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107 results for “dog liver disease”
What to Do When Your Dog Is Too Thin
A thin dog can fall into two patterns: one that eats little and wastes away, and one that eats plenty yet still loses weight. The second is often more telling, because calories are going somewhere other than the body. Matching the pattern to the likely cause is the first step toward fixing it.
Why Is Your Dog Having Diarrhea
A healthy dog passes formed stool three to four times a day. More frequent, soft, watery, mucus-laced, or bloody stool is diarrhea, a sign of illness rather than a normal variation. Clinically it is split into acute (sudden) and chronic (long-lasting) forms, each with its own common causes.
What Happens When Dogs Eat Cheap Low-Quality Food Long Term
Cheap dog food of unknown origin can lack the nutrients a dog needs while carrying excess salt, sugar, and additives. Fed long term, it harms health in many ways: diarrhea, malnutrition, extra strain on the liver and kidneys, hair loss and dry skin, obesity, and dental decay. To protect your dog, choose a high-quality food with balanced nutrition, protein around 25 to 30 percent, fat 14 to 17 percent, and salt under 0.8 percent. Good food lists real meats by name, avoids artificial additives, and comes from a trusted brand.
Symptoms and Treatment of Fatty Liver in Dogs
Canine fatty liver is the build-up of fat in the liver from disrupted sugar and fat metabolism, showing as excess body fat, poor digestion, and easy fatigue. Causes are primary, from high-fat diet, low protein, starvation, or little exercise, or secondary, from hepatitis, diabetes, and other chronic disease. Signs include low spirit, poor appetite, occasional vomiting, and an enlarged liver. Diagnosis uses blood, biochemistry, and imaging; treatment is medicine plus a changed diet, regular meals, and exercise.
Can Dogs Eat Cheese?
Cheese is a familiar food that boosts a dog's appetite and supplies calcium, but is it really suitable? Over 4,000 cheeses exist. Harms: overfeeding causes obesity, but more importantly cheese delivers high sodium and lactose. Cheese-making uses salt, and its sodium can cause high blood pressure and organ damage, so experts do not recommend feeding cheese long-term. Benefits: good protein; essential vitamins and minerals; rich calcium; vitamin A; B vitamins; healthy fatty acids. Avoid: blue cheese and other French cheeses—blue produces a toxin fatal to dogs (difficulty breathing, racing heart, then seizures; needs prompt stomach pumping) and has the highest sodium; cheeses with garlic or herbs (Havarti, even cream cheese); Brie and feta, the highest in saturated fat, which can trigger pancreatitis. Dogs to avoid cheese: overweight; lactose-intolerant (diarrhea); picky eaters (cheese won't fix appetite); those with digestive disease (a burden). Choose: low-fat cheese, and cottage cheese if possible (lowest fat and sodium)—always read the label.
Keep These Cleaning Products Away from Your Dog
Household cleaners carry more hazardous chemicals than you think, and they are far worse for dogs. Dogs spend nearly all their time on the floor, touching cleaners directly and absorbing them through paw pads and skin; even off the floor, their keen noses inhale the toxins. Five chemical groups to watch: ammonia (toxic, irritates the respiratory system; in glass/stainless cleaners, floor wax)—seek vet care if ingested. Chlorine/bleach (vomiting, diarrhea, burns, even seizures; in toilet/mold cleaners, detergent). Phthalates (linked to liver, testicular, pancreatic tumors; in nail polish, hairspray, soap, shampoo—avoid in dog toys). Glycol ethers (liver, nerve, digestive harm; in multipurpose/carpet/glass cleaners, hand soap; even 'natural' ones). Formaldehyde (irritates eyes/skin, slows breathing; in perfume, tissues, hand soap, nail polish). Also avoid 84 disinfectant (bleach-based, corrosive, causes chronic rhinitis).
What to Do If Your Dog or Cat Has Tapeworms
Many species of tapeworms parasitize dogs and cats, and the adult worms seriously harm their health, while the larval stages often use livestock or humans as intermediate hosts, threatening both animals and people. Common species include Dipylidium caninum, Taenia spp., Echinococcus granulosus, Mesocestoides, Spirometra mansoni, and Diphyllobothrium. Infection causes intestinal inflammation, malnutrition, and in severe cases intestinal blockage, with signs like vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and odd behavior. Diagnosis relies on clinical signs plus fecal egg exams. Prevention means regular deworming, not feeding raw offal, and controlling fleas. Treatment uses praziquantel (5 mg/kg dogs, 2 mg/kg cats), arecoline hydrobromide, bunamidine, or fenbendazole under veterinary guidance. Because some tapeworms (like Echinococcus) also endanger human health, prompt and correct control matters.
4 Things You’re Missing If Your Dog Has Bad Breath
A dog's bad breath is not normal—it often means disease. Leftover food builds bacteria that cause tartar, periodontal disease, and can spread to the liver, heart, and kidneys. Keep the mouth healthy with four habits: brush one to two times a week using pet toothpaste (human toothpaste can poison if swallowed; water and a pet brush work too); check teeth regularly and see a vet for serious issues; give chew toys and dental treats to wear teeth; and feed a balanced, mostly dry diet with supplements for micronutrients (deficiency causes mouth ulcers). About 80% of dogs without dental care develop oral disease by age three—prevent early.
What Are the Symptoms of Epilepsy in Dogs?
Epilepsy is a condition marked by repeated seizures that can range from brief, mild episodes to severe ones that last a long time and recur often. Because seizures take many forms and can be triggered by a wide range of underlying diseases, spotting the four key signs helps dog owners respond correctly. A seizure may be generalized, causing a dog to collapse and paddle with no awareness of its surroundings, or focal, affecting only one part of the body. Dogs often show subtle restlessness beforehand, and may seem confused and unsteady afterward. Many illnesses can cause seizures, so a vet must rule out each one. Most seizures are not immediately dangerous, but any episode lasting over five minutes needs emergency care.
Why Does Your Dog Keep Passing Smelly Gas?
A few farts a day are normal—gut bacteria make gas as they ferment food. But frequent, foul gas points to diet, fast eating that swallows air, an unbalanced gut flora, or illness like IBD, pancreatic trouble, or parasites. Fix it with a quality low-filler diet, a slow-feeder bowl, daily exercise, belly massage, and pet probiotics. If gas comes with diarrhea, vomiting, or weight loss, see a vet.