Dog HEARING, OCULAR & ODONTOLOGY PROBLEMS

The eyes, ears and mouth are especially vulnerable. Any malformation or infection in these areas cause them terrible pains and can lead to very serious health problems.

Dog eyes & OCULAR PROBLEMS

The malformations of the eyelid are usually inherited, even though they can only be detected at an adult age. The three most frequent malformations are the entropion (eyelids turned inwards), entropion (eyelids turned outwards) and distiquiasis (the eyelashes grow inwards, irritating the ocular surface).

Due to the artificial selection, some breeds -as the Shar Pei, with their much wrinkled face and the Saint Bernard, with their hanging front eyelids- are especially likely to suffer from ocular problems. There are some malformations that usually irritate the cornea, which causes and excessive tearing and sometimes the lack of clearness of it, which at the same time, darkens the sight. It is mandatory to correct them through surgery before they provoke irreversible damages and the affected animals can not procreate. dog t shirt

The conjunctive, membrane that covers the ocular surface and the inner face of the eyelids, gets swollen due to brushes, allergic reactions or infections, either if they are ocular or generalized (as the distemper, for example). Conjunctivitis, always painful, is the most commonly treated eye problem. Other important symptoms are the reddening, swelling and secretion of a substance that can be watery or purulent. You have to find the deep cause of the conjunctivitis and treat it, whenever possible.

Corneal Injuries and Ulcers

The cornea is the transparent surface of the eye. If something irritates the eye in a persistent way, the cornea ends up loosing its transparency, especially in the case of the so called keratoconjunctivitis (dry eyes), provoked by an insufficient secretion of tears. Fortunately, these problems can be treated with medicines that stimulate the lachrymal glands. The cornea can get ulcerated due to infections or wounds. These ulcers are very painful and if they are not treats, the dog can loose its sight. Sometimes it can only be treated with surgery.

Dog Cataracts and Injuries on the Retina

The ocular problems can affect the deepest layers of the ocular globe, as the crystalline, which loose of transparency provoke cataracts, or the retina, located of the rear part and that is sensitive to the light. It can get deteriorated for many different reasons, but most of the times caused by a hereditary disease called progressive atrophy of the retina that progressively limits its blood flow. It is currently possible to heal the dog's cataracts through surgery, eliminating the opaque surface of the crystalline, but the retina injuries can't be healed yet.

THE OTITIS

The otitis external is the most frequent on the dog. It consists of an infection of the external ear and affects specially the breed with hairy, hanging ears like the Cocker. The most common symptoms are irritation, reddening, abnormal secretions and disgusting smell in one or both ears.

This disease is caused by many factors, from the presence of strange bodies to the skin affections, going through orthodontic mange. However, the most common cause is the insufficient ventilation that accumulates humidity and raises the excess of temperature. The ear turns then into the ideal lodging for all kind of microorganisms like bacteria, fungus and yeast, that proliferates inside of it. It is mandatory to isolate and treat the deep cause of otitis, besides healing it with antibiotic drops. The habitual use of the cleaners help preventing the appearance of new infections, but sometimes it is mandatory to operate in order to improve the ventilation of the ear conduct.

Otitis Media and Otitis Internal

If the infection found its way through the eardrum and got installed in the middle ear of the inner ear, the dog can not only loose the hearing, but also the sense of balance and sometimes it is necessary to operate and treat with medicines to solve the problem.

Dog MOUTH AND TEETH PROBLEMS

The oral conditions can be very diverse, from the incrustation of a strange body in the oral cavity, resulting in infections, to symptomatic of other generalized health problems (as the renal failure that can cause mouth ulcers). The symptoms are very diverse too: bad breath, drooling, hypersensitivity or lost of appetite.

Odontology Infections

When a dog feels pain in its the mouth, it is almost always caused by some odontology problem, such as the accumulation of soft deposits, like plaque (proceeding from food remains) or hard ones like tartar (formed by the minerals found in the saliva). These materials get accumulated against the gums, causing gingivitis, and the infected gums get back forming bags that are filled with infection. Finally, the microorganisms also invade the membrane that fixes each of the dental pieces in their respective cavities. If this is not treated on time, abscesses are formed and the pieces get lost in an inevitable way.

The daily brushing with special toothpaste for dogs and a diet that obliges the dog to chew can make the odontology treatment unnecessary for many years. However, if the gums become inflamed a veterinary must clean the dog's teeth, polishing them until the surface is totally smooth. The prophylaxis, that is always practices under the effect of anesthesia, is necessary in order to avoid more complicated odontology treatments, which can include the extraction of the pieces in the future.