Page 59 - Canine-Diseases

most commonly involved in hunting or field trial activities in and protrudes through the anal opening and appears as a tubular piece
around water are commonly affected. The dogs that are most at of tissue attached to the anus. In an incomplete prolapse, a small
risk of this infection include Labrador Retrievers, Cavalier King portion of the lining of the rectum will be visible during excretion,
Charles Spaniels, and German Shepherd Dogs. after which it will subside. A dog may develop rectal prolapse if
it strains while passing stool. Other contributing factors include
Q disorders of the digestive system that cause diarrhea; presence of
worms or other parasites in the digestive system; inflammation of
the small or large intestines; disorders of the urinary and genital
systems, such as inflammation or enlargement of the prostate,
inflammation of the bladder, and urinary stones; abnormal labor
Q fever: The “Q” stands for “Query”, as the source of the disease or birthing process; chronic constipation; presence of sac-like
was unknown upon discovery. Clinically known as Coxiellosis, it protrusions in the intestine; rectal or anal tumors; or deviation
is caused by the gram-negative coccobacillus Coxiella burnetii. of the rectum from its usual position. Rectal prolapse is an issue
Lungs are thought to be the main portal of entry into systemic that can affect any age or breed of dog. Puppies under the age
circulation. C. burnetii will then replicate in the organ’s lining, of six months suffer from rectal prolapse more often due to their
causing widespread vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessel). The susceptibility to intestinal parasites.
greatest risk of transmission occurs at parturition by inhalation,
ingestion, or direct contact with birth fluids or placenta. The Recurrent cystitis: Is defined as repeat bouts of inflammation
organism is shed in milk, urine, and feces. In addition, the bacteria of the urinary bladder. Generally in small animal veterinary
can also become airborne and is transmittable through fleas or medicine, cystitis is usually synonymous with “bladder infection”.
lice, which carry C. burnetii in its parasitic form. Animals can be The most common cause of cystitis in dogs is an infection caused
infected throughout their life, and most animals do not show signs by bacteria and 14% of all dogs acquire a bacterial cystitis in their
of disease. However, infected animals including dogs may abort lifetime. Other common causes include bladder stones, tumors
in the late stages of pregnancy or may deliver stillborn or weak or polyps in the bladder, and abnormal anatomy (especially in
offspring. Coxiellosis is a zoonotic bacterial infection. Humans are female dogs). Some dogs will experience interstitial or “sterile
most likely to contract the disease by inhaling airborne material, cystitis”, a condition that causes inflammation and associated
especially after an animal birth. clinical signs without any infection. The most common clinical
sign is hematuria (blood in the urine). Cystitis causes discomfort
R and pain. Dogs with cystitis may spend several minutes squatting,
straining and dysuria (painful or difficult urination), and pollakiuria
(extraordinary urinary frequency). Canines that experience more
than three urinary tract infections (UTIs) per year, or more than
two UTIs in six months are defined as having recurrent cystitis.
Rabies: The word rabies comes from the Latin ‘madness’. Rabies
is a severe, and often fatal, viral polioencephalitis that specifically Red mange: Is an inflammatory disease in dogs caused by the
affects the gray matter of the dog’s brain and its central nervous Demodex mite. When the number of mites inhabiting the hair
system. The rabies virus is a single-stranded RNA virus of the follicles and skin of a dog rapidly increase, it can lead to skin
genus Lyssavirus, in the family Rhabdoviridae. It is transmitted lesions, skin infections and alopecia. See Demodicosis.
through the exchange of blood or saliva from an infected animal,
and very rarely through breathing in the escaping gasses from Reflux esophagitis: Is an inflammation of the esophagus caused by
decomposing animal carcasses. The speed at which clinical signs the backward flow of gastric or intestinal fluid into the esophagus.
develop depends upon: 1. The site of infection - the nearer the bite One of the primary symptoms of esophageal disease is the reflux
is to the brain and spinal cord, the quicker the virus reaches the or regurgitation of digestive fluids like stomach acid, pepsin, and
nervous tissue; 2. The severity of the bite; and 3. The amount of bile, which can cause severe inflammation and ulceration. This
virus injected by the bite. There are two forms of rabies: paralytic symptom is frequently misconstrued as vomiting, which is a
and furious. In the early symptom stage of rabies infection, the common symptom of gastrointestinal disease. The causes of reflux
dog will show only mild signs of CNS abnormalities. This stage esophagitis include hiatal hernia, manipulation of the esophageal
will last from one to three days. Most dogs will then progress to tissues for undergoing anesthesia, chronic vomiting, the presence
either the furious stage, the paralytic stage, or a combination of of foreign body caught in the esophagus, food sensitivities, and
the two, while others succumb to the infection without displaying cancer of the esophagus.
any major symptoms. An infected dog can start spreading the virus
in as little as 10 days but show no symptoms for up to 8 weeks. Renal amyloidosis: Kidney amyloidosis is a rare disorder of
Symptoms include hydrophobia, excessive salivation, inability to protein metabolism in which abnormal deposits of protein called
swallow, aggression, irritability, nervousness, shyness, pica, fever, amyloid is deposited in the kidneys. This can lead to excessive
seizures, and paralysis in the mandible and larynx. protein loss in the urine and eventual chronic kidney failure. As
amyloid can deposit in various organs, the symptoms may vary
Rectal prolapse: Is an uncommon condition where rectal tissue, in relation to the organ in which the amyloid has been deposited.
the part of the large intestine that ends just inside the anus, Symptoms of kidney amyloidosis will also vary by the amount of

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