Animal health

Hepatic encephalopathy in dogs consists of an accumulation of toxins in the blood that should have been metabolized by the liver and eliminated by the kidney. The main problem is increased levels of ammonia. This produces urea and other toxins which are improperly metabolized. This accumulation of toxins...

Although a cat's claws can do severe damage to their prey, they can be a sensitive part of their anatomy. Strong nails imply the cat is in good health and signs of damage to them imply the opposite. Nails are used to defend themselves against threats, climb, manipulate their environment and even mark their...

Our cats have a body which allows them to make various movements. An impressive ability is to move through small spaces which seem to be much smaller than their body should allow. They are able to do this, in part, due to a relatively supple spine. This spine also supports their skeletal structure and...

Depending on where you live, the approach of the hotter months can change your routine and make daily life difficult. If this happens to you, it is important to remember it will also happen to your cat. There are various effects the increased heat will have on a feline. Even seemingly small changes in...

By their nature, cats spend a lot of time resting throughout the day. This means there are extended periods when they are not moving and it is completely normal. However, between these periods a healthy cat will play, chase, eat and perform the various feline behaviors common to them as a species. The...

Guinea pigs, also known as cavies, are often considered exotic pets. However, their growth in popularity as companion animals means they are much more common than they used to be. Care and maintenance of exotic pets can be difficult as there is less research carried out and, therefore, less information...

Skin diseases are one of the most common health problems of guinea pigs. Of these skin diseases, sarcoptic mange is perhaps the most prevalent. Since the symptoms can be similar, many people think of mange as a bacterial infection. It is actually an infestation by parasites. Regardless, the condition causes...

A lack of appetite is a sign of illness in cats. Unfortunately, the range of illnesses are vast and cover both physiological and psychological problems. Some are milder than others. Fatty liver disease is one such pathology which can cause a reduced appetite in cats. It is also one which poses a serious...

A dog's eyes can reveal much about their health. Like their coat, if their eyes show distress or a change in condition, it can intimate there is a problem somewhere else on their body. However, sometimes there is a problem with the eye itself, such as when they have cataracts or a corneal ulcer. When...

Before adopting a dog, too many potential guardians think about aesthetics. Of course, there are certain dog breeds with a look we prefer, but it is not as important as the dog's character and well-being. Tear stains around a dog's eyes can be aesthetically displeasing, but are they something to worry...

Even the healthiest dog can make odd noises from time to time. The reasons vary according to where the sound emanates, such as the stomach, rear or mouth. If we hear a gulping noise, it could simply be they are trying to swallow something. When they repeat this gulping noise regularly, it is possible...

When we adopt a purebred puppy, we can have some idea of what they will look like as an adult. With mixed-breed dogs, their fully developed form can be a little trickier to determine. Part of the joy of adopting a young dog is experiencing what type of animal they will grow up to be. Regardless if they...

Our cat's eyes can tell us a lot about their state of well-being. For example, when they are ill or have low immunity, it is common for their third eyelid to be showing. However, if we look at their outer eyelids and they appear to be turned inward, it is something specific. It is due to entropion, a...

Cockroaches are arthropods which are capable of transmitting diseases. Unlike ticks and mosquitoes, which transmit pathogens directly through their bites, cockroaches spread diseases indirectly due to their unhygienic habits. They contaminate surfaces with bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites which...

Feline plasma cell pododermatitis is a rare disease with a characteristic symptom of swollen feet. It is for this reason it has the common name of ‘pillow paw’ or ‘pillow foot’. The origin of the disease is not completely clear, but it is believed to be immunity-mediated. This means the well-being of the...

When your dog drags their butt against the floor, it can often be a very humorous sight. They sit down, raise their back legs and pull themselves along with their front paws. The pose they create and the often-strained face they make when doing so add to the picture. If this is a one-off experience, then...

When a dog moves their mouth as if they were chewing, grinding their teeth or chattering, one possible cause is bruxism. Also known as teeth grinding, bruxism is a clinical sign which arises from various causes. The result is often your dog making weird movements with their mouth. This can be very disconcerting,...

Neutering a cat is an important part of a cat's health care. While we may think the surgery required is invasive, it is a simple procedure for both male and female cats. The complications are minimal and are far outweighed by the benefits. Neutering cats refers to the process of removing their sexual organs...

There are many different health issues which can result in tremors in a dog's body. Many of these are physical, often the result of trauma or age. Some are congenital, meaning they have a genetic predisposition toward certain symptoms. One cause which may dog guardians often overlook is a neurological...

Dogs can contract Salmonella by ingesting contaminated food or water, as well as by contact with contaminated objects, raw food (especially meat) or infected animals. When this occurs, the dog may suffer gastroenteritis, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. In the most severe cases, it can be fatal....

When we see our dog is having trouble urinating, it is common for many dog guardians to ask can my dog get a UTI (urinary tract infection)? Dogs can indeed suffer from UTIs and do so in a similar way to humans. In fact, urinary and bladder infections in dogs are relatively common. Both male and female...

Checking the perianal area of our dog may not be the most pleasant aspect of basic dog care, but it is a vital one. A lump forming in this area can be fairly common, especially in older dogs. This is often due to impacted anal glands which may need expressed periodically. However, if there is a lump near...

Rickets in dogs is a bone condition triggered by a deficit or alteration in the levels of vitamin D, calcium or phosphorus in our dogs. This skeletal disorder is characterized by a loss of strength or a change in the aspect and consistency of the bones. If left untreated, the result is often deformities...

Being a lover of pet fish has many rewards. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they have calming and stress-releasing effects on humans. Unfortunately, many fish species do not have very long life cycles. This means one of the disadvantages is that many will die under our care. However, a fish reaching...

Feline rickets is a bone disorder characterized by the loss of consistency, strength and normal structures of the bone. It is caused by nutritional disorders or imbalances in the levels of phosphorus, calcium or vitamin D. There are many different possible causes, from feeding disorders or lactation problems,...

For dogs, loose stools mean there is a problem. As with humans, the quality of a dog's feces will reveal something about their overall health. Smell, consistency and color of dog stool can point us in the right direction if we suspect they have a health problem. A healthy dog should have firm stool, not...

For first time dog guardians, the amount a dog will defecate each day can seem to be a lot. Especially when they are a puppy, needing to go up to 5 times a day is considered normal. Once we have trained our dog to defecate and urinate outside the home, we are able to both able to monitor the state of...

Dogs are animals which love to expend energy. Of course, some dogs are more energetic than others, but a healthy dog will need to exercise and move about to some degree. This is why witnessing our dog having trouble standing up after lying down can be a worrying sight. If this instability continues when...

When a dog begins to walk abnormally, it means there is a problem. Whether this is temporary or chronic depends on the cause. Some guardians might see their dog walking as if they are drunk and find it funny. However, it is important to know that this is a serious issue which needs to be resolved. The...

Lower back pain is a painful condition experienced by dogs in the lumbosacral area. This is the area between the last 3 lumbar vertebrae (L5, L6 and L7) and the sacrum bone (which connects the pelvis with the spine). It may be caused by different conditions or diseases, so accurate diagnosis requires...

It is common for caregivers to panic when they detect a lump on any part of a cat's body. Some ignore it for fear that it is some kind of skin cancer, but the truth is that not all lumps are synonymous with cancer. In any case, lumps can be curable so the soonest possible detection and treatment is essential. In...

A diaphragmatic hernia can occur when a dog has suffered a traumatic event such as being in a road collision or fall. When the trauma is strong enough to cause a defect in the diaphragm, it allows abdominal viscera to pass into the chest cavity. However, there is also a congenital link to diaphragmatic...

Arthritis in dogs, specifically in its most common form osteoarthritis, is a degenerative condition affecting their joints. While there are many different reasons why a dog can develop arthritis, age is the largest contributing factor. Genetic predisposition is also important to recognize and it can...

A dog’s stool can provide us with a lot of information about their health. It is recommended that we monitor the appearance, consistency and also the odor, on a daily basis. In this article we will cover in detail the importance of odor, in particular. Generally speaking, a particularly unusual and...

Pyoderma in cats is an infectious skin disease caused by an increase in the multiplication of certain bacteria, especially Staphylococcus intermedius. This is a group of cocci found on the skin of our felines. This multiplication can be due to various causes and will result in lesions on the cat's skin such as...

Like all vitamins, B group vitamins are essential micronutrients for a dog’s organism. A good quality diet is the best way to ensure the correct supply of vitamin B for dogs, but there are situations in which deficiencies can occur, causing different symptoms, depending on which B vitamin is missing. In...

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease is a highly contagious and potentially fatal viral disease according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The virus can affect both domestic and wild rabbits of the species Oryctolagus cuniculus (European rabbit). The virus affects the blood vessels after it...

Feline Malassezia dermatitis occurs as a secondary effect of some pathological diseases, but can also be due to immunosuppressives, alterations to the skin or certain environmental conditions. This is a yeast-type fungus which occurs naturally as commensal flora in the skin and ear canals of cats. It also...

Prazosin is a drug that can be used on cats as part of treatment recommended by a veterinarian for urinary problems such as feline idiopathic cystitis, a type of feline lower urinary tract disease. It is suitable for these cases because of its relaxing and antispasmodic effects. In this AnimalWised article,...

Just like people, dogs can also become the victims of mosquito bites. The problem is not so much the bite itself, which does not usually have major consequences, but the diseases that these insects can potentially transmit. That is why it is so important to protect dogs from mosquito bites. In this article...

Diazepam, commonly known as Valium, is a drug we often associated with mental health issues, something we might not apply to cats in the same way as humans. However, it is actually used for various different ailments, many of which cats can also experience. It is a strong drug which needs careful consideration...

Feline cryptococcosis is the most common systemic fungal disease in cats. However, its infection incidence in the feline population is low, a seeming contradiction we will explain further. Cryptococcus fungi most frequently affect the nasal area, often resulting in an inflamed nose. Swelling of the...

In this AnimalWised article, we will talk about cyclosporine for cats, a drug known for its anti-inflammatory effects. It is used to combat different pathologies which cause inflammation as a symptom. Since it will act on the immune system in various ways, it is essential that we only administer it...

Seromas are an accumulation of serous fluid in the subdermal area under the skin, although sometimes they can also develop between the musculature. They are one possible complication of various surgeries, especially after ventral midline surgery. Although many are naturally reabsorbed into the dog's body, in...

There are many different words used to describe health issues in dogs, but few are as terror inducing as the word ‘collapse’. Since the trachea is another word for the windpipe, when this collapses, we fear our dog will be unable to breed. A tracheal collapse is a serious condition in dogs and a threat...

Hypoglycemia is another term for low blood sugar. This refers to the levels of glucose in the blood, a carbohydrate which is vital in providing the cat with the energy they need to survive. While having too much glucose in the bloodstream is dangerous, so too is having too low blood glucose levels. Although...

When kittens are born, they are not the same color they will be when they become adult. Even their eyes are not usually the same since all cats are born with blue eyes. Only later will different pigments develop. However, after 12 to 18 months most cats should be the color they will be for the rest of their...

We may not feel our dog's paws very often. Not only do we prefer to pet them on their fur, but generally dog's do not like their paws to be touched. However, it is very important we check on them regularly as injuries to their paws can cause pain, mobility issues and other problems. The skin on our...

When we see our dog has a lump anywhere on their body, we will start to get worried. While there are many different types of lumps and neoplasms on our dog, some of them can be cancerous. In these cases, the life of our dog is threatened. However, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. It is also possible our...

Can dogs have dwarfism? Yes, dogs can experience dwarfism like other animals. This occurs when there is a lack of hormone production in our dog, leading them to experience dwarfism. In this AnimalWised article we're going to explain what dwarfism in dogs is, how to detect it and its treatment. Keep...