Blog on Pet Health, Pet Diseases & Pet Care. Pet health Tips to Help Keep Your Pet Healthy.

Urolithiasis (Cystine)

Urolithiasis is a medical term referring to the presence of crystals or stones in the urinary tract. When the stones are made up of cystine – a normal compound found in the body – they are called cystine stones. These stones can also be found in the kidneys and in the tubes connecting the kidneys to the animal’s bladder (ureters).

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Petroleum Hydrocarbon Toxicosis

When a cat is exposed to refined petroleum oil products, or ingests products of this type, it can result in a severe and disease-like physical reaction, which is referred to as petroleum hydrocarbon toxicosis.

Petroleum products that commonly poison small animals are fuels, solvents, lubricants, and waxes, as well as some pesticides and paints that have a petroleum base. Petroleum products like benzene and turpentine are more likely to be inhaled into the lungs, causing chemical pneumonitis, a life-threatening condition in which the petroleum product spreads all over the surface of the lungs, causing inflammation. Products that have an aromatic, ring-like chemical structure, such as benzene, are most likely to cause systemic toxicity (throughout the body).

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Myxomatosis in Rabbits

Myxomatosis refers to an often fatal disease that affects domestic and wild rabbit populations. This disease is caused by the myxoma virus, a species of the poxvirus family. Several strains of this virus exist today. The virus is most commonly spread through insect bites, as the insect transmits the virus through its mouthparts after feeding from an infected animal. Transmittal methods can include fly bites, fur mite bites, mosquito bites, thorns, animal bedding, and food.

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Ventricular Arrhythmia in Boxers

Cardiomyopathy is most commonly characterized by an irregular heartbeat. Fainting or even sudden heart failure can occur, and some patients can develop congestive heart failure. The disease described here is specific to the boxer; however, similar symptoms have also been seen in English bulldogs. It tends to occur in dogs that are at least two years old, although symptoms in dogs as young as six months have been reported. At the same time, some patients don’t demonstrate symptoms until they are older than ten years.

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Peripheral Edema in Dogs

Edema is characterized by swelling due to an excessive accumulation of tissue fluid within the interstitium, which is a small space, or gap, in the substance of the body’s tissues or organs. This can be localized (focal) or generalized (diffuse) in location.

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Aspiration Pneumonia

Aspiration pneumonia is a condition in which a cat’s lungs become inflamed due to the inhalation of foreign matter, from vomiting, or from the regurgitation of gastric acid contents. This type of pneumonia can also be a direct result of a neuromuscular disorder, which would cause difficulty with swallowing, as well as problems associated with the esophagus, with possible paralysis of the esophagus.

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Flatulence

Sitting next to a cat with a gas problem can be an unpleasant experience. However, it may be surprising to find that the source is different in many ways from flatulence in humans. For example, most of the internal gas comes from swallowed air. Bacterial fermentation of nutrients, as in humans, does also result in the noxious gases that escape from time to time.

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Salmonellosis in Gerbils

Salmonellosis is a contagious disease caused by infection with the Salmonella bacterium. It is quite rare in pet gerbils and is usually spreads due to the ingestion of food or water that has been contaminated with the infected feces or urine of wild rodents. Infected bedding material can also act as a potential source for transmission of salmonellosis disease in gerbils.

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Nonmetastatic Oral Masses Arising from Periodontal Connective Tissue in Cats

Tumors or tumor-like masses on an animal’s gums are referred to as epulides. They appear early on as masses sprouting from the gum, which seem to hang from a stalk, and often displace tooth structures as they expand. Most epulides stick to the bone, do not have a capsule, and have a smooth to slightly nodular surface. They do not spread but may deform the face.

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Abnormally High levels of Parathyroid Hormone due to Chronic Kidney Failure in Dogs

Parathyroid glands are the small endocrine glands that produce parathyroid hormone (PTH). The major function of the parathyroid gland is to control concentrations of calcium in the blood and within the bones. This is not to be confused with the thyroid gland, which has a different function.

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