Brain Cancer in Dogs

symptoms of brain cancer include personality changes, stress, aggression, shyness, or depression. They are also appetite changes, lethargy, lameness, muscle twitches, eye and facial issues, coordination problems, bleeding in the nasal cavity, respiratory issues, and heart problems. The early symptoms are usually related to the appetite, weight loss, and personality changes. As the brain cancer progresses you will see more changes and of course extremely muscle weakness. The brain is the center for all things in the body. If a small section is affected it can through off the other functions of the body such as the liver, heart, lungs, and immune system. Sometimes brain cancer is a result of another cancer forming somewhere in the body and moving through the blood cells until it creates a second mass on the brain. Some of the symptoms will be determined by the location fo the actual brain cancer.

Brain cancer or meningioma is a tumor cell that can form in several areas of the brain. The cancer can form at the base of the spine, or any part of the brain. The cells will mutate and the cancer will grow if left untreated. You should know that this type of cancer is malignant. This means that the cancer will continue to grow in the brain until the dog either dies from the cancer or from the pressure on the brain causing an aneurism. It is important that you know and recognize the early symptoms to prevent suffering and of course death of your loved one.

Your dog is very important to you and I bet you have treated your dog carefully, making sure they have the proper nutrition, exercise, and of course love. Even owners who spend all their time trying to prevent cancer in their dog will be shocked to find out that their dog has cancer. In some cases you just can?t prevent cancer no matter how careful you are. In these cases you just have to learn how to care for your sick dog and understand the progression of the disease to help treat it. With brain cancer you will find there really is no cause science has been able to find. They believe that brain cancer is usually a result of a genetic disorder in the cells that allow them to mutate and form.

As I mentioned above there really is no known prevention making the treatment for your dog extremely important. You will have a few choices in treatment and therefore care. Surgery is often very difficult on dogs with brain cancer as they have to go in to remove the actual mass. This can cause lasting effects, so most often an owner will decide care and medication are the best choices. There are medications that have been created to prevent the actual mutation of cells. Keep in mind that the medication usually does not reduce the cells already formed; therefore you may need to try radiation or chemotherapy with your dog to reduce the cells that have already formed and prevent the cells from re- growing. If you choose medication and radiation you will need to make adjustments for care. The dog will need a different diet, more care from you while you are home, and less exercise. Exercise is important, but when they are feeling ill they tend to want to lie around. So allowing for more rest is as important as short five minute walks. You also need to realize that they can be sick from the treatment so they need you to be there to help them get over the vomiting and other issues of the treatment.

In this article you will find information on care and prevention of brain cancer. You will also find treatment and symptoms of brain cancer in dogs. Cancer is one of the biggest causes of deaths in dogs and taking preventative methods is essential to your dogs care.

*Information about the Author:*

Pets Articles : http://www.article-buzz.com

Five Ways to Prevent Congenital Problems in Dogs

Prevention is the main key in order to avoid diseases and illness from attacking your dog. In fact, the best prevention begins even before you start breeding the dog. But what do you do if your pet was born with a health problem? There are a few options for you to choose from when helping your dog that is born with a congenital defect. Often times, surgery can correct a structural defect. Other aspects such as good feeding, good amount of exercise, proper grooming and veterinary care all help in controlling certain disorder and symptoms from occurring. But the most effective treatment for congenital defects is in preventing them from happening in the first place.

Here are five ways on how you can prevent congenital problems in your dog:

1. Never breed unhealthy dogs. Get together two unhealthy dogs and you have the perfect recipe for unhealthy offspring. Even if one dog is in good health, mating that healthy dog with one that is in poor condition still produces a very high risk of congenital problems to develop in their offspring. You must avoid breeding pets that have obvious birth defects or behavior problems. Although the dog may not have a specific genetic problem, its overall support system is not a good candidate for developing healthy offspring. In addition, avoid acquiring such pets unless you are willing to give them the special care they require.

2. Avoid breeding or selecting dogs with family health disorders. Do not breed dogs if their close relatives have congenital defects, physical problems, or inheritable behavior and temperament. Try to find out the medical histories of both parents and what percentage of related puppies has had birth defects. If the percentage of birth defects is less than 5 percent, chances are they have a very low risk of producing unhealthy offspring.

3. Avoid breeding close relatives. Breeding two dogs within the same family such as siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles has a tendency to ?fix? latent defects into their offspring.

4. Do not select or breed inbred dogs. Be extra careful with dogs that are currently popular in your area because it is likely that they have been weakened by intensive inbreeding.

5. Choose breeds that best resemble their canine ancestors. Features to look for are face shape, size, color, ear shape, coat texture and length, tail shape, and limb proportion that most closely resemble that of wolves. See if you can match at least four or five of these traits. Examples of such breeds include most of the retrievers, basenjis, shepherds, sled dogs, spitzs, and pointers.

Article Source : http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com

John Edwards is a long time dog lover. Visit his website for more helpful advice on dog health and disease at: www.dogcaretraining.com

Is Your Dog At Risk For Canine Hip Dysplasia?

Canine hip dysphasia (CHD) is a genetic disease that affects the hip bones in dogs. While pretty much any dog can get it, some dogs are predisposed to this condition and it is more common in larger breed dogs due to the greater weight on the joints of the hip. some breeds at risk for this disease include Dalmations, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers and Blood Hounds.

This disease affects the hips way ahead of the thighbone does not fit into the hip socket as it should. Wear of the cartilage and damage to the joint occurs causing swelling and pain. Canine hip dysphasia itself is not arthritis but it is the most common cause of hip arthritis.

This is a disease that is inherited from the dog's parents. Therefore the only way to eradicate the disease is through good breeding practices and not letting dogs with CHD have puppies. this presents a challenge though is not all dogs show that they have this disease and in fact, dogs that show no sign of it may still possess the gene that passes it to their offspring.

symptoms of canine hip dysplasia present themselves as your dog not being able to get up is easy. Perhaps he's not as energetic or doesn't want to run as much and has a hard time standing up after sitting or lying down for awhile. His back legs may look lame and when he runs he might use them both like a rabbit. CHD might cause your dog to be reluctant to go upstairs. And most dogs the symptoms don't show up until middle age but some may show the disease when they are puppies.

There and no test to tell if a dog carries the gene for CHD but the presence of hip dysplasia can be tested through x-rays and physical exams. An x-ray can let you know how bad the condition has become and using future x-rays to monitor it will let you know If the treatment path you have chosen is working. there are actually two types of x-rays that are performed one gives you an idea of how severe arthritis says in the joint and the other will tell you how loose the hip joint itself is.

Canine hip dysphasia can be treated with surgical and nonsurgical methods. Nonsurgical methods include drugs to help relieve the pain and inflammation of the hip joint. These drugs, Rimadyl, Deramaxx and Ectogesic can be very effectivee and have helped many dogs live happy normal lives. In addition making sure your dog gets good exercise and physical therapy to work the hips and keeping your dog at a slim weight can help relieve symptoms.

Surgical treatments for CHD can also be effective. There are two methods of treatment for canine hip dysplasia one which treats hips which Re: show a lot of arthritis and another which tries to help prevent the progresssion of the arthritis.

One of the procedures- triple pelvic astronomy - is most effective before the joint becomes damaged with arthritis. This involves cuttingg the pelvis and then rotating hip sockets to get them to work better. One new type of surgery, pubic symphysiodesis, is still being studied but hopeful to be effective for very young dogs with canine hip dysphasia.

In some dogs a full hip replacement might be the way to go. This involves replacing both the ball in the socket to allow the dog to enjoy a full life with normal activity. This procedure is used mostly in larger dogs they can be very effective.

Another procedure which is called a femoral head ostectomy removes the top portion of the femur in order to stop a painful grinding at the hip joint. the femur then floats freely forming scar tissue which then acts as the joint. This procedure is recommended for smaller well muscled dogs.

Canine hip dysplasia is not easy to prevent and it's hard to tell if your dog will become a victim of this. Your best bet is to make sure you buy from a reputable breeder and be sure that the parents of your dog are free from CHD. Make sure that puppies do not have undue stress placed on their hips and that your dog does not gain too much weight and these things can help delay the onset of his disease should your dog be prone to it.

Article Source : http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com

Lee Dobbins writes for www.dogbreeds123.com where you can learn more about dog breeds and dog care .