Canine Health Problems  Symptoms, Illness and Diseases

Canine health problems can be symptoms, illnesses or diseases. Knowing the difference and what to do can save your dogs life.

Here's the basic formula: Treat a dog symptom, get an illness. Treat a dog illness and get a life threatening disease. How can this be?

While the above is a simplification, the fact is there’s a huge difference between a cure and a cover-up and its important you know the difference.

What is a Cover-Up?

A cover-up is any medicine which stops canine symptoms without curing the actual problem. There are hundreds of modern medicines on this list. I'll give examples below and in specific disease pages.

The body considers dogmeds (dog medicines) toxins and it does its best to eliminate them. That attempted elimination can appear to be a new canine health problem.

This elimination may show up as a dog skin disorder which then gets a new medicine. The dog's body must now work to eliminate this new toxin. This weakens the body. The weaker the dogs immune system the more problems occur, the more medicines are added. It can take time to manifest, but that is how many life threatening canine diseases happen.

Here are a few of the internal major players in the dog health game.

Kidneys

Kidneys are part of the body’s filtration system. Whatever the body cannot use as food it passes into the blood. The kidneys then filter the blood and pass waste products to the bladder for exit.

Overburdening the kidneys leads to canine renal failure. Without proper kidney function, wastes build up and damage the entire body. Thus, renal failure in a dog leads to death.

Liver

The liver is the last stop for detoxification and elimination. It also filters blood and serves a vital function in almost every system in the body. It stores vitamins and minerals for both short and long term use.

If the liver is overburdened, it can't perform its other vital functions properly and toxic build-up occurs. If the overburdening continues, the liver will be destroyed. For a better understanding, see Dog Liver Health.

The Skin is an Organ!

Skin isn’t just a pretty cover to grow fur on and protect internal organs. Skin is the largest organ and acts like a sponge. It absorbs everything it comes in contact with.

Whatever it absorbs ends up in the blood stream. Once there, it must be filtered through kidneys and liver. That includes any topical medicines, including flea control.

The skin is not a one-way street. It also works as an exit point for toxins. Something to think about when faced with canine skin conditions.

My motto is If you can't eat it, don't put it on your skin because you're eating it anyway!

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Here are links to pages on specific dog health problems:

Rimadyl for Dogs
If your dog has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and your vet offers this medication as an arthritis treatment for dogs, run the other way.

Prednisone for Dogs
Let's look at what it's used for, what it does and the side effects of prednisone.

Tapeworms in Dogs
What are tapeworms and what do they look like?

Roundworms in Dogs
Puppy roundworms are the most common. Does this mean we should use a dewormer at 2, 4, and 6 weeks?

Hookworms in Dogs
Covers both hookworms and whipworms, the worst parasitic worms in dogs.

Dog Worm Medicines
Commercial dog dewormers, preventatives and herbs for parasites.

Homemade Ear Mite Medicine
Does your dog have itchy, smelly, dirty ears? If mites are a problem, try this homemade recipe.

Natural Heartworm Treatment
Here are a few natural heartworm remedies and preventative measures.

Cause of Incontinence in Dogs
Why does this happen after spaying a dog, or use of cortisone? What can we do?

Cortisone Side Effects
What is cortisone and cortisol? Both are a dog anti inflammatory but cortisone side effects can be harsh.

Canine Lipoma
One of the most common canine health problems, find out the cause of fatty tumors, how to avoid them and how you might cure a dog lipoma without surgery.

Exercise and Disease
The lack of exercise helps disease gain a foothold and flourish. Here's the connection.

Dog Depression
Canines suffer from both depression and anxiety. Here's an old fashioned remedy that works!

Constipation in Dogs
Here are some simple remedies for canine constipation after listing possible causes.

Puppy Constipation
Gentle cures for puppy constipation.

My Dog Ate Chocolate!
Chocolate for dogs can cause kidney failure. But how much is too much? You may be surprised.

GMO Corn in Dog Food
Perhaps the US epidemic of food allergies and asthma is a casualty of genetic manipulation. Other major problem foods are: Soybeans, Canola, Cottonseed, and Sugar Beets.

Canine Obesity
Are you loving your dog to death? Here's both a funny and serious look at canine obesity.

My Dog Will Not Eat!
Here is the most common reason a dog won't eat. Now you can cure it and increase your dogs life span at the same time.

Dog Anal Glands
What are the purpose of dog anal glands? Could expressing them create a problem? Here's what you should know.

The right foods to serve and foods you should avoid like the plague.

The Dog Life Span
Whatever happened to a dog's life span? Why is a ten-year-old considered a senior citizen?

Dog Drugs
Do drugs work for canine health problems? What happens to them in the body?

Prescription Drug Ads and Commercials
Common dog ailments are cured overnight with drugs! Just look at prescription drug ads and commercials.

Second Hand Smoke Effects on Dogs
Has it occurred to you that second hand smoke effects might be toxic for dogs and cause or worsen any canine health problems your dog has?

Dog Breath

Fresh dog breath is a sign of health but if you notice a nasty smell and avoid those canine kisses, it's time to figure out the health problem.

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