Part 1
As you have seen in the past few weeks, there are a number of hereditary health problems that can occur in gundogs. These are all very serious and while there are a number of things that you can do to reduce the risk of these problems, there will always be a small chance that your gundog can get that disease.
While I have talked about hereditary health problems, I also feel that it is important to talk about non-hereditary health problems. These problems are actually ones that tend to confuse people because all of them are associated with certain breeds. In this case, many people assume that these are risks that are hereditary based but it is important to note that they aren’t.
All non-hereditary health problems are not hereditary. Any breed of dog, regardless of the breed’s predisposition, can have one of these health problems. They are caused for a number of reasons, many of them environmental, and they are not caused by a genetic inheritance.
That being said, there are some non-hereditary health problems that are seen more commonly in certain gundog breeds and those are the ones that I will be looking at in this article. In the future, I will have another article on other non-hereditary health problems but for now I would like to review five of them.
Gastric Torsion: Gastric Torsion, Torsion, Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus or Bloat is a very common health problem that is seen in many different breeds of dogs. While it is not a hereditary problem, it is one that is more commonly seen in breeds with a deep chest, such as the Labrador Retriever.
Gastric Torsion occurs when there is a sudden influx of gas in the stomach. This is caused by a number of factors but it has been linked to overfeeding, deep chests, old age, and blockages caused by expanded food. When it does occur, the stomach begins to fill up with gas and then distend and possibly twist.
When this occurs, the dog should have immediate treatment since it can lead to death if the dog does not have medical intervention. Symptoms for gastric torsion are hard to determine from other diseases but they include a distension of the stomach, symptoms of pain and distress such as panting and restlessness, vomiting, hypersalivation, weakness and loss of appetite.
Treatment for gastric torsion is usually surgery and there is a fatality rate of 10 to 60% depending on the severity of the condition.
Conjunctivitis: Another common health problem that can be seen in many gundog breeds is conjunctivitis. This is caused by an inflammation of the eye due to an irritant being trapped in the eye or more specifically in the protective coating the covers the eye called the conjunctiva.
When the conjunctiva becomes inflamed, the eye will begin to swell and will look red. The dog will also have a lot of discomfort and will begin rubbing the eye and face around their eyes. Usually there is a discharge coming from the eye, which only causes more problems for the dog.
Treatment of conjunctivitis is usually done with medication but in cases where it is severe, surgery may be needed.
Ear infections: Ear infections are quite common in many gundog breeds and are usually caused by a variety of reasons. Generally, most dog breeds that have pendulous ears, ears that hang down, are prone to ear infections since those ears will trap dirt, debris and moisture much easier than other types of ears.
When the moisture is trapped, the dog’s ear will become inflamed and an ear infection will ensue. Ear infections can be treated easily with medication from your veterinarian but it is easier to prevent them. Make sure that your dog’s ears are kept clean and dry them after your dog has been in the water.
Cold Tail: When an owner first experiences cold tail, there is actually a lot of worry involved. Generally, cold tail occurs after the dog has been in water, both cold and warm, or the dog was out in cold weather for a certain period of time.
What cold tail is is actually a limpness that occurs about three or four inches up on the tail. The end result is a tail that looks almost like it has been sprained and it simply hangs from the limp spot in the tail.
Generally, most dogs are not affected by cold tail but some dogs may experience pain at the site of the “break.” Treatment of cold tail is to simply allow it time to heal. Usually, the dog’s tail will be healed within two weeks but if you are concerned about any pain, you may want to seek medical attention for your dog.
Demodectic Mange: Also known as Demodex is a skin problem that is caused by a microscopic mite, known as the Demodex Canis, that burrows into the dogs skin. Generally, many dogs can live with the mite in their skin without any problems but when there is an imbalance, the mite causes a skin infection in the dog.
This is skin disease can range in severity and my only be a small patch of mild red skin or a scaly lesion on either the leg or face of the dog to a full mange where the dog has scaly skin over its whole body, patchy fur and large bald spots.
Demodectic mange is not contagious between older dogs, however, it is paused between the mother and puppy when the latter is first born and if it hasn’t contracted the might by the first few days, it generally won’t contract it.
The treatment for demodectic mange is usually a dip but treatment should be discussed with a veterinarian fist. If your dog is female and has demodectic mange then it should not be bred.
Part 2 will be out soon so keep reading, for hereditary problems see all posts under the health and wellbeing category