Common Pet Health Conditions

Arthritis is the inflammation of a joint, which can cause pain and/or swelling. Several types exist.

If your pet is recovering from a condition that requires a bandage, sling or splint. Proper home care is imperative to your pet's recovery. Complications are much more likely to occur in pets that do not receive proper home care and monitoring.

Luxation, or dislocation, occurs when a bone is pulled away from its normal position at a joint. Unusual force, trauma, or underlying abnormalities are usually required to cause this. Damage to the joint and surrounding tissue often accompany the injury. Most dislocations must be repaired by medical personnel. Spontaneous resolution usually only occurs in some milder types of kneecap dislocations.

A fractured or broken bone can occur to any bony structure in the body. For most fractures to occur, bone must be exposed to unusual pressure or trauma. Abnormal, damaged, or weakened bone may fracture with normal movement and handling.

Hip Dysplasia is a defect of the hip joint found most often in giant and large breed dogs. The normal hip is a ball and socket type joint. The socket is part of the pelvis. The ball is at the upper end, or head, of the femur (thigh) bone. With dysplasia, the normally rounded head of the femur is flattened and fits poorly into the socket and/or the socket may be abnormally shallow.

Arthritis is the inflammation of a joint, which can cause pain and/or swelling. Several types exist.

If your pet is recovering from a condition that requires a bandage, sling or splint. Proper home care is imperative to your pet's recovery. Complications are much more likely to occur in pets that do not receive proper home care and monitoring.

Lameness is a general term used for limping, abnormal gait, or pain that manifests itself in a pet's limbs. One or more legs may be affected.

A cardiac murmur is an abnormal heart sound heard by placing a stethoscope on the chest. Murmurs can vary widely in intensity and cause. They are classified by grading them on a scale of 1-6 for loudness and by several other factors.

Diabetes Mellitus is a disease that interferes with the body's use of blood sugar, or glucose. Glucose is the body's fuel and is required for life.

In most parts of the country, spring weather brings barbecues, evenings spent outdoors and something less desirable: an increase in your pet's risk of contracting heartworm disease.

A tiny bite from just one mosquito is all it takes for the parasite to enter your pet’s body and bloodstream. Over time, heartworm larvae can grow into long worms that live in the heart and major vessels surrounding the heart. The heart muscles get weakened and the pet’s lungs slowly get obstructed. If left undetected or untreated, the worms can even cause sudden death. This is why heartworm preventives are important and should be administered year-round.

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a bacterial agent that, along with several viruses, contributes to Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis, or "Kennel Cough" disease.

Bronchitis is an inflammation or infection of the lower air passages and their smaller branches. These structures carry air from the windpipe (trachea) and distribute it to the lungs.

Feline viral upper respiratory tract disease is caused by Feline Herpes Virus and/or Feline Calicivirus infection. Any age cat can become ill, but the disease most often attacks kittens or weakened individuals.

Tracheitis is an inflammation or infection of the trachea, or windpipe. Laryngitis is an infection or inflammation of the larynx (the tissue and cartilage that close off the upper-most part of the trachea during swallowing to prevent choking).

Sneezing, nasal discharge, cough, fever or the sniffles. Just like people, cats can catch colds too. Known as feline upper respiratory disease and quite common, the majority of these conditions are caused by the herpesvirus and calicivirus.

An abscess is a pocket of infected material, or pus, consisting of bacteria or other organisms, as well as red and white blood cells.

Atopy and food related allergic skin disease are caused by reactions to inhaled, ingested, or absorbed "allergens" (pollen, mold spores, dust, dust mites, food, etc.). This is similar to "hay fever" in humans. However, instead of the sinus and nasal signs in humans, pets may manifest the disease as skin irritation that can include the entire skin surface and ear canals.

Demodectic mange is caused by a microscopic insect, a mite, which lives under the skin around hair shafts. The mite can be present in small numbers on healthy pets and cause no problems.

Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin. Inflammation may be secondary to, or associated with, other skin abnormalities or damage such as allergies, irritants, skin trauma, bacterial or fungal infections, external parasites, general poor health or nutrition, hormonal imbalances, and immune system abnormalities. If bacteria are involved, they are usually normal skin organisms that have opportunistically invaded a weakened area of the most external layer of skin.

Otitis externa is an inflammation or infection of the outer ear canal and may also involve the ear flap.