Health Problems
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Curly Coated Retrievers are well known for their distinctive, tightly curled coats. But sometimes Curlies can suffer from hair loss, for a variety of reasons. While some bitches might experience some hair loss just before and after whelping, others can suffer from pattern baldness, which can be temporary or permanent. In this article, we’ll take a look at hair loss and the Curly Coated Retriever, what it means and what can be done. [...]
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A greyhound isn't prone to hereditary skin problems, but the natural structure of its coat can make it sensitive to different chemicals and environments. A greyhound has a very shorthaired coat and they don't really shed. The skin itself doesn't produce oil, like other dogs, and so the greyhound doesn't suffer from doggie smelliness either. This makes them a low maintenance dog, but sometimes overzealous owners who are not aware of their low care guidelines may bathe them too frequently and irritate the skin that way too. [...]
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While larger dogs often suffer from shorter lifespan, the greyhound is different. It can live from up to 12 to 14 years. Since race dogs are between two and six years of age, you can adopt an ex-racer and still get many good years from the dog. There are still some lifespan issues that come with owning a greyhound, but for the most part they are a very healthy and long-lived breed. [...]
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Immune medicated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) is the new name for Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA) a condition where the feline autoimmune system attacks red blood cells. The Immune System treats the red blood cells as foreign bodies; sending out antibodies which coat the red blood cells with a protein substance to single them out of the blood circulation pool for destruction. This process is called extravascular hemolysis. At the same time, the bilirubin (iron) that is extracted from these marked blood cells are sent to the liver. When this process occurs, the liver and spleen begin having problems. The spleen is overworked by having to process damaged red blood cells and enlarges as result. The liver is overloaded with bilirubin causing jaundice. [...]
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Feline Cardiomyopathy is a disease that affects the heart muscle. There are three forms of Cardiomyopathy.
[-]In Restrictive cardiomyopathy the heart fails to adequately pump blood due to scar tissue found on the heart muscle.[/-]
[-]In Hypertonic cardiomyopathy the hearts does not pump blood properly due to a thickening of the heart walls.[/-]
[-]In Dilated cardiomyopathy the walls of the heart swell to such an extent that the heart becomes enlarged and changes shape; it takes on a rounded shape, while the walls of the heart are severely are weakened because of it.[/-]
In all three forms, cats will suffer from improper oxygen distribution and eventually this disease will lead to death by heart attack. [...]
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Endocardial fibroelastosis is a congenital heart disease. The disease is inherited and many kittens die shortly after birth.
The heart has three layers of protective covering; the endocardium or outer most covering, myocardium or middle covering, and the pericardium or inner most (deepest) layer of the heart. The endocardium is a smooth layer which allows blood to flow effortlessly and is comprised of epithelial cells. This layer is a protective sac for the heart chambers and valves. The function of this protective layering also includes releasing an endocrine hormone (endocardin) to assist in other heart functions particular to the myocardium.
Endocardial fibroelastosis refers to the presence of a fibrous elastic type of abnormal thickening of the endocardium layer of the heart. Endocardial fibroelastosis a common heart disease in cats and is particularly prominent in Burmese and Siamese cats. It is also a disease that is under diagnosed. [...]
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The Lakeland terrier is a very healthy dog and not subject to any serious health problems. However, some of the Lakeland terriers do develop Legge Perthes disease. Legge Perthes disease is also referred to as Legg Perthes Disease, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease or PCPD. [...]
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The heart is organ responsible for pumping blood and distributing oxygen to the body's tissues. The right side of the heart pumps out blood which travels to the lungs and becomes oxygenated while the left side receives blood (already having oxygen from the lungs) and pumps it back into the aorta chamber of the heart. The pumping chambers of the heart are called ventricles.
Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a disease where the heart muscle of the left ventricle thickens (hypertrophy). The interior of the left ventricle may get smaller and less blood can be accumulated because of it. If the ventricle walls stiffen and contract, they will impair the heart's ability to fill with blood. During the diastole (relaxation period), if the ventricle cannot sufficiently relax, a build up of blood will occur causing the backup in the blood vessels of the lungs. [...]
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Myelodysplasia is a group of blood disorders affecting the formation of blood cells in the body especially, but not exclusive to bone marrow. The medical term for blood cell formation is hematopoiesis and is also referred to as hemotogenesis or sanguification. You will come across many medical terms referring to myelodysplasia including preleukemia, myeloid leukemia, oligoleukemia, odoleukemia, refactory anemia, and more. Though blood formation is present, somehow the proper formation of blood is obstructed, by plaque (fatty buildup) tumors, and other obstructions.
A condition called Erythremic myelosis occurs where the blood cells are immature and do not regenerate to produce more cells. Once this condition is present in cats, it will progress into acute leukemia within a matter of months.
[h]Feline Leukemia[/h]
Feline leukemia a cancer of the white blood cells and is considered to be a viral disease, Feline Leukemia Virus (FelV) effects thousands of wild and domestic animals yearly. [...]
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Nature provided cats a comfortable coat to wear in all seasons. In the winter the feral cat needed a warmer coat, but during the summer it was not necessary to have such a warm coat. As a result the cat naturally molts, or sheds its coat to fit the season. Even though most domestic cats do not have to worry about proper insulation to protect them from the outdoors, nature still demands that these cats shed their coats twice a year to prepare for the upcoming season.
Besides having the proper coat to wear, a cat will groom or clean himself by licking his fur. His tongue becomes his washcloth, but at the same time his tongue will also accumulate and digest some loose hair. If you have ever felt a cat's tongue, you know that it feels like sandpaper. That is because the tongue is specially equipped for many functions and grooming is one of them. [...]
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Many times when people choose to get a Manchester terrier, they are not quite sure of what any of the possible health problems are that they are prone to getting. However, one health problem that the Manchester terriers often have is glaucoma. [...]
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When it comes to the health of their pets, many people are not sure of what diseases are hereditary and which ones are not. However, many of the hereditary diseases such as Legg-Perthes Disease do not occur that often. [...]
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Sometimes we come across diseases that are breed specific and Ganliosidosis GMI and GM2 are two such diseases. This disease has now been associated with the Korat one of the oldest breeds of cat, originating from Thailand. It is ironic that the Thai name for Korat means good luck when these poor felines are affected by these two, Gangliosidosis GMI and GM2 genetic diseases.
Gangliosidosis is one of the lysosomal storage diseases. These diseases are associated with the part of the cell that is responsible for breaking down and recycling vital chemicals needed for brain function and other important activities. There are over 40 diseases which surface in humans because of the malfunctioning lysosome enzymes. In Humans Gangliosidosis is the culprit in Tay Saks Disease. Siamese cats are also affected by this disorder as well as other animal species; dogs, cows and sheep. [...]
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A heart murmur can be determined as a swishing sound heard by the veterinarian when examining a cat. The murmur occurs because of a heart valve malfunctioning. A heart murmur isn't a disease in and of itself but does point to heart and other medical problems.
[h]Causes[/h]
[-]A heart valve can be too thick or damaged and as a result it doesn't close properly. When this happens blood will escape from the valve and spill into the surrounding areas. The swishing sound confirms that there is some kind of leakage going on at the time the value is closing (contracting). There are different classifications of heart murmurs depending on the turbulence (unsteady flow) and velocity, (speed of the blood flow).[/-]
[-]The classification simple heart murmur is due to value malfunctioning. The classification functional heart murmur is due to valve problems and extracardial (outside the heart) factors, which could be other medical conditions.[/-] [...]
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Dirofilaria immitis is the medical term for the infection we all recognize as heartworm. The first cases of feline heartworm were reported in Brazil in 1921, since then it has been reported around the world. It is interesting to note that feline heartworm is reported more frequently in areas where dogs with heartworm are reported as well. However the number of reported feline cases remains lower than canine cases in these high-risk areas. Furthermore, the male cat is more susceptible to this disease than the female. Also the presenting symptoms and diagnostic approaches are different in dogs and cats reported to have contracted this disease.
Heartworm is passed on to cats by infected mosquitoes that carry the L3 Larvae. When the larvae mature and become adults they develop into worms and these parasites attach to their host and live within the body. [...]
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Health Problems
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