Our pets are crucial to our lives. For some American families, their pets are part of their family. So when they get sick or injured, it feels like a loved one getting ill or injured.
Pets suffer from a variety of common diseases, much as human beings do. These diseases are sometimes avoidable, while some are inevitable. In this article, we will be talking about the most common diseases our pets experience and how to avoid them.
Cancer
Cancer is common to every living being. Almost all animals can have cancer, except for a few. For example, whales and elephants have been known to be resistant to cancer. Sadly, most of our pets are not.
The pets that commonly get cancer are dogs and cats. They are mammals, so they are highly susceptible to it. Cancer among these species of pets is also quite inevitable. They start to develop such a disease once they enter the later stages of their lives. But some can pass away without ever experiencing such a disease. Nonetheless, we do not want our pets to experience such an early stage in their lives.
There are a couple of ways you can avoid this from happening. One is by feeding your pets vitamins at such an early stage. Another is by neutering them. Neutering has been known to be effective cancer, especially among dogs making a good choice when you don’t want your dog to produce pups anymore.
Parvovirus
There are parvovirus dogs, cats, and even human beings. It is a highly deadly and contagious disease. Unfortunately, it is also quite resilient against sanitation and disinfection as well.
Parvovirus has various names depending on the species it targets. It is known as canine parvovirus for dogs, feline infectious peritonitis for cats, and parvovirus B-19 for humans. As stated earlier, parvovirus is a dangerous disease, but thankfully it’s very preventable. Parvo is a silent killer. If your pet starts experiencing vomiting and diarrhea, you must get them to a vet immediately.
Parvo is spread through fecal matter from infected hosts, and even animals that are immune to the virus can spread them. Furthermore, adult dogs that might not show symptoms of the virus can carry them as well.
The first step in reducing the chances of parvovirus among your pets is to get them vaccinated. You should get your puppies and kittens vaccinated the moment they’ve reached three to four months. They are the most susceptible to this kind of virus.
If you want to fully protect your pets from such a virus, it is important that you keep them inside your home until they are fully vaccinated. Also, if you’re planning to transfer your dogs, you must hire a professional pet mover. This is to ensure that your pet is safely moved from state to state without being exposed to the virus.
Heartworm
Heartworm is a parasite that’s most common in dogs. Cats are resilient to such a parasite, but they can still get them as well.
Unlike parvo, heartworm is not contagious, which means that pets cannot get the disease by standing or having physical contact with one another. Instead, heartworms enter their host through an intermediate host such as a mosquito.
The life cycle of heartworms is particularly long. It takes them five to six months before they become adults and live for five to seven years. They can become lethal once they’ve multiplied and infiltrated your pet’s heart.
It’s a highly preventive disease, and even if your pet has heartworms, they do not become lethal until many of them have reached the adult stage. However, some pets don’t experience symptoms of a heartworm infection until they’ve become life-threatening.
If you see your pet being lethargic, having coughs, or having trouble breathing, take them to the vet for heartworm examination. Once they have discovered heartworm in your pet’s bloodstream, the vet can recommend ways to flush them out. However, if the infection is too much to handle, surgery needs to be done.
Completely avoiding heartworms is your best bet if you don’t want your pet to experience this disease. In states that don’t have too many mosquitoes, your pets are safe from heartworm. But in warmer states such as Florida, heartworm is prevalent.
Get pest control if you have many mosquitoes in your home. Furthermore, make sure to get your dog’s resistance pills against heartworms.
The most common disease in pets is dangerous. Prevent your pets from getting them by expanding your knowledge about them.