Staff of BAH Blog

Common Ailments in Dogs

Bella Arless: BASc, Veterinary Assistant BAH

“There are no ‘bad’ animals - just ones that are misunderstood.”

Here at Breslau Animal Hospital, we do a large number of appointments that we refer to as Comprehensive Consultations. Consultations are what we book in when your pet has an issue. Some problems are much more common than others, and we thought we would give our readers an overview of some of the common health problems to look out for with their canine companions. 

One: Ear Infections

One of the most common ailments we see affecting our clients’ dogs are ear infections. We see dogs with ear infections almost daily in fact! Below is some information we hope will help you be able to recognize canine ear infections, and how to get the issue addressed if it is noticed. 

What they are: Ear infections are characterized by an overgrowth of either bacteria or yeast in the ear. They cause itchiness, discomfort, and pain if not addressed quickly. Ear infections are caused by a variety of different things. Some dogs are predisposed to them, such as dogs with floppy ears or dogs with allergies. One common cause of ear infections is swimming, as it introduces moisture to the ears that is not usually experienced, and can introduce bacteria found in the water to the ear.

Signs/Symptoms: Ear infections most commonly produce redness of the ear, an unusual or unpleasant odor, increased discharge (this may be a waxy substance or purulent material) and itching. Ear infections present as dogs scratching at their ears, rubbing their heads against walls and surfaces, and shaking their heads to try to alleviate the itch. If not treated, symptoms can worsen and ears can become very inflamed, swollen, scabbed or crusted over. The itching can turn into a very painful experience, though the itching itself is not a pleasant experience either! Left untreated, ear infections thicken the skin inside the ear canal and create deep grooves where yeast and bacteria may not be able to be reached by treatments.

Treatment: Anytime an ear infection is suspected, we recommend calling to book an appointment for your dog. We consider ear infections a priority as they are quite uncomfortable and infections always have the potential to become serious! At the appointment, an ear swab (similar to a Q tip) is used to collect material from inside the ear. The sample is then placed on a glass slide, fired, stained and dried Using the microscope, the type of infection in the ear is determined so an appropriate treatment can be chosen. It is important to note that part of the treatment approach requires that another visit for swabbing be performed before stopping medication to ensure the ear infection is completely gone, usually after around 2 weeks. This is because the ear looks resolved visually before all microorganisms and overgrowths are resolved. Without re-check visits to ensure the ears are free from infection before stopping treatment, the infection often returns and requires re-treatment. 

Two: Skin Infections

Another common issue our canine patients experience is skin infection. Let’s face it...dogs are much dirtier than us!  Unfortunately, this makes them  more prone to a lot of ailments people do not usually have to worry about. Skin infection is one such recurring issue in dogs.

What they are: Skin infections result from an overgrowth of bacteria in the skin. They are often very itchy and/or painful, and should be addressed as soon as possible! Like ear infections, they can often be caused by allergies, but can also occur for a variety of other reasons.

Signs/Symptoms: In dogs, skin infections, as a general rule, are ITCHY. Dogs often react by biting, licking, scratching, and rubbing at the spots where there is infection. As well, visible signs of infection on the skin can often be found. These signs may include redness, flakey or dry looking patches, green or pale yellow discharge (pus), scabbing, or pimple-like spots on the skin. If left for too long, fever can develop with infection, so it is important to address signs of skin infection quickly! Also of importance to note is that hot-spots (very painful rash-like spots of missing hair, often with green or yellow discharge) are a deep type of skin infection that should be addressed as soon as they are noticed. These infections can become very serious or even life threatening if ignored.

Treatment: The treatment approach for skin infections can vary depending on the type and severity of the infection. Almost always, however, some form of oral antibiotics are prescribed. As well, additional measures to treat the issue fully such as topical antibiotics (applied to the skin), skin cleansers or shampoos, shaving of affected areas to increase cleanliness, a cone or other anti-chew/lick measures and allergy treatments if allergy as a cause is suspected.

Three: Allergic Reaction

The most common cause of allergenic symptoms in dogs are food ingredients or environmental agents. Both types of allergy are quite common in dogs and unfortunately often go hand in hand. Also unfortunate is the fact that allergies in dogs are difficult to specifically diagnose, which makes them tricky to treat. In order to do a ‘test’ for allergies in dogs, a specialist appointment is needed and costs may be upwards of $1000. Despite these difficulties, there are steps we can take to help diagnose and control canine allergies here at Breslau Animal Hospital.

What they are: Allergic reaction occurs when the immune system attacks elements in food or the environment inside, or on, the body. This produces a variety of symptoms that can cause anything from mild discomfort to pain. While usually chronic (occurring over a long period of time) mild to severe acute (short-term) allergic reactions are also seen, often in response to bug bites or when severe allergies are present.

Signs/Symptoms: Signs and symptoms of allergies can vary greatly. Often, the symptoms occur only when certain foods are given, or during certain times of the year, however we wish it was just that simple. More often than not, dogs have multiple food allergies or multiple environmental allergies or a mix of both! However, general allergy symptoms may include:

  • Skin: Itching, dryness, redness or irritation, recurring infection (including in the ears), hair loss, swelling, hives or swollen bumps.

  • Eyes: Discharge (runny eyes), redness, signs of itchiness (scratching).

  • Gastrointestinal: Diarrhea, bloating, gas, vomiting.

  • General: Loss in appetite or energy, weight loss, difficulty maneuvering weight,  signs of discomfort such as whining or obsessive itching.

Treatment: Food trials represent the gold standard for food allergy diagnosis. With a food trial, dogs are placed on a strict diet of the most anti-allergenic food available for a period of at least 8 weeks and the dog is observed to see if symptoms improve. If symptoms resolve completely, then a food allergy would be suspected as the major player in the presenting symptoms. If the symptoms lessened but did not completely resolve, it would be suspected that food allergies and environmental allergies might be causing the reaction. If the trial did not help alleviate symptoms, environmental allergies would be highly suspected as the main cause for the allergic symptoms. If food allergies can be diagnosed with the 8-week food trial, then further food trials could be conducted to try to determine what food products the dog might be allergic to. If environmental allergies would be suspected, then other treatment approaches would be taken to help alleviate symptoms. Pills, injectable treatments, skin treatments, washes, omega-3 fatty acids and special diets all can help reduce immune response and are all options to help treat food/environmental allergies.

Four: Diarrhea

We have had a large influx in diarrhea cases recently - so it is definitely something to keep an eye out for in your dog! Diarrhea is of particular concern if seen for multiple days in a row,  if the dog starts acting tired or stops eating, if blood is present (note: digested blood is black, and red is from further down the intestinal tract) or if accompanied by vomiting or signs of fever. 

What it is and Signs/Symptoms: Diarrhea is soft or liquidy stool (poop). It sometimes may have blood in it (either undigested or digested). It can go hand in hand with signs of lethargy (unusual tiredness), vomiting or fever-like symptoms, a lack of appetite, and dehydration. Dehydration slows recovery but can often occur when dogs have diarrhea. Dogs lose a lot of water in liquidy stool. Watch out for signs of dehydration, including: tacky gums (ie: gums that feel a little dry and are not slippery and wet), panting, pale gums, and skin that, when pinched and pulled up, does not fall back right away and poor appetite. Chronic bowel irritation can present as inconsistent stool (sometimes good, sometimes bad) or as frequent to constant diarrhea. These forms of diarrhea are also important to address to ensure the dog is as comfortable as possible. Unaddressed inflammation in any tissue can lead to cancerous changes over time. The gut is no different.

Treatment: Treatments for diarrhea often start with a diet change. In a lot of cases, switching to a gastrointestinal food for a little while can be enough to help the dog get back to feeling themselves. A gastrointestinal diet is designed to reduce inflammation in the gut, feed and support healthy bacteria and help to get your dog back to a normal stool as soon as possible. Other times, medications are also needed to help resolve the diarrhea. Almost always, however, diarrhea cases start by running a fecal test to check for intestinal parasites, which are a very common cause of diarrhea. If the dog is dehydrated, fluids can help to rehydrate them so they can stay hydrated moving forward. 

Five: Kennel Cough

Kennel Cough is a simplex. This means it is made up of viruses and bacteria that pass from dog to dog. It causes coughing, and can cause life threatening pneumonia if severe. It is HIGHLY contagious, so if you suspect your dog has kennel cough, keep them away from other dogs!

Signs/Symptoms: Most distinct symptom is a dry, hacking cough, which can turn to a wet sounding cough if the dog develops pneumonia (infection in the lungs). Dogs may also cough up fluid or mucus (which can range from white to a yellow/green colour), have low energy and not be interested in eating, cough excessively, gag or vomit because of the cough, develop a fever, or produce nasal or eye discharge (green or yellow). 

Treatment: Treatment is mostly supportive or antibiotics if bacterial involvement is suspected. However, there are certainly measures to help the dog recover. We can provide medications to help with the cough, and additional support if the dog has a hard time recovering on its own. We also recommend running a cold air humidifier in the home to increase the humidity in the air and help calm the cough. As well, we offer and recommend kennel cough (bordetella) vaccines for your dog, especially if they are a puppy as kennel cough pneumonia is serious and is often caused by a bacteria called Bordetella. The vaccine is oral and flavoured, which is great because then your dog can get vaccinated without getting poked! Unfortunately, the vaccine cannot stop your dog from catching kennel cough, but it helps protect your dog from developing pneumonia resulting from bordetella infection. Essentially, the vaccine helps reduce the severity of symptoms if bordetella is contracted, much like how our COVID vaccines work! Kennel cough is extremely prevalent in the K-W area and so the Bordetella vaccine is highly recommended.

Lump on a dog.https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/solid-cutaneous-masses/

Lump on a dog.

https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/solid-cutaneous-masses/

Six: Skin Lumps and Bumps

Many of our doggy patients develop bumps, lumps, skin tags and lots of interesting things on their skin, especially as they grow older. Most of the time, this is scarey for owners because the first thing they think about is cancer. The good news is, while lumps on and in the skin can be cancerous, most often they are not!

Causes: Lumps and bumps on the skin can be many different things. They can be cysts (a pocket of tissue that can contain fluids or “cheesy” material), skin tags (flaps of skin), abscesses, fat deposits, swelling around a foreign body, benign tumours (non-cancerous),  malignant tumours (cancerous), or other things! 

Signs/Symptoms: Lumps on dogs generally do not cause any kind of discomfort unless they are in an awkward location (e.g on the feet, near joints, etc)so please don’t use a lack of discomfort as a way to tell us if a mass is a problem or not. Depending on the lump, there may be no issue with it other than its presence or that it seems to be growing in size. Some, however, end up leaking or bursting, or if a large size, they might end up getting rubbed or bleeding. Open sores on lumps should be addressed as that could result in infection or other complications and may be an indication of cancer. Lumps that are rapidly increasing in size or that are consistently increasing in size over a short time (like a few weeks or a few months) should be checked, especially with rapid increases in size. Lumps that are clearly bothering the dog should also be examined as of course it is our goal to ensure our doggy patients are as comfortable as possible. 

Treatment: Treatment of lumps/bumps depends greatly on the type of lump. Some may need to be drained, monitored, cleaned, and others do need to be removed. If the doctor is concerned a lump may be cancerous or a danger to the pet in another way, testing of the lump may be recommended. One test is known as a Fine Needle Aspirate (FNA). This involves inserting a needle into the lump to collect material. After the sample is collected, it is placed on a microscope slide and sent to the lab for testing. From there, depending on the results, additional treatment steps may be recommended. 

I hope this information helps everyone to understand their doggies better! Take care everyone, and Happy Dog Month!

Bella A 🐾

If you have any questions about common ailments in dogs, or would like to book an appointment, please contact us with the form below: