DOG HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Just about all dogs have either pink tongues or at least some pink on their tongues. If that pink color appears to fade somewhat, take your dog to the veterinarian. It could be a sign of anemia. If the tongue literally goes gray or bluish-gray, he could be suffering from oxygen deprivation as a result of heart disease or a lung problem. …

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It was the perfect pet storm. Danielle and Matt Buczek were about to leave for a long-awaited vacation in the Caribbean when their 13-year-old chocolate Lab, Coco, developed an ulcer on her eye that required drops three times a day. She also had to wear a cone to keep her from pawing at her eyeball. Her eye wasnt working right, and we didnt even know at first if it was an ulcer that was…

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In this article, we look at a second blood test thats virtually as routine as the CBC. Called the chemistry profile, it analyzes the blood minus the red and white blood cells.

While cataracts are not inordinately common in dogs, they do occur. Certain breeds appear particularly prone, cocker spaniels, poodles, miniature schnauzers, terriers, and golden retrievers among them. And those with diabetes definitely have a higher incidence than other dogs.

Letters to Tufts Veterinarians - Yes, but are they really warts?; Treatment of one disease causes another

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Whatever the cause of Addisons, young and middle-aged dogs, like one-and-a-half-year-old Jedi, are the most likely to be affected. There are also some breeds for which there appears to be a genetic predisposition. Standard poodles are the big ones that come to mind, Dr. Mahony says, but also wheaten terriers, Leonbergers, and Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers. But as border collie Jedis case makes clear, any breed is potentially susceptible.

With standard Addisons disease you have relatively classic findings, and its easy to confirm the diagnosis, says Tufts internal medicine veterinarian Orla Mahony, MVB, DACVIM. Once you have a reasonable index of suspicion, you should be able to pinpoint it. But theres a type of Addisons disease called Atypical Addisons, which is a deficiency of just cortisol, not cortisol and aldersterone, and that may be harder to recognize, Dr. Mahony explains, because it doesnt produce.

Addisons disease is already far along by the time a dogs owner notices something is wrong, says Tufts veterinarian Orla Mahony, MVB. At diagnosis, all Addisonian dogs have already lost more than 90 percent of their adrenal gland function. Thats why by the time its picked up, a dog needs replacement hormones for the rest of his life.

Your dog is not herself. Shes tired more than usual, perhaps kind of weak and mopey, and has lost much of her appetite. Does she have an infection? Might she be anemic? Could it be something more serious? Maybe shes simply about to undergo an operation and the vet wants to check her overall state to see if the standard dose of anesthesia will need to be adjusted. Or her health is perfectly fine but…