What are the classifications of common diseases in dogs?

Common diseases in dogs can actually be divided into several major categories: malignant infectious diseases, non-malignant diseases, functional diseases, and nutritional diseases.

1. Malignant infectious diseases: mainly canine distemper, canine parvovirus, infectious hepatitis, rabies and other highly contagious and fatal diseases. Among them, rabies is a zoonotic disease. These diseases have many routes of transmission and a relatively low cure rate. Although corresponding vaccines are now available, they are still the number one killer for puppies and dogs that have been vaccinated but whose resistance has dropped sharply for some reason (dogs recovering from a serious illness, dogs that have just given birth, dogs that have just undergone surgery, dogs that have just been bought). Therefore, vaccination for puppies and booster vaccination for those with low resistance are both very important. For these diseases, blood tests can provide results and enable early treatment.

2. Non-malignant infectious diseases: this category mainly refers to various skin diseases, such as fungal skin diseases, parasitic skin diseases, or skin diseases caused by other reasons. The characteristics of these diseases are that the early signs are not obvious and are easily ignored by owners, and owners easily misuse medication, causing the best treatment period to be missed or accelerating the progression of the disease. These diseases are actually not fatal, but they can easily develop into stubborn conditions that recur many times and are difficult to cure completely. For these diseases, skin sample tests can accurately identify the source of the problem, whether it is fungi or mites, whether it is scabies mites, Demodex mites, or Sarcoptes mites. Therefore, it is recommended that dog owners seek treatment at a regular hospital as early as possible.

3. Functional diseases: mainly refers to pathological changes in the function of a certain part of the body that form functional disorders. These can also be divided into congenital and acquired. Congenital mainly refers to hereditary diseases: some people may practice inbreeding in order to maintain the purity of a dog breed's bloodline, and this situation can easily lead to congenital hereditary diseases. There is also the case that certain dog breeds are susceptible groups for certain diseases. Acquired mainly refers to those caused by certain accidents, normal aging of the dog, or disease. These diseases are difficult to avoid, and owners can only pay more attention in daily life.

4. Nutritional diseases: this is now the most common type of disease in dogs. It may trigger various complications, such as liver function lesions caused by excessive fat; vitamin poisoning caused by excessive vitamin supplementation; diarrhea and dehydration caused by Salmonella multiplying in the body due to eating too many raw eggs; obesity caused by excessive supplementation of protein and fat, and so on. The best prevention for these diseases is reasonable nutritional supplementation. There are now many books on the market with detailed introductions to this area, and it is hoped that dog owners can read them before formulating a diet for their dog.