Pet Insurance FAQ: Your Dog's Most Common Ailments | Pet Blog

Just like humans, our pets are susceptible to illness and disease. Specific breeds are more prone to certain ailments, but there are some health problems that are common among all dogs. With such common occurrences, it?s recommended to invest in some form of pet medical coverage like pet insurance to reduce costs. Even if your pet isn?t sickly, it will still need routine checkups and vaccinations. Check to see if the pet health insurance has any exclusions and make sure it includes these five problems.

Interestingly enough, the most common dog illnesses are very similar to what humans typically suffer from. The first is ear infections, which usually form from a wax buildup, ear mites, and occasionally bacteria or fungus. Dogs with longer ears and those with hair on the underside of the ear flaps are more likely to get ear infections. With proper grooming and ear cleaning, you can greatly reduce the dog?s risk. Watch for symptoms such as shaking of the head, sensitivity to ears being touched, and scratching of the ears.

Canine skin allergies come in as close second. The dog may also have inhalant allergies from mold, dust, or pollen. Symptoms include scratching, biting, constant licking, and biting at the feet. The itching will be most severe on the feet, groin, and armpits and the skin will become thickened and produce a strong odor. Other causes of allergies are food and flea bites. The symptoms will be similar but the dog will also have ear inflammation, shaking of the head, anal itching, and rubbing the face on carpeting.

Another skin ailment is pyoderma, which is a skin infection caused by bacteria. Skin fold pyoderma is caused when the folds of the skin rub together. It can also be caused by allergies and parasites, so if you don?t treat ailment number two, it can easily turn into ailment number three. An infected area will show redness, swelling, hair loss, and sometimes blisters. If left untreated, it can cause severe pain, pus or blood, and a foul odor. A simple antibiotic can treat it, but in order to prevent it, always properly groom your dog.

At some point in time, your dog probably has vomited. This is known as gastritis. While it is often a one time occurrence, constant vomiting is a very serious condition. There is a long list of possible causes including food allergy, chemical ingestion, medication, inflammatory bowel disease, and stomach cancer. Immediately take your dog to the veterinarian if there is blood in the vomit, weakness, severe weight loss, diarrhea, or lack of appetite.

The fifth most common ailment is enteritis, or inflammation of the small intestines. Bacteria and viruses are usually the culprit. Diarrhea is the number one sign. However, don?t rush your dog off to the vet just yet. If the diarrhea is frequent or there is blood in the stool, then there is serious cause for concern. Only lab tests can determine the specific cause.

Always be on your guard and look for signs that your dog is not well. Eventually, your dog will need to be treated for something. Be prepared with dog health insurance or its alternatives and make frequent checkups part of your routine.

http://www.PetAssure.com is the preferred alternative to insurance coverage for your family pet. Unlike pet health insurance, all pets are covered; regardless of age, medical condition or any pre-existing condition. There are no exclusions, no deductibles and no waiting for reimbursement with our pet health plan.

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