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Disease Dog Health Health.blogspot.com Pet Article

Continued from part two.

Epilepsy/seizure disorder

When your Boxer is between 2 to 5 years old, he may develop seizure disorder.

When he has an epilepsy attack, he'd be unconscious and may look like he is not breathing but he is. He is not suffering.

The information that would be important to your veterinarian regarding such episodes includes:

> Duration of the attack

> The type of muscular activity your Boxer exhibits during seizure

> Any abnormal behavior during the attack

> Frequency of the seizure

What you do in such instances is not panic and time the attack by actually looking at a watch or clock.

It may only take place for 30 seconds but may seem forever to you. You need a veterinarian if it lasts more than 5 minutes.

Emergency treatment is definitely called for if your Boxer goes into seizure for 10 minutes or longer, twice in the span of 24 hours, or if he has a second attack before he could completely recover from the first seizure attack.

Remain by your Boxer's side; be there when he comes out of the seizure to calm him. Stroke and comfort him.

To keep your Boxer from hurting himself during the seizure, move away furniture from the immediate area and protect him from water, the stairs and any sharp objects. If you can, place a pillow under his head to protect him from head trauma.

Unlike seizure attacks in human, animals do not swallow their tongue. So you don't have to put your hand or spoon or any other object into your Boxer's mouth when he has an attack. You might get bitten.

Also, keep children and other pets away from your sick Boxer.

Coming out of the seizure, your Boxer will be groggy, confused and feel like he has done something wrong. He may make unusual sounds and stumble around.

Do not allow him on the stairs until he has fully recovered. In the mean time, sooth him by talking to him softly, offer him some water, stroke and comfort him.

And if he doesn't recover fully after 30 minutes, consult your veterinarian or any emergency vet facility.

Flea-infected Boxers

Flea-infected Boxers can develop skin diseases especially those allergic to fleas.

Black specs in the fur and bite marks on the skin tell if your Boxer has them. To check further, spread some newspapers and place your Boxer on top. Brush him and look for the black specs falling off.

Fleas live up to 6 weeks, feeding on blood and during that time would have laid hundreds of eggs that mostly land on your Boxer's bedding, carpets and other favorable nests around your home.

The eggs hatch into larvae that seek nice, dark places while feeding on flea's droppings, dust, human shed skin, dandruff and other such tasty morsels.

The larvae turn into hardy pupae that could survive for months before changing into adult fleas.

Fleas are host to tapeworms. Both problems are likely to occur together in your Boxer and, therefore, the treatments are also usually given together by the vet.

A bit of garlic a day may keep the fleas away from your Boxer.

Heart ailments

-Bradycardia or slow heart rate may be a symptom of thyroid disorder in Boxers.

-Dialated cardiomyopathy constitutes a serious, emergency case.

Your dog may collapse from it or the back legs have sudden pain and paralysis.

It is a serious heart condition whereby the heart muscle is enlarged and thin walled. Your Boxer will experience shortness of breath, coughing and can't take to exercise.

Another serious heart condition is called cardiac conduction disease that is affecting Boxer's longevity. It was previously known as Boxer cardiomyopathy but the new term is used to differentiate it from dilative cardiomyopathy.

Cardiac conduction is difficult to deal with due to 3 factors.

-One is many Boxers will not show any symptom (asymptotic) but will just drop dead suddenly from it.

-The Boxers develop this disease later in life, often after they have been bred.

-There was no good screening method for it until the one recently developed by Ohio State University researchers, called the 24-hour Holter monitor test.

However, there is still no assurance that Boxers "cleared" now from cardiac conduction disease by the Holter test will remain so in the future.

Many breeders and Boxer experts are now working to refine the test procedures, expand the database and come up with a guideline to select only, for breeding purposes, those Boxers with high probability of being free of the disease.

There are also concerns elimination of too many dogs from the gene pool would be bad for the breed diversity and could cause more problems in the future. Some opinions hold that extensive culling should only get done after more studies on genetic diversity in Boxers.

Hip dysplasia

This is a bone disorder whereby there is an improper fit of the large femur bone with the hip socket, causing lots of pain and lameness.

It occurs more in male

Daniel Lesser
Dog and Puppy Articles, Pictures and Resources
http://www.thingsfordogs.com

Part 1 is available at http://www.thingsfordogs.com/dog-health.php
Part 2 is available at http://www.thingsfordogs.com/dog-health2.php

About the Author

Daniel Lesser
Dog and Puppy Articles,
Pictures and Resources
http://www.thingsfordogs.com

Written by: Daniel Lesser

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Disease Dog Health Health.blogspot.com Pet Article

For many of us owning a dog is more than having a pet, it is an extension to our family. There is a special bond between a dog and his owner that is rarely seen with other animals. Most dog owners are very concerned about their pet's wellbeing and there are a few key disorders that all dog owners should know about.

Skin Allergies

One of the common skin disorders with dogs is allergies. If you think you are the only one with allergies, well think again. Many people are unaware that their dog can also develop allergies. Dog's can be allergic to different types of food, mold, pollen and fleas just like we can. In many cases the dog can develop skin irritations which result in loss of hair, redness of the skin and even soar on the skin due to allergies.

In most cases a change in the environment or the dog's diet leads to the allergic reactions. The key is to recognize the problem and work with your vet on resolving the issue.

Mange

Mange is another skin disorder that should be of concern to dog owners. When most of us think about mange we think about the dog's hair falling out in patches. However, there are two different types of mange that can affect your dog: Demodectic mange and Sarcoptic mange. Demodectic mange is where the parasites live on the hair follicles of the dog and Sarcoptic mange, also known as Scabies, is a condition where the parasites burrow themselves into the dog's skin. Both forms of mange are treated differently and it is important that you work with your vet if you suspect your dog does have mange.

Fleas and Ticks

We are all familiar with fleas and ticks but what people don't know is that there are cases where a dog has fleas and/or ticks so bad they develop a form of anemia. Also, fleas are known to carry tapeworms. Your dog can come down with a case of tapeworms by eating the flea and introducing the parasite into his system. Your local pet store has a variety of different foggers, dips and other products that can get rid of fleas and ticks. You should always consult with your vet if you are unsure whether a particular product is right for your pet.

Bloat

Skin disorders are not the only issue that dog owners should be aware of. Your dogs eating and exercise habits could lead to a potentially fatal condition called bloat. Bloat is a condition where the dog's abdomen becomes enlarged by swallowed air or gas production. In extreme cases of bloat, the dog's stomach will twist, a condition known as torsion, and start to die. In order to save their pet the dog owner needs to be able to quickly recognize the symptoms of bloat and get the dog to a vet as soon as possible.

Tying it all together

As a pet owner it is important that you recognize potential risk and issues in your dog's health. Early recognition of some conditions such as bloat can help save your dog's life. Even if the issue is not life threatening recognizing the disorder and how to solve it will increase your dogs well being.

For more detailed information about potential health issues, the symptoms and treatments check out http://www.dog-health.power-of-knowledge.com/

About the author:

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Written by: Gerald Gore

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