Other animal health problems
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Depending on their weight, length of fur and other factors, we may not initially notice a dog's lymph nodes are swollen. This symptom may only be observed when we pet them around the neck or if we see them struggle with a collar. Often this happens after the inflammation has become extensive. Before we...
Panting is a behavior we most often associate with canines, not felines. Although dogs of all sizes will pant, it is often most noticeable in big dogs which pant with a large tongue sticking out. In comparison, a cat sticking out their tongue and panting is not something we associate as much with cats....
Petting and brushing our cat helps to condition their coat, strengthen our bond and provide all-important affection. It also provides the opportunity to check their skin for any abnormalities. Sometimes inflammation and lumps can be seen when we look at the cat, others are only detectable when we feel them. As...
As with all companion animals, rats need a certain level of care to maintain optimal health. Providing a balanced diet, suitable accommodation and taking them to the veterinarian for regular checkups help provide their basic care needs. However, even with careful consideration of these needs, a rat can...
Ear problems are relatively common in cats. Felines may experience itching, pain or discomfort to various degrees. As they are very hygienic animals, we should not confuse regular cleaning of their ears for scratching. When a cat has a serious problem with their ears, they will keep scratching at them,...
Dogs are known for their voracious appetites, but not all dogs have the same metabolism. Whether a dog loses or gains weight easily will depend on many factors, genetic inheritance due to breed being only one of them. However, when a dog loses or gains a significant amount of weight, it is always something...
Cats are specialists when it comes to hiding what is happening to them. This is why it usually takes us so long to figure out that something is wrong with our feline. One problem you might have noticed is that your cat is dragging their butt on the carpet or other surfaces. For some, this seems quite...
It can be difficult to tell when a dog has a swollen throat. A dog's morphology means they have a horizontal body position with their neck and spine in alignment. They need to have strong neck muscles to support their head and to protect their throat. For this reason, when we see swelling in the throat...
The diaphragm in cats functions in the same way as the human diaphragm. It is a layer of abdominal muscle which contracts to cause the lungs to expand. Doing so helps with respiration as the lungs inhale and exhale air. A cat diaphragm is susceptible to the same pathologies and trauma, although a diaphragmatic...
Our cats are very hygienic animals which dedicate large portions of their day to grooming. Most generally try to avoid water and will be very wary of any odorous objects or areas in the home. For this reason, when a cat smells bad, it can lead their guardians to worry something is wrong. Since a foul...
Hernias can affect various parts of a cat's body, with location determining certain symptoms and behavior. Some hernias may not show any evident signs, at least at first. This is the case with umbilical hernias in cats. The growth caused by the hernia will vary in size, depending on its severity. In some...
Healthy urination is a sign of a healthy rabbit. When they have trouble urinating, it implies their health is at risk. If a rabbit stops peeing altogether, it means you need to take them to a veterinarian immediately. The reasons for a lack of urination in rabbits are varied, but they can be perenal (the...
Part of the reasons why a puppy is so adorable is their vulnerability. An instinct in us makes us want to take care of them and for good reason. When dogs are young, they are still developing. This doesn't simply mean they are getting bigger, but important aspects of their physiology, such as their immune...
Diarrhea in guinea pigs is a relatively frequent disorder and does not usually result from serious harm to the animal. However, if the diarrhea is prolonged, chronic or particularly intense, it can threaten the animal's well-being. A veterinary emergency will occur of the guinea pig is severely dehydrated.
In...
If a female dog has not been spayed, they will enter their estrus cycle. This is also known as going into heat. Various physical and behavioral changes occur during this process. It is necessary for cats to mate and have kittens, but it is something which can be very disruptive in domestic cats. One of...
A dog's tongue is a muscle which performs various functions. As with any muscle, it works thanks to exercise. However, some of us may think our dog is exercising their tongue too much. Dogs stick their tongue out for various reasons and it is rarely arbitrary. Much of the time this is normal, especially...
Our cats are very hygienic animals which make great effort to ensure their grooming needs are met. While it is difficult to teach them tricks, it is relatively easy to train them to use a litter tray. This is because they want to ensure their waste does not cause their environment to be unhygienic, just...
Our dog's vocalizations reveal a lot about their well-being, but they are not always easy to interpret. For example, a loud bark can be an expression of joy as much as it can be an expression of fear. Changes in vocalizations don't always signify an emotional response. When we hear our dog coughing, we should...
When we see blood coming from our dog's mouth, it is understandable we fear for their well-being. Blood around a dog's mouth may be due to oral health problems, but we also need to consider the fact the mouth is the beginning of the digestive tract. It is possible blood is emanating from the gastrointestinal...
Neutering both male and female cats provides many benefits for the animal. Such benefits safeguard their physical and mental well-being. Neutering cats can also improve a feline's life expectancy. Spaying is the most common form of neutering for female cats. The heat period in cats can be a difficult and frustrating...
Cats have an innate hunting instinct which makes them seek out almost anything that moves. When they have access to the outside, their potential prey becomes even more varied. One potential prey for cats is the rat. Depending on their size, some rats can seem more like predator than prey. This can cause...
Gagging and retching are movements which a cat makes when it seems like they will vomit, but they don't. Although similar, it is not the same as coughing since the movement is coming from their digestive tract and not their respiratory system. It is possible for a cat to have problems with both these...
Breed standards are created to provide descriptions of an ideal example of a given dog breed. These break down the dog's physical characteristics into various criteria, including their ear size and shape. For the Chihuahua, the generally accepted breed standard (there are some variations) states the ears...
There are various internal diseases of dogs which can affect organs and tissues of their body. Some of these are medullary, meaning they affect the internal regions of these internal organs and tissues. Bone marrow aplasia is one such disease, affecting the marrow within their bones. The problem is related...
Some of us don't think it is possible for our dog to be sad. While they may get tired sometimes, their enthusiasm and gifts of affection seem endless. This means when they do seem to be down, it can be worrying. Not only can a dog be sad due to emotional stress, physical problems can also lead to a dog...
Cats like to press their head against their guardians as a sign of affection. Often when this happens, we might notice they leave a little trail of wetness behind where there nose had been. Many cat caregivers see this as a sign of good health, but it is important to know this is not always the case. The...
A hernia is when an organ or other tissue exist the anatomical structure it should be held within. Although not very common in cats, there are various types of hernias which can affect felines. In most cases, the treatment of the hernia will require surgery, but this will require diagnostic testing by...
Rabbits are active animals which can move like a shot in the right circumstances. As sensitive creatures which crave security, any threat can make them move like lightning. Even with the best of intentions, guardians can even give their animal a fright which makes them run from us. All this means that...
There is a misconception that it is OK for a dog to smell bad. Of course, their lifestyle means they will exude certain scents and there is a natural odor to a healthy dog which can be a little musky. However, the worse a dog smells, the worse their health is likely to be. The reason for a dog smelling...
It is all too easy to ascribe human traits and characteristics to our dogs. Not only do they become a member of the family, but the love they reciprocate is real and evidenced in their behaviors. We can see a similar love when a mother dog gives birth to her puppies. She will care for them and ensure...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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,...
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...
If a dog has a lump near their anus, it can be due to various causes. Growths such as tumors are a possible factor, with perianal adenoma being a common issue. It is important to determine whether the dog has a problem with the anus itself, the anal glands or some other part of the perianal area. Doing...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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