Common Conditions in Dogs

Addison's disease is a shortage of adrenal hormones that control stress response and salt and water balance.

Environmental allergy (atopy) and food allergy cause very similar itching in dogs.

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive, painful bone cancer that most often affects the leg bones of large-breed dogs.

Tracheal collapse is a weakening of the windpipe's cartilage rings so the airway flattens as the dog breathes in.

Dystocia means a difficult birth: a dog cannot deliver her puppies normally without help.

An aural hematoma is a pocket of blood in the ear flap, usually caused by head shaking or scratching from an itchy or infected ear.

Eclampsia, also called puerperal tetany or milk fever, is a life-threatening drop in blood calcium in nursing mothers.

Atopic dermatitis is an inherited tendency to overreact to things in the environment, such as pollens, molds, and dust mites.

False pregnancy is when an unspayed female dog shows signs of pregnancy and mothering behavior after a heat cycle without actually being pregnant.

Heartworm disease is caused by a worm spread by mosquito bites.

A hooded or recessed vulva is partly hidden by surrounding skin folds.

Liver tumors can be benign or malignant; in dogs most primary liver tumors are malignant, with hepatocellular carcinoma the most common.

Mastitis is inflammation, usually from infection, of one or more mammary glands.

Nuclear sclerosis is a normal, age-related bluish-gray haze in the lens of the eye of middle-aged and older dogs.

Pododermatitis means inflammation of the paws.

A perineal hernia happens when the muscles beside the anus weaken or tear, letting fat, intestine, or even the bladder bulge under the skin.

Prostate problems are common in unneutered male dogs.

Cryptorchidism is when one or both testicles do not descend into the scrotum.

Some dogs become distressed when left alone, barking, pacing, chewing exits, drooling, or soiling indoors.

Skin tags, also called fibroepithelial polyps or fibromas, are slow-growing, benign growths of fibrous tissue.

An umbilical hernia is a soft bulge at the belly button where the umbilical opening did not fully close after birth.

In vaginal hyperplasia, swollen vaginal tissue pushes out through the vulva during heat.

Aggression in dogs ranges from a warning growl or snap to serious bites.

Bite wounds are one of the most common reasons dogs need emergency care.

Canine brucellosis is a contagious bacterial infection that mainly affects the reproductive system, causing late miscarriage and infertility.

Cushing's disease (hyperadrenocorticism) is overproduction of cortisol, the body's stress hormone.

In intervertebral disc disease, a degenerated spinal disc ruptures and presses on the spinal cord, causing back or neck pain, wobbliness, or paralysis.

Otitis externa is inflammation of the outer ear canal.

Ectopic ureters are a birth defect in which the tubes carrying urine from the kidneys bypass their normal entry into the bladder.

Growths on the eyelid edge are common in dogs.

A lipoma is a common, benign fatty lump, usually under the skin, in middle-aged and older dogs.

Hip dysplasia is an inherited malformation of the hip joint during growth that leads to a loose joint and arthritis.

Hypothyroidism means the thyroid gland makes too little hormone, slowing the body's metabolism.

Lymphoma is a cancer of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.

Mitral valve disease is a gradual thickening and weakening of the valve between the left heart chambers, so blood leaks backward.

Obesity means carrying enough extra body fat to harm health.

Pemphigus is a group of autoimmune skin diseases in which the immune system attacks the connections between skin cells, causing crusts, sores, and sometimes blisters.

Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues that hold the teeth in place.

Pyometra is a serious, life-threatening infection of the uterus in unspayed female dogs.

SIPS is long-lasting bloody discharge after giving birth, caused by slow healing of the uterus where the placentas were attached.

An abscess is a pocket of pus, often caused by a bite or a penetrating object such as a stick or grass seed.

Tumors of the spleen can be benign (hemangioma) or malignant (hemangiosarcoma).

USMI is a common cause of urine leakage in spayed female dogs: the muscles that keep the urethra closed lose tone, so urine leaks when the dog is relaxed or asleep.

Vaginitis is inflammation of the vagina or the area just inside the vulva.

Osteoarthritis is a slowly worsening joint disease in which the protective cartilage wears down, causing pain, stiffness, and bony changes.

GDV is a life-threatening emergency in which the stomach fills with gas and twists, cutting off its entrance, exit, and blood supply.

Canine cognitive dysfunction is a slowly progressive, age-related decline in brain function, similar in some ways to Alzheimer's disease.

Diabetes occurs when the body doesn't make enough insulin, so sugar builds up in the blood instead of fueling cells.

Discoid lupus erythematosus, sometimes called "collie nose," is an autoimmune skin disease that usually starts on the nose, causing loss of pigment, a smooth surface, crusts, and sores.

Inflammation or clotting of the small blood vessels in the ear flap can starve the ear tip of blood, causing dark crusts, sores, and dead tissue at the edge of the ear.

Entropion is an inward rolling of the eyelid that lets hair rub on the eye, causing pain and corneal damage.

Fading puppy syndrome describes puppies that seem normal at birth but gradually weaken and die in the first two weeks of life.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle: the walls thin and weaken, the heart enlarges, and it can no longer pump blood well.

A histiocytoma is a common, benign skin tumor of young dogs.

In immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, the immune system destroys the dog's own red blood cells, often causing severe anemia.

Mast cell tumors are the most common skin cancer in dogs.

Fear of noises such as thunder and fireworks affects about a third of dogs.

Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious virus that attacks the intestinal lining and the immune system.

Lumps around the anus in dogs are often perianal (hepatoid) gland tumors.

Pregnancy and nursing put big demands on a mother dog.

A retained placenta is afterbirth that stays in the uterus after a puppy is born.

Sebaceous adenomas are common, benign growths of the skin's oil glands in older dogs.

Skin cysts in dogs are benign, keratin-filled sacs, most of which come from hair follicles.

The cranial cruciate ligament (similar to the ACL in people) stabilizes the knee.

Metritis is inflammation of the uterus, usually from bacterial infection, that develops after a dog gives birth.

Zinc-responsive dermatosis is a skin disease caused by poor absorption or low availability of zinc.