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Dogs + Medical Conditions

  • Internal Parasites in Dogs

    En general, hay dos tipos de parásitos internos que afectan al perro. En primer lugar están los nematodos o gusanos redondos, de los cuales Toxocara canis (el gusano redondo intestinal más común) y Diarofilaria immitis (el gusano cardiaco) son los principales ejemplos. En segundo lugar tenemos los cestodos o gusanos planos, de los cuales Dipylidium caninum y las especies Taenia y Echinococcus son ejemplos importantes.

  • Lumbosacral disease, or cauda equina syndrome, is caused by the narrowing of the spinal canal and results in compression of the spinal nerve roots; pressure on the nerves that exit the spine cause the clinical signs. This pressure may be due to a narrowed spinal canal caused by arthritis, intervertebral disc herniation, an infection in the disc, trauma, congenital malformation, or a spinal tumor. Dogs with lumbosacral disease are in pain. If the clinical signs and radiographs suggest lumbosacral disease, advanced imaging such as MRI or CT is recommended to make a diagnosis. Treatment involves either conservative medical treatment or surgical intervention.

  • Hip Dislocation and Postoperative Care in Cats

    La cadera es una articulación sencilla compuesta por una bola y un cuenco, que puede realizar una gran cantidad de movimientos en todas las direcciones y su función es permitir un adecuado movimiento de las extremidades posteriores.

  • A luxating patella is a kneecap that moves out of its normal location. A luxating patella can be corrected surgically, especially if the patella luxates frequently. If your veterinarian performs surgery before arthritis or another knee injury occurs, the prognosis is excellent.

  • Here is a brief discussion of what it means when your pet tests positive on an initial screening test, and if your pet is healthy, whether you should do anything about it. Healthy pets with positive Lyme results are occurring more and more frequently, and recommendations seem to keep changing with time. Here is what we recommend at this point...

  • Lymphocytic plasmacytic gastroenteritis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease. While the exact cause is not known, it is possible that the intestinal bacteria themselves may be involved in stimulating the immune response. Treatment may include nutrition management, immunosuppressive medications, and dietary supplementation of cobalamin, prebiotics, and probiotics.

  • Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes and lymphatic system. This cancer may be localized to one particular region, or may spread throughout the entire body. Lymphoma is a relatively common cancer, accounting for 15-20% of new cancer diagnoses in dogs. The prognosis for lymphoma varies, depending on various characteristics that can only be determined by specialized testing.

  • Lysosomal storage diseases are a rare collection of conditions that are inherited. Many of them are more prevalent in certain breeds and are seen in the first few months of life. Clinical signs vary depending on the type of disease, but commonly include failure to thrive, incoordination, vision loss, and seizure. Prognosis is usually poor for long-term survival.

  • While macadamia nuts are edible for humans, they are poisonous for dogs. Initial signs of macadamia nut poisoning include vomiting, fever, and lethargy, and will progress to incoordination, reluctance to use the rear limbs, inability to stand, joint stiffness, and muscle tremors. Macadamia nuts can also lead to pancreatitis.

  • Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a condition of the small intestine that results in increased numbers of bowel bacteria. The bacteria cause damage to the surface of the bowel so digested food cannot be absorbed, resulting in malabsorption of nutrients. Symptoms include chronic diarrhea and weight loss.