Taking care of dogs can be hard work. You may have to purchase certain products like natural pet shampoo for dogs with dry skin or other specialty products in order to keep your dog happy and healthy. There are several common ailments that most dogs suffer with at some point during their lifetime. You can expect these kinds of things to happen even if you take perfect care of your pet taking them to all their check ups, keeping up on their vaccinations and keeping them away from other sick animals. Sometimes, they just get sick, unfortunately. But common ailments are usually treatable. Here are a few common conditions.
Ear Infections
These are probably the most common health problem for dogs. Ear infections are caused by various things such as allergies, yeast, bacteria, hair growth and ear mites. If your dog is shaking or tilting his head often or overly scratching accompanied by an odor from the ear and lack of balance these are all signs of ear infections. Less common symptoms which are indicative of a more serious ear infection include redness in the ear canal, back and forth eye motions, swelling and discharge. If you think your dog may have an ear infection, you will definitely want to take them to the vet. A good cleaning and medication can usually clear up the infection quickly but if the infection is severe enough, your dog may need surgery.
Worms
All kinds of worms are common. For example, tapeworms, hookworms, whipworms and roundworms are all parasites that dogs can get. Worms can have fatal consequences in puppies but dogs can usually be treated with an oral medication. Some symptoms that your dog might have worms are diarrhea with possible presence of blood, sudden weight loss due to a change in appetite, the coat becoming rough and dry, dog scooting around on their bottom, general lack of concern for appearance. Don’t try to treat worms yourself with over the counter products because not all worm medications are created equal. A medication made for killing tapeworms, for example, will have no effect on roundworms and there’s no telling what kind of worms your dog has without the expertise of a vet.
Dry or Itchy Skin
A skin irritation on dogs is usually easy to notice because the appearance of the skin will become scaly or flaky. You may need to purchase shampoo for dogs with dry skin if you notice this in your dog. They always may try to lick themselves more or scratch constantly. Shampoo for dogs with dry skin will add moisture to them in order to heal up the dryness. Make sure you check with your doctor before buying shampoo for dogs with dry skin just in case the condition is more serious than just a case of dry or itchy skin.
Fleas
Everyone knows that pets get fleas. What they don’t know, is why it needs to be treated so quickly. One flea takes only three weeks to turn into a full infestation of around 1,000 fleas. The good thing is, as easy as it is for a dog to get fleas, it’s just as easy to treat it. Your dog may have fleas if he or she is excessively scratching or biting or licking themselves, if they begin to lose hair or have allergic dermatitis, hot spots or tapeworms. Tape worms are carried by fleas so this could be a symptom rather than a condition. Your vet will be able to give you the right flea medication for your dog. It could be anything from oral medication to shampoos or sprays or a topical liquid that you rub into your dog or a combination of these.
If your dog is full grown then none of this ailments is life threatening unless left untreated. However, if you catch it soon enough and take care of the problem, your dog will likely be completely okay and you will have nothing to worry about except maybe a vet and medication bill to pay. However, if your puppy contracts one of these conditions then you will want to talk to your vet about options for them as they will need treatment very quickly in order to keep them healthy.
