Dog Health: Things That Every Dog Owner Should Learn About Congenital, Hereditary, & Contaminated Dog Diseases

The most important objective of this article is to introduce you to a few basics of genetics and discuss some of the common diseases where these fundamentals apply towards dog health.

There are probably 400 natural diseases in dogs that have been noted. Many dog diseases are unusual, while others are so common they are considered to be normal day-to-day dog health problems. Quite often, current understanding of canine natural diseases is based on minimal information. For this reason there are so many discrepancies in literature in relation to genetic diseases.

There are instances where a small group of closely related dogs had been studied In this group, it looked like a disease had a clear-cut genetic factor but when this information was applied to a big group, the results were not the same. This is not the mistake of dog health researchers, but relates to the truth that the original group of dogs was not large enough to make accurate genetic interpretations.

To help you better understand genetics in dog disease, let's discuss some of the terminology used in dog health.:

Congenital Dog Illnesses

This is a disease that is present at birth. It may be inherited or due to intrauterine factors. The intrauterine factors most frequently involved are systematic disease of the female, nutritional deficiencies, toxicity, or the effect on dog health from a drug used during the dog's pregnancy. Physical factors can also cause congenital diseases.

Inherited Dog Conditions

Many dog health issues are due to an inherited disease, which is a disease that is passed down on the genes. For example, hairlip and cleft palate can be hereditary and are obvious at birth. Unfortunately, not all inherited diseases are visible at birth. A dog with progressive retinal atrophy may be normal at weaning and develop clinical blindness by six months of age. Other dogs may not develop symptoms of decreased vision until they are six years of age. Congenital diseases appear later in life are referred to as "latent".

Acquired Dog Conditions

An acquired disease is one that is the result of exogenous factors (those which are external to the body). In some instances of dog health problems, acquired diseases may appear similar to inherited ones, such as cataracts, for example. Some are acquired as a result of metabolic, toxic, or contagious diseases. And others are caused by inheritance. When examining the individual dog health of the animal with problem, it is difficult to tell which was the cause.

Go Through This Article Find Answer To Your Dog Health Questions
Do you have specific dog health questions that you find it hard to locate answers for? Take a look below at some common inquiries that dog and puppy owners like yourself write to us about.

K9 Obedience Coaching Classes
Puppy training classes come highly recommended as a means of helping a dog owner to correctly train their new pets. There are two types of puppy training classes, the puppy socializing training class and the puppy obedience training class. Let us have a look at at both.

Tiny Pooch Training
Why dog lovers have this preconceived notion that small dogs are more difficult to train than medium sized or larger dogs, I will never be able to understand.

Adopting A New Pet Dog - Can You Afford It?
You are fairly well off, and have a large house with a spacious back yard and front garden, and feel you can provide a good home for a dog. But wait; there is more to buying a dog than just living space.

House Training For Little Pups
Dog Kennel Training, most often described as Crate Training, is the best way to get started with house breaking the new puppy you have just brought home. 'Kennel' may be referred to as 'Crate' and 'Kennel Training' may be referred to as 'Crate Training' through out this article.

How To Stop Pup Biting
Do you have a dog that bites? Then it is time you took measures to stop dog from biting. There is great danger in allowing it to continue, just because you feel it is only nipping. Playful nipping will always, turn into serious and dangerous biting.

Does Your Dog Need Outhouse Dog Training
Outhouse dog training can be one of the hardest training procedures, as it requires you to be alert and able to read your dog's body signals. Your dog can't tell you when he needs to empty out, but he will always give you some indication of his intention.