Anemia in dogs: causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention

If your dog has become less active, it is important to understand the reason for this behavior. Perhaps he has a serious ailment called anemia.

Content

Anemiathe disease is called, in which the volume of oxygen entering the internal organs is sharply reduced due to the decrease in hemoglobin and red blood cells in the hematon. As a rule, this ailment is a consequence of some kind of violation in the body, so the main task in the fight against anemia is to identify the cause of its appearance.

Unfortunately, an anemia can also get sick with a beloved four -legged pet. How to recognize the symptoms of anemia in the dog and how it can be helped - this is our article today.

Anemia in dogs: causes

Since dogs cannot tell a person about their health problems, it is very important for the owner to observe the state of his pet and notice any changes in his behavior in time.

At anemia in the dog Hypoxia begins, because red cells in the blood remains not enough to transport oxygen. Only a qualified veterinarian will be able to recognize the disease and correctly determine its sources after a series of deep studies, after which adequate treatment will be prescribed.

Anemia in dogs may appear as a result of many reasons. Among the most common:

An innate predisposition inherited.
Blood loss (hidden, internal bleeding and external injuries and other damage).
All kinds of ailments - an infectious or parasitic nature.
Autoimmune diseases or internal organs.
Intoxication (ingressing into the body of poisonous substances - chemical or medicinal).
Malignant neoplasms.

Anemia in dogs: species

Since the causes of anemia, its course and effectiveness of treatment are very diverse, its classification is quite expanded. It is very important to correctly recognize not only the disease itself, but also its variety in order to quickly prescribe effective therapy.

Veterinarians distinguish between such types of anemia in dogs:

Anemia is post -hemorrhagic -Due to blood loss. It can proceed both acutely (with fast and large-scale blood losses as a result of injury, surgical intervention, internal cavity bleeding, which can only be detected due to a serious examination, for example, ultrasound, and test results), and chronically (when the blood is lost a little bit, But systematically-for example, due to flea bites, diseases of the digestive system, helminthiasis).
Anemia hemolytic -When for some reason red blood cells die. It can be either genetic (with hereditary pathology of red blood cells) and acquired (appears due to exposure to the dog’s body with poisonous chemicals, parasites, microorganisms, impaired liver functioning and the like).
Anemia hypoplastic and aplastic - In which red blood cells and their proteins cease to be produced in the bone marrow in sufficient quantities. This happens if the bone marrow ceases to function normally-due to a lack of vitamins, nutrients, during intoxication, which leads to a significant reduction in the production of blood cells.
Anemia mixed (or combined) - The most difficult kind of ailment, since it is difficult to recognize and fight with it, because it occurs at once for several reasons.

How does anemia manifest in dogs?

As already noted above, its owner must constantly monitor the condition of the dog, because the slightest changes in its behavior can signal the emergence of dangerous diseases.

So, a person should sound the alarm and seek qualified help in the following cases:

When the mucous membranes of the pet become bluish or pale.
The animal becomes sluggish and apathetic.
Motor activity is sharply reduced.
The dog begins to get tired quickly and ceases to enjoy active pastime.
Breathing, like the heartbeat, becomes frequent.

If you notice a manifestation of the disease in your pet, immediately take him to a specialist who, first of all, will prescribe a general blood test. According to its results, it will immediately become clear whether the animal suffers from anemia.

The next step is to clarify the reasons that have entailed anemia in dogs. For this, as a rule, additional studies are conducted, among which: blood biochemistry, the presence of parasites in it, fecal testing (on parasites and blood content in it), endoscopy, bone marrow biopsy and genetics testing.

Anemia in dogs: treatment

When the diagnosis is already established and the cause of the appearance of anemia is detected, the veterinarian begins therapy, taking into account the general state of health of the pet.

To achieve the maximum result, drugs and treatment methods are individually selected:

In case of blood loss, the animal can overflow it.
To increase its number, special solutions can be administered.
If the dog suffers from any infectious disease, then antibiotics will be written to it.
With a deficiency of vitamins or nutrients, they can be replenished by taking certain drugs.
If parasites are detected, the veterinarian will write out medicines to combat them.
In the most advanced cases, it is recommended to carry out bone marrow transplantation.

If you clearly follow the recommendations of the veterinarian and provide the pet with a good diet and care, then in a few months you can forget about the problem. The exception is chronic forms of the disease, which, however, can be controlled by supporting drugs.

Anemia in dogs: prevention

Everyone knows that it is better to make efforts to not get sick than then fight the disease.

Therefore, in order to avoid the occurrence of anemia in the dog, follow a few simple rules:

Systematically undergo preventive examinations by the veterinarian.
Do all the vaccinations recommended by a specialist in time.
Provide your pet with proper nutrition - high -quality feeds, vitamins and trace elements in full.
Systematically carry out an antiparasitic complex of measures.
Any medicines or vitamin additives can be given to the dog only on the recommendation of the veterinarian.
Make sure that the animal is not poisoned by any toxic or chemicals.