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In Australia, dogs have won the hearts of many, with almost half of the households proudly sharing their lives with these lovely companions.
Having a dog is like hopping on an exciting adventure filled with joy and unforgettable moments. Our fur babies undeniably bring so much love and warmth into our lives. But just like any adventure, there can be unexpected twists and turns, like when they suddenly get sick.
Like us, these loyal pals also share a world of vulnerability to various diseases. However, they can’t use words to tell us how they feel. Each wag of the tail, every sigh, and all those curious, subtle glances could be our dogs’ way of leaving hints for you to decipher what is happening.
Understanding how our dogs feel, especially when they’re feeling under the weather, can be tough. It’s even tougher when we don’t know what might make them unwell or what illness they are going through. So, it’s better to learn and be prepared rather than feel sorry later!
If you’re interested in discovering the most common dog diseases and ways to prevent them, keep those eyes glued to the page!
External parasites are a typical concern for dogs, often picked up from a humid environment or contact with other infested dogs. The warmer months in Australia are favourable for fleas and ticks, so pet owners should be extra careful during the hot season.
These tiny nuisances vary between being merely bothersome to posing a grave threat to our fur babies. Flea bites can cause excessive itching, redness, skin lesions, hair loss, and in severe cases, ulceration. In puppies, a flea infestation can even result in anemia. That’s not all. Fleas can also transmit tapeworms and diseases like flea-borne spotted fever to humans.
Ticks can be even more fatal than fleas if left unattended. In Australia, over 10,000 dogs are affected by tick paralysis each year, and sadly, 5% unfortunately do not survive, while the rest endure extensive suffering. Furthermore, Ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne disease that causes anemia, bleeding episodes, lameness, eye problems, neurological issues, and swollen limbs, have affected more than 500 dogs across the country.
Prevention: To prevent fleas and ticks, it’s best to consult your veterinarian about your options. One dog may react differently to a product than another. Parasite protection includes certain factors like your dog's age, breed, lifestyle, and health status. These will affect the type and dose of product that can be used. Regular bathing and proper grooming can also help minimise the risk of infestation.
Kennel cough, also known as Canine Cough, has been a long hot topic in the dog owner community. Dogs that have spent time in pet boarding facilities or dog parks surely experience this highly contagious disease. It causes inflammation in the dog’s voice box and windpipes, resulting in persistent dry coughs, gagging, fever, and nasal discharge.
Like human colds and flu spread, kennel cough can be transmitted through droplets from infected dogs. It can also be passed through direct contact, like sharing food bowls and chew toys. This disease can also be acquired from cold temperatures and poorly ventilated environments like kennels and animal cages. Young and unvaccinated dogs have a higher risk of being infected.
In Australia, dogs affected with kennel cough have climbed up to 20% from 2021 to 2022, which significantly increased to 78% in 2022 during the winter season.
Prevention: The best way to prevent kennel cough is to avoid exposure to crowded places. You can also visit your veterinarian and ask for recommended vaccinations. If your dog has already caught the virus, isolate it and give it rest and plenty of good food and water. For severe cases, antibiotics prescribed by your vet may be given.
Just like malaria, dogs can get heartworms from mosquito bites. Dogs in areas or states with hot, humid weather, frequent flooding, and rural spots recently developed into urban zones are at a higher risk of getting one.
Unfortunately, not all pet owners are aware of this potentially fatal disease, and numerous misconceptions surround it. A 2015 owner survey found that one out of every three dog owners mistakenly believed that canine heartworms are caused by birds or transmitted through food.
Heartworms have been a concern in Australia since the 1970s and 1980s, with infection rates ranging between 5% and 77% depending on the specific states. Queensland and New South Wales are recognised to have a greater risk of dog heartworm infestations.
Heartworm can be deadly, so it’s important to know if your dog has it. An infected dog may not show signs of the disease early on, but as the disease progresses, symptoms include cough, lethargy, weight loss, trouble breathing, and an enlarged abdomen.
Prevention:Heartworms can be prevented through chewable pills or topical medication your vet prescribes. These are usually administered monthly and can be given to dogs under 6 months without a blood test.
Meanwhile, older dogs must be screened for the disease before starting any medication. The most common dog treatment for heartworms is a series of drug injections into the dog’s muscle, which would require hospitalisation.
Canine parvovirus is an extremely contagious viral disease, most severely affecting the intestinal tract. It can be transmitted through contact with an infected dog’s feces. As the virus can thrive for months, it can stay on objects like food, bowls, shoes, clothes, carpets, and floors.
Young puppies, adolescent dogs, and canines that haven’t been vaccinated are at the highest risk of contracting parvovirus. Certain breeds, such as German Shepherds, Labradors, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, and Springer Spaniels, have shown a greater susceptibility among others.
In Australia, a study revealed that 20,000 cases of parvovirus are found each year, and more than half of these cases result in death. It’s considered more lethal to dogs, with a 90% mortality rate than any other virus if left untreated.
The symptoms may include lethargy, severe vomiting, fever, loss of appetite, and bloody, foul-smelling diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration.
Prevention: Prevention is better than cure, so make sure your dog is up-to-date on vaccinations. Puppies can be given their first vaccine at 6-8 weeks and booster shots at 4-week intervals until they are 16-20 weeks old and again at one year of age.
Common dog disease treatment includes intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and anti-nausea medication. It's also essential to thoroughly clean and disinfect all surfaces your dog may come in contact with, especially after defecation.
Canine cancer is a disease in which cells grow uncontrollably, invading surrounding tissue and spreading drastically to other areas of the body. Like us, dog cancers can be localised or confined to one area, such as a tumour, or spread out in the body. Both hereditary and environmental factors can contribute to the development of cancer in dogs.
Similar to the rates of cancer in humans, 800-900 out of every 100,000 dogs develop cancer throughout their lifetime. This increases to almost 50% of dogs over the age of 10 in Australia.
Breeds like boxers, Boston terriers and golden retrievers commonly develop mast cell tumours or lymphoma, while larger breeds like Great Danes and Saint Bernards are likely to suffer bone cancers.
Cancer symptoms may include lumps, swelling, persistent sores, abnormal discharge from any part of the body, bad breath, lethargy, rapid weight loss, sudden lameness, tarry stools, loss of appetite, and trouble breathing, urinating, and defecating.
Prevention: When it comes to cancer prevention, having your dogs neutered or spayed at a young age can significantly reduce their chance of getting certain types of cancer. Treatments may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy, which vary depending on the type and stage of cancer. Don’t hesitate to talk to your vets about your options.
Arthritis is fairly common in dogs, especially in older pets. This chronic degenerative disease affects the most common joints, leading to painful bone spurs and joint lining inflammation, which reduces mobility.
This common disease affects 20% of adult dogs and 80% of geriatric dogs. Studies show that one out of five dogs develop arthritis during their lifetime. Moreover, it’s more prevalent in medium to large breeds than in smaller breeds.
Common symptoms may include lameness, reluctance to jump or walk, slowness in getting up, stiffness after exercise, avoiding the stairs, and sudden changes in personality like becoming grumpy or irritable. Such observable signs are dominant during the cooler months.
Prevention: While food is life for our fur babies, the extra weight will worsen symptoms and add more stress to their joints. Quality diet and weight control are essential to reduce the chances of arthritis. There are also a growing number of treatments for your dogs. You can talk to your vet about an appropriate diet and activities to avoid further complications.
Distemper has been feared among dogs and fur parents for centuries. This deathly disease can be easily spread through secretions and virus particles in the air from infected dogs. It typically starts with a fever, lethargy, and bodily discharges, accompanied by cough, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Dogs with distemper usually die from pneumonia, paralysis, or seizures. Fast production of effective vaccines made distemper fairly rare in Australia. But, it appears to be slightly increasing again due to low vaccination rates. Around two-thirds to three-quarters of affected dogs, unfortunately, do not survive.
Prevention: Your dog must stay up-to-date with their vaccinations. Puppies should be constantly protected from exposure to crowded areas as they are at the highest risk. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for canine distemper, but you can work with your vets to manage the symptoms and ensure complete recovery.
Another fatal disease that is widespread during Australian summers. Unlike humans, dogs cannot regulate their body temperature properly as they only have a few sweat glands in their paw pads and around their noses. While they can cool themselves through panting, it’s not enough.
An alarming 10 to 20-fold increase in heat stroke cases occurred over the summer, and the numbers remained high throughout the summer of 2020 despite COVID lockdowns, during which many pet owners and dogs remained at home.
Many brachycephalic dog breeds with shortened skulls, short noses, and flat faces suffer from breathing and other respiratory-related problems, making them more susceptible to heatstroke than others.
Fur parents should watch out for heatstroke by closely observing if their dogs constantly tilt their heads, excessively pant, have dilated pupils, have a rapid or irregular pulse, vomit blood, restlessness or agitation, drool, or change in gum colour.
Prevention: Keep your dogs cool. While outside, ensure your pet can access clean, cool water and shelter away from direct sunlight. Also, take your daily walk or jog in the morning before temperatures reach dangerous levels. On hot days, keep them indoors with good ventilation. You can take your dogs to the vet for severe cases and get them emergency medical treatment.
Diabetes in dogs can be quite complex. It is caused by either a lack of insulin or an inadequate insulin response. When a dog is unable to produce insulin or use it effectively, its blood sugar levels increase.
It’s typically diagnosed at ages 4 and 14 years, with most dogs’ diabetes being detected between 7 and 9 years old. In Australia, 1 in every 360 dogs developed diabetes. And we do know that obesity can also become the root cause of diabetes. With a whopping 40% of Aussie dogs obese, this puts them at higher risk of diabetes.
Signs may arise for dogs that might be diabetic, such as changes in appetite, excessive thirst, weight loss, increased urination accompanied by UTIs, lethargy, vomiting, and chronic skin infections.
Prevention: Although the exact cause of diabetes is unknown, a well-balanced diet can help lower the risk of diabetes in dogs. Diabetes treatment may vary for every dog, so take them to their vet. Spaying may also be recommended.
According to the Vision Eye Institute, cataracts are more common in dogs than in cats. Furthermore, they’re quite prevalent in certain breeds, such as Bichon Frises, Poodles, Welsh Springer Spaniels, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers.
A cloudy or opaque lens in your dog’s eye may indicate cataracts. Sadly, cataracts are usually detected in their advanced stages, when the cloudiness already covers approximately 60% of the entire lens area. Once they advance completely, they result in total blindness.
Cataracts can be hereditary, while it can also be a result of an underlying illness like diabetes. Roughly 75-80% of dogs diagnosed with diabetes are at a high risk of developing cataracts during the initial year of their diagnosis, regardless of how effectively their diabetes is being managed.
Prevention: While cataracts can’t be prevented, fur parents can take action to reduce the chances of their dogs developing one. You can regularly have your dog’s eye examined, control their weight and diet, and limit their exposure to chemicals and unprescribed medication. Common dog cataract treatment may include eye drops for minor cases and surgery for advanced cataracts.
Owning a dog is more than just fun; it’s a responsibility. Understanding common dog diseases is essential to spot signs and take preventive steps to protect our fur babies’ well-being. Consult your vets today!
