footpads

Obviously, other conditions can cause the same signs, many of which are not as serious and much easier to treat. A problem in diagnosis always confronts the veterinarian in early cases of canine distemper or those not following a typical pattern since positive confirmation of the disease depends on the sophisticated procedures of virus isolation and fluorescent antibody technique. Most veterinarians diagnose and treat based on clinical experience.