7 Most Common Dog Health Problems Every Dog Owner Needs to Know

Overview

Dogs aren’t immune to common human health problems—and sometimes their symptoms are even more obvious than ours! Recognizing the 7 most common dog health problems can help keep your dog healthy, happy, and living comfortably in his or her later years. Here’s the list of the 7 most common dog health problems every dog owner needs to know.

1. Arthritis

Dogs are susceptible to same arthritis as humans. In fact, it’s one of the most common canine diseases! While human arthritis is often genetic, it also has a lot to do with lifestyle and diet.

Like humans, dogs can develop arthritis due to age or after an injury. Other possible causes include obesity or joint disease in other areas of the body. In any case, when a dog develops arthritis it may start limping and experience pain while walking.

They may also stop being interested in playing or even have difficulty getting up from lying down. The good news is that there are lots of treatments available for this debilitating condition including medication, weight loss plans, and surgery.

2. Cancer

The most common types of cancer in dogs are lymphoma and mast cell tumors. These cancers occur more often in older dogs, but any dog can get them.

The symptoms of these cancers include swollen lymph nodes, a low-grade fever, weight loss, mouth sores, and difficulty swallowing food. When caught early enough, these cancers are treatable.

3. Kidney Disease

If untreated for long enough, your dog could end up with a canine disease called uremia–a life-threatening condition that occurs when their kidneys don’t remove wastes from their body as they should.

The best way to prevent kidney disease is to make sure you’re giving them high-quality food and plenty of water every day!

4. Dental Disease

Dogs can also get ear infections which are usually the result of ear mites, allergies, or infections. Ear mites are parasites that will burrow into the wax inside of your dog’s ear canal and feed on it causing an infection.

5. Diabetes

Diabetes is a disorder where the body has high levels of sugar in its blood. When this occurs, your pup’s pancreas cannot produce insulin because it has been destroyed by the disease.

This will lead to a buildup of sugar which can damage organs and make your pup feel lethargic or hungry all the time. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to blindness and kidney failure.

6. Obesity

While it may be tempting to give your pup table scraps and extra treats, this can lead to a number of canine health problems including obesity.

Obesity can cause a whole host of issues including diabetes, joint problems, heart disease, and more.

It’s important that you keep your dog at the proper weight. To do this, feed them a portion of good quality food that meets all their nutritional needs as well as give them plenty of exercise every day.

7. Skin Allergies

Itchy skin is a common canine health problem, and it’s tough to pinpoint the exact cause of the itchiness because there are so many possible causes.

One of the most common causes is an allergic reaction to something in their environment, like pollen or dust mites. A dog may also develop allergies if they eat certain foods that contain an ingredient that its body reacts negatively against.

I’ve heard some vets say that when people come down with allergies, the same thing can happen with dogs as well!

Ear Infection: The ear infection is one of those canine diseases you should be able to recognize by its symptoms.

If your dog suddenly develops pus draining from one or both ears and his/her head starts tilting to one side, then this could be a sign that he has an ear infection. Typically caused by bacteria entering the ear canal through small scratches in the ear flap caused by something being inserted into the ear canal, such as a cotton swab or hair brush (ouch!), ear infections can sometimes be hard to treat without medical intervention, but antibiotics can often help clear up this condition quickly.

Key Takeaways

These are the most common dog health problems that needs intervention before it becomes too late, running a diagnosis at the your close vet is the first step toward a strong and robuste immunity for your dog.