Dog Health Information Provided by DoodyCalls Pooper Scooper Service

Giardia are parasitic, single-celled organisms called protozoa that live in the small intestine of dogs. Giardia protozoa prevent nutrients from being properly absorbed through the dog’s small intestine. Many dogs carry the infection, but do not display the disease. While these dogs show no symptoms of infection, they are highly contagious.

Spread of Giardia

Giardia is spread through the feces or poop of infected dogs.  Dogs become infected with Giardia by consuming Giardia cysts when drinking contaminated water, grooming, or consuming anything that is contaminated with the cyst.

A Giardia cyst is a group of Giardia protozoa that has formed a protective protein shell around itself. Giardia cysts form inside the small intestine of the host and pass through the stool and into the environment.  Giardia can be passed from dogs to humans through contaminated dog waste.

Symptoms of Giardia Infection

Dogs infected with Giardia may display severe symptoms or no symptoms at all.  Symptoms include: diarrhea, gas, bloating and weight loss. Dog waste from infected dogs may appear greasy, have a foul odor, or be pale in color.

Dogs infected with Giardia may display symptoms very suddenly, or they may appear and reappear over a period of weeks, months, or even many years.

Diagnosis of Giardia

Diagnosis of Giardia is frequently performed by looking for Giardia cysts in the stool of an ill dog. This test is called a Fecal Coliform Test. Giarda cysts may not be present in all stool samples. Multiple dog waste samples are generally needed to determine if there is an infection.

A new and accurate method for determining Giardia infection is the Giardia SNAP test invented by IDEXX Laboratories.  The Giarda SNAP determines in less than 10 minutes if the proteins used to create the protective cyst wall are present in the dog waste. If the protein is present, the dog is positively diagnosed for Giardia.

Treatment

There are a number of drugs available to treat Giardia infections.  Based on our research, there does not seem to be a clear determination on the best way to treat dogs infected with the Giardia protozoa. Further, many medications have side effects that include nausea, bone marrow injury and even birth defects.

Four commonly used drugs are:

• 
  Metronidazole – Metronidazole disrupts the DNA structure of the Giardia.



• 
  Quinacrine hydrochloride.



• 
  Fenbendazole – Fenbendazole is a member of the anthelmintics family and is used to expel Giardia cysts from the intestine.  This family of drugs is more commonly used to treat intestinal worm infestations.



• 
  Albendazole.

Prevention of Giardia Infection

The best way to prevent Giardia infection is to keep your dog away from the waste of infected animals.  Giardia cysts can survive for months outside if the conditions remain cold and wet.  The spring thaw tends to reveal many piles of poop that have not been picked up as diligently as one might hope.  Since Giardia cysts can live for extended periods of time in cold and wet environments, it is logical to assume that parks this time of year will have a higher than normal population of Giardia protozoa. Keep an eye on your dog this time of year.  Especially if you regularly visit dog parks and other public places shared by a variety of dogs.  If your park or community has a problem with accumulated pet waste it may be wise to look into hiring a pooper scooper service.  Services such as DoodyCalls pet waste removal can do a large “spring cleaning” of the community common areas to clean all the dog waste from paths, playgrounds and common areas.

A Canine Giardia vaccine is available but not recommended because, as the UC Davis Website states: “the diseases are either of little clinical significance or respond readily to treatment, evidence for the efficacy of these vaccines is minimal, and they may produce adverse events with limited benefit.”

Resources

Health Issues Associated with Puppy Mill Dogs

May 13, 2010

Health Issues Associated with Puppy Mill Dogs

Filed under: IC Stories: Farooq, Buying a Puppy, Iowa City Stories — nawaar @ 11:39 am

*Disclaimer: The dog photographed above is not a puppy mill dog and is only used for purposes of visual enhancement of the story. Photo by Nawaar Farooq

Health Issues Associated with Puppy Mill Dogs
by Nawaar Farooq

According to the Iowa Voters for Companion Animals, puppy mill dogs are often subject to terrible conditions that can lead to many health complications in their lives. Some of these conditions include:

• overcrowding in small wire cages or makeshift enclosures


• stacking of crates so that dog excrement falls from higher crates to lower ones


• no nurturing human contract, socialization, or veterinary care


• exposure to climate extremes in buildings with poor ventilation and temperature control


• rarely taken out of cages except for breeding purposes


• bred every heat cycle until their bodies wear out or they develop other health issues


• “disposed of” when they can no longer reproduce – sometimes they are shot, abandoned, or in rare cases, relinquished to animal rescue organizations.

Veterinary technician Jesse Henderkoff from Bright Eyes and Bushy Tails Veterinary Clinic in Iowa City has seen many dogs in her day and knows what signs to watch out for when purchasing a new pup. She gave me a rundown of some common problems that puppies face, especially those that are bred and raised in puppy mills.

Henderkoff lists the following issues as symptoms and conditions you should watch out for when buying a new puppy:

• 
  BREATHING COMPLICATIONS: An elongated soft palate will interfere with a dog’s breathing. As the surviving mill dogs grow older, they are more prone to developing respiratory ailments and pneumonia.

• 
  CONJUNCTIVITIS: The membrane that lines the inner sides of the eyeball up to the cornea is called the conjunctiva. If it becomes infected, you’ll notice a discharge from the corner of the dog’s eye. The discharge may be clear and watery or opaque and thick. Typically this is the result of a bacterial infection. Your veterinarian can give you the best diagnosis.

• 
  GIARDIA/PARASITES: Though an infection with Giardia is not initially fatal to your dog’s health, it can develop into a very serious condition. These parasites are found in dirty or contaminated water. Since the Giardia organisms interfere with the normal absorption of your dog’s food, this can result in malnutrition, weight loss, and other serious symptoms. In addition to this, due to the frequent diarrhea that most dogs experience when infected with Giardia, a dog may also become severely dehydrated.

• 
  HEART MURMURS: A heart murmur is one of several types of abnormal sounds your veterinarian can hear when listening to your pet’s heart with a stethoscope.  Normally, two distinct sounds are heard when listening to the heart of a normal dog. This is normally caused by a turbulent blood flow. Hearing a heart murmur during a routine physical examination will often be the first hint to your veterinarian that your pet has heart disease. This is not something to panic about, but you should get checked out regularly.

• 
  HIP DYSPLASIA: In dogs, a femur that does not fit correctly into the pelvic socket, or poorly developed muscles in the pelvic area. Large and giant breeds are susceptible to hip dysplasia, and a few smaller breeds suffer from it. In dogs, the problem almost always appears by the time the dog is 18 months old. Dogs might exhibit signs of stiffness or soreness after rising from rest, reluctance to exercise, bunny-hopping or other abnormal gait (legs move more together when running rather than swinging alternately), lameness, pain, reluctance to stand on rear legs, etc. Some dogs do recover, although it can be problematic as the dog gets older.

• 
  KENNEL COUGH: Also known as canine tracheobronchitis, kennel cough refers to a highly contagious class of viral and bacterial ailments which spreads rapidly among dogs in close quarters, such as in a pet store or veterinarian. Both viral and bacterial agents play a role in the complex, much as in human bronchitis, making the syndrome difficult to diagnose. Once kennel cough has been contracted, the treatment course is much as it is for humans with similar infections. Antibiotics are prescribed if bacterial causes are determined, as well as a week or so of naptime in a freshly scrubbed room away from other dogs.

• 
  LUXATING PATELLA: The patella is the bone we know as the knee cap. A groove in the end of the femur allows the patella to glide up and down when the knee joint is bent back and forth. In so doing, the patella guides the action of the quadriceps muscle in the lower leg. The patella also protects the knee joint. In some dogs, because of malformation or trauma, the ridges forming the patellar groove are not prominent, and a too-shallow groove is created. In a dog with shallow grooves, the patella will luxate (jump out of the groove) sideways, especially toward the inside. This causes the leg to ‘lock up’ with the foot held off the ground. Smaller breeds of dogs have the highest incidence of patella luxation.

• 
  NEUROLOGICAL/SOCIALIZATION DISORDERS: Due to the frequently poor breeding conditions in puppy mills, puppies bred there often suffer from health and/or social problems. Puppies raised in a cramped environment shared by many other dogs become poorly socialized to other dogs and to humans. Dogs are then transported over long distances in poor conditions, sometimes resulting in animal stress and death.

• 
  OVERBITES/UNDERBITES: Puppies and dogs with overbites and underbites may need to have dental surgery because the Constant contact between upper and lower incisors can cause uneven wear, periodontal disease, and early tooth loss.  Many times the tips of the teeth are shaved off or the problematic teeth are removed altogether.

• 
  PARVOVIRUS: Parvovirus is a viral disease of dogs. It affects puppies much more frequently than it affects adult dogs. The virus likes to grow in rapidly dividing cells. The intestinal lining has the biggest concentration of rapidly dividing cells in a puppy’s body. The virus attacks and kills these cells, causing diarrhea (often bloody), depression and suppression of white blood cells — which come from another group of rapidly dividing cells. In very young puppies it can infect the heart muscle and lead to “sudden” death. Vaccinations usually are given at around 2-3 weeks and after the first series of shots, puppies are given boosters every 2 weeks until they are around 13 weeks old.

• 
  UNHEALTHY COAT: What a dog looks like on the outside is likely an indication of what is going on in the inside. If a dog’s coat is matted, dull or has an unkempt appearance, chances are that the animal is unhealthy and should be looked at by a veterinarian. The dog may need more fatty acids and nutrients in its diet than what it is getting.

These are just some of the symptoms and conditions that puppies and dogs from puppy mills might exhibit. Other puppies born in normal conditions may have these conditions as well, but these are just some of the most prevalent ones found in puppy mill puppies. There is no reason these dogs and puppies should be subject to these conditions. The new legislation regarding puppy mills should be very beneficial in curbing many of these commercial breeding facilities where dogs are produced for quantity and profit.

Click on the following links to read more about Puppy Shopping and Experiences of Dog Owners.

Comments (4)

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Dog Health - Giardia in Dogs

Generally there remain several things that veterinarians don’t understand about giardia as well as bacterial infections in dogs. Giardia are in fact protozoans, single celled microorganisms. It isn’t unusual for giardia organisms to end up being inside the intestinal tract of several pets, which includes canines. On the other hand, many of us have no idea precisely how widespread giardia can be.

Giardia is a parasite. It links itself to the lining on the intestine. It may also drift free over the lining within the intestine. Several canines are usually asymptotic, meaning they never display any kind of signs and symptoms. Some other pet dogs will evolve symptoms associated with any giardia infectivity. All which is too complicated to understand. There are times where dogs have a higher count of the organism but show no sign of being affected. Then you have the case where signs are barely detected and you have a huge break out. This doesn’t affect one breed more than another.

Giardia is generally most hazardous regarding young puppies. The actual contamination could express itself as looseness of the bowels as well as bloody or mucousy stool. Additional signs and symptoms linked with giardia consist of weight loss, lack of energy and very poor appetite. A pup or even dog might possess a long-term, small level giardia contamination and, whenever they become stressed for some purpose the actual contamination may flare up and turn out to be really severe. This signifies that giardia can stick around for a prolonged period.

Giardia is present in 2 phases: the swimming, feasting phase within your doggie’s intestine and also the cyst phase which moves through his / her fecal material and which usually is transferred on to the ground. These types of cysts can easily survive for a number of months outside the system if there is sufficient humidity present. If your pet dog ingests them yet again, or perhaps if another canine ingests them, then the actual never-ending cycle commences all over. This tends to make giardia extremely difficult to get rid of once it is in your residence.

It’s always essential to pick up after your pet dogs yet it is especially so in the event that you think that one of your dogs seems to have a giardia contamination. This will certainly help prevent your pet dog, or even one of your other canines, from getting contaminated with the living bacteria. It is actually suspected that giardia might also end up being passed to human beings.

If your pet dog is suffering from on-going difficulties with diarrhea, specifically when there is bloody or mucousy feces, you must see your animal medical practitioner. Your veterinarian could ensure a diagnosis of giardia by examining your dog’s stool for signs of the giardia cysts. Cysts are generally only passed from time to time therefore your veterinarian might want to perform 2-3 bowel examinations in order to come across evidence associated with the giardia contamination.

If your doggy does have giardia then your veterinarian can probably take care of the contamination with metronidazole or quinacrine. These are the 2 anti-protozoal drug treatments most generally suggested with regard to dealing with a giardia infection.

Young puppies tend to be most at danger of becoming dehydrated via the diarrhea linked with giardia. On the other hand, with excellent veterinary clinic treatment your puppy or doggy should recover from this contamination. In the event that you have additional pet dogs it’s actually a very good notion for just about all of them to become treated regardless of whether they are displaying signs and symptoms of giardia or not. You will also want to thoroughly ” rake ” up even the tiniest remnants of fecal matter through your residence thus your pet dogs cannot become re-infected.

It is extremely important to put a stop to your pet dogs from sampling manure samples from other wildlife, such as cows as well as horses. Many creatures might carry traces of giardia and your pet dog may pick them up whenever he or she noses about the fecal/manure droppings.

Even though this is the actual course of action when giardia could be established, there are generally several occasions when your dog may get looseness of the bowels and the actual trigger is unidentified. Your veterinarian might be unable to help make a distinct diagnosis. Giardia might be assumed but your animal medical practitioner may be incapable of confirming it. In instances such as these an individual should adhere to their vet’s ideal advice. He or she may choose to take care of your furry friend for a microbial contamination or perhaps not treat the diarrhea at all. As long as your pet dog improves, that is just what actually matters.

Pet Health Tip #23- Intestinal Parasites

There are several intestinal worms that infest dogs.  The most common intestinal worms are: Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Tapeworms.  However, the one that is most commonly SEEN by the owner is the Tapeworm.  It looks like a small grain of rice.  The dog is not actually passing the whole worm.  It is actually passing an immature worm that breaks off the mature worm.  The mature tapeworm can be several inches long and is flat.  Occasionally, if the worm burden is high enough, the owner may also see Roundworms.  These are long spaghetti shaped worms.  Most of the time the dog is only passing the worm eggs which are microscopic.

Symptoms of intestinal parasite infestation include: weight loss (or failure to gain weight) and loose stools.  Occasionally in small puppies, you will also see vomiting.  Hookworms can also cause bloody stools.

Another common intestinal parasite is Giardia.  This is not a worm, but is a protozoa organism.  Dogs with Giardia infections usually have very loose stools to runny diarrhea.

Puppies will often times have multiple infestations.  It is common for them to have Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Giardia all at the same time.  This is why it is very important to deworm puppies.  Typically, your veterinarian will deworm your puppy at the same time that it receives its vaccinations.

Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Giardia are all transmitted fecal-orally through the ingestion of the eggs.  The infested dog will pass the eggs in their stool and then the next dog usually picks the eggs up on their feet.  Then, when they groom themselves, then ingest the eggs.  The eggs then mature into adult worms.

Tapeworms are transmitted by the flea.  Dogs typically get tapeworms from the biting at the fleas that are biting them.  They then accidentally ingest the flea and the immature stages of the tapeworm are released and mature into tapeworms.  Cats often become infested with tapeworms by eating a rodent (rat/mouse) that has fleas.

Most Heartworm medications also contain medication that will kill Roundworms and Hookworms.  So, you are giving them a monthly heartworm and intestinal worm treatment with each monthly dose.

Tapeworms are not killed by most Heartworm medications.  Also, most over-the-counter medications DO NOT kill Tapeworms.  It is important if you see evidence of your pet passing Tapeworms to make sure you are using a dewormer that kills them.

Dog Health - Giardia in Dogs

Generally there remain several things that veterinarians don’t understand about giardia as well as bacterial infections in dogs. Giardia are in fact protozoans, single celled microorganisms. It isn’t unusual for giardia organisms to end up being inside the intestinal tract of several pets, which includes canines. On the other hand, many of us have no idea precisely how widespread giardia can be.

Giardia is a parasite. It links itself to the lining on the intestine. It may also drift free over the lining within the intestine. Several canines are usually asymptotic, meaning they never display any kind of signs and symptoms. Some other pet dogs will evolve symptoms associated with any giardia infectivity. All which is too complicated to understand. There are times where dogs have a higher count of the organism but show no sign of being affected. Then you have the case where signs are barely detected and you have a huge break out. This doesn’t affect one breed more than another.

Giardia is generally most hazardous regarding young puppies. The actual contamination could express itself as looseness of the bowels as well as bloody or mucousy stool. Additional signs and symptoms linked with giardia consist of weight loss, lack of energy and very poor appetite. A pup or even dog might possess a long-term, small level giardia contamination and, whenever they become stressed for some purpose the actual contamination may flare up and turn out to be really severe. This signifies that giardia can stick around for a prolonged period.

Giardia is present in 2 phases: the swimming, feasting phase within your doggie’s intestine and also the cyst phase which moves through his / her fecal material and which usually is transferred on to the ground. These types of cysts can easily survive for a number of months outside the system if there is sufficient humidity present. If your pet dog ingests them yet again, or perhaps if another canine ingests them, then the actual never-ending cycle commences all over. This tends to make giardia extremely difficult to get rid of once it is in your residence.

It’s always essential to pick up after your pet dogs yet it is especially so in the event that you think that one of your dogs seems to have a giardia contamination. This will certainly help prevent your pet dog, or even one of your other canines, from getting contaminated with the living bacteria. It is actually suspected that giardia might also end up being passed to human beings.

If your pet dog is suffering from on-going difficulties with diarrhea, specifically when there is bloody or mucousy feces, you must see your animal medical practitioner. Your veterinarian could ensure a diagnosis of giardia by examining your dog’s stool for signs of the giardia cysts. Cysts are generally only passed from time to time therefore your veterinarian might want to perform 2-3 bowel examinations in order to come across evidence associated with the giardia contamination.

If your doggy does have giardia then your veterinarian can probably take care of the contamination with metronidazole or quinacrine. These are the 2 anti-protozoal drug treatments most generally suggested with regard to dealing with a giardia infection.

Young puppies tend to be most at danger of becoming dehydrated via the diarrhea linked with giardia. On the other hand, with excellent veterinary clinic treatment your puppy or doggy should recover from this contamination. In the event that you have additional pet dogs it’s actually a very good notion for just about all of them to become treated regardless of whether they are displaying signs and symptoms of giardia or not. You will also want to thoroughly ” rake ” up even the tiniest remnants of fecal matter through your residence thus your pet dogs cannot become re-infected.

It is extremely important to put a stop to your pet dogs from sampling manure samples from other wildlife, such as cows as well as horses. Many creatures might carry traces of giardia and your pet dog may pick them up whenever he or she noses about the fecal/manure droppings.

Even though this is the actual course of action when giardia could be established, there are generally several occasions when your dog may get looseness of the bowels and the actual trigger is unidentified. Your veterinarian might be unable to help make a distinct diagnosis. Giardia might be assumed but your animal medical practitioner may be incapable of confirming it. In instances such as these an individual should adhere to their vet’s ideal advice. He or she may choose to take care of your furry friend for a microbial contamination or perhaps not treat the diarrhea at all. As long as your pet dog improves, that is just what actually matters.

Animal Health - Giardia inside Dogs

Generally there remain multiple issues that veterinarians don’t understand about giardia furthermore , bacterial infections in animals. Giardia are in possibility protozoans, single celled micro organism. It isn’t unusual for giardia organisms are inside the intestinal tract of several pets, which includes animals. On the other offer, many of us are unaware of precisely how widespread giardia could be.

Giardia is a pest. It links itself during lining on the intestinal tract. It may also drift free regarding the lining within the bowel. Several canines are just take asymptotic, meaning they never display any kind of signs and symptoms. Alot more pet dogs will evolve symptoms high of any giardia infectivity. All which is too complicated to understand. There are times where dogs consume a higher count of entire body organism but show no characteristic of being affected. Then it is a case where signs are barely detected and you’ve got a huge break without. This doesn’t affect one breed as compared to another.

Giardia is generally most serious regarding young puppies. The actual contamination can certainly express itself as looseness of as well as weakling or mucousy stool. Additional characteristics and symptoms linked with giardia will incorporate weight loss, lack of the and very poor long for. A pup or even dog might give yourself the best long-term, small level giardia illness and, whenever they become stressed clients purpose the actual toxic contamination may flare up and end up being really severe. This signifies that giardia can stick around for a prolonged period.

Giardia occurs in 2 phases: small swimming, feasting phase within your doggie’s intestine because cyst phase which moves through his or her fecal material and that’s the transferred in the grass. These types of cysts can easily survive for assorted months outside the system if you feel led sufficient humidity present. If your four-legged ingests them yet in turn, or perhaps if the next canine ingests them, then actual never-ending cycle commences somewhere. This tends to the strain giardia extremely difficult to take out once it is in the house.

It’s always essential to gather after your pet dogs yet prepared food so of you think that each of your dogs seems to begin using giardia contamination. This will certainly help prevent your new pet, or even one of our own other canines, from getting contaminated with the living bacteria. It happens to be suspected that giardia might also possibly be passed to human creatures.

If your pet dog is prone to on-going difficulties with looseness of, specifically when there is pretty bloody or mucousy barstool, you must see your animal medical practitioner. Your veterinarian could ensure an analysis of giardia by examining your canine’s stool for signs rule giardia cysts. Cysts are generally only passed now and again therefore your veterinarian will need perform 2-3 bowel examinations that will come across evidence associated with the giardia contamination.

If your doggy ‘s got giardia then your veterinarian can probably conserve the contamination with metronidazole oregon quinacrine. These are the 2 anti-protozoal supplements most generally suggested with regard to dealing with a giardia rrssue.

Young puppies tend to take a look most at danger of becoming dehydrated via the diarrhea related to giardia. On the other hand, with excellent veterinary clinic treatment your puppy or doggy should fight this contamination. In the event you’ve additional pet dogs accent piece is a very good notion for just about all them to become treated even though they are displaying warning signs of giardia or not. Web page want to thoroughly ” rake ” up even the tiniest remnants of waste material through your residence thus your pet dogs cannot become re-infected.

It is extremely important to cease your pet dogs deep under sampling manure samples off their wildlife, such as cows furthermore , horses. Many creatures might current traces of giardia and your four-legged may pick them up whenever he or she noses about the fecal/manure excrement.

Even though this is the actual surgical procedure when giardia could churn out established, there are generally several events when your dog may get looseness of and the actual be responsible for is unidentified. Your veterinarian might struggle to help make a many diagnosis. Giardia might be assumed but your animal medical practitioner may be incapable which are confirming it. In instances such as an individual should consider their vet’s ideal suggestions. He or she may choose maintain your furry friend to put microbial contamination or perhaps not treat the diarrhea in the slightest degree. As long as your new pet improves, that is what normally matters.

.

Health Issues Associated with Puppy Mill Dogs

*Disclaimer: The dogs photographed are not puppy mill dogs and are only used for purposes of visual enhancement of the story. Photos by Nawaar Farooq

Health Issues Associated with Puppy Mill Dogs
Story and Photos by Nawaar Farooq

According to the Iowa Voters for Companion Animals, puppy mill dogs are often subject to terrible conditions that can lead to many health complications in their lives. Some of these conditions include:

• overcrowding in small wire cages or makeshift enclosures


• stacking of crates so that dog excrement falls from higher crates to lower ones


• no nurturing human contract, socialization, or veterinary care


• exposure to climate extremes in buildings with poor ventilation and temperature control


• rarely taken out of cages except for breeding purposes


• bred every heat cycle until their bodies wear out or they develop other health issues


• “disposed of” when they can no longer reproduce – sometimes they are shot, abandoned, or in rare cases, relinquished to animal rescue organizations.

Veterinary technician Jesse Henderkoff from Bright Eyes and Bushy Tails Veterinary Clinic in Iowa City has seen many dogs in her day and knows what signs to watch out for when purchasing a new pup. She gave me a rundown of some common problems that puppies face, especially those that are bred and raised in puppy mills.

Henderkoff lists the following issues as symptoms and conditions you should watch out for when buying a new puppy:

• 
  BREATHING COMPLICATIONS: An elongated soft palate will interfere with a dog’s breathing. As the surviving mill dogs grow older, they are more prone to developing respiratory ailments and pneumonia.

• 
  CONJUNCTIVITIS: The membrane that lines the inner sides of the eyeball up to the cornea is called the conjunctiva. If it becomes infected, you’ll notice a discharge from the corner of the dog’s eye. The discharge may be clear and watery or opaque and thick. Typically this is the result of a bacterial infection. Your veterinarian can give you the best diagnosis.

• 
  GIARDIA/PARASITES: Though an infection with Giardia is not initially fatal to your dog’s health, it can develop into a very serious condition. These parasites are found in dirty or contaminated water. Since the Giardia organisms interfere with the normal absorption of your dog’s food, this can result in malnutrition, weight loss, and other serious symptoms. In addition to this, due to the frequent diarrhea that most dogs experience when infected with Giardia, a dog may also become severely dehydrated.

• 
  HEART MURMURS: A heart murmur is one of several types of abnormal sounds your veterinarian can hear when listening to your pet’s heart with a stethoscope.  Normally, two distinct sounds are heard when listening to the heart of a normal dog. This is normally caused by a turbulent blood flow. Hearing a heart murmur during a routine physical examination will often be the first hint to your veterinarian that your pet has heart disease. This is not something to panic about, but you should get checked out regularly.

• 
  HIP DYSPLASIA: In dogs, a femur that does not fit correctly into the pelvic socket, or poorly developed muscles in the pelvic area. Large and giant breeds are susceptible to hip dysplasia, and a few smaller breeds suffer from it. In dogs, the problem almost always appears by the time the dog is 18 months old. Dogs might exhibit signs of stiffness or soreness after rising from rest, reluctance to exercise, bunny-hopping or other abnormal gait (legs move more together when running rather than swinging alternately), lameness, pain, reluctance to stand on rear legs, etc. Some dogs do recover, although it can be problematic as the dog gets older.

• 
  KENNEL COUGH: Also known as canine tracheobronchitis, kennel cough refers to a highly contagious class of viral and bacterial ailments which spreads rapidly among dogs in close quarters, such as in a pet store or veterinarian. Both viral and bacterial agents play a role in the complex, much as in human bronchitis, making the syndrome difficult to diagnose. Once kennel cough has been contracted, the treatment course is much as it is for humans with similar infections. Antibiotics are prescribed if bacterial causes are determined, as well as a week or so of naptime in a freshly scrubbed room away from other dogs.

• 
  LUXATING PATELLA: The patella is the bone we know as the knee cap. A groove in the end of the femur allows the patella to glide up and down when the knee joint is bent back and forth. In so doing, the patella guides the action of the quadriceps muscle in the lower leg. The patella also protects the knee joint. In some dogs, because of malformation or trauma, the ridges forming the patellar groove are not prominent, and a too-shallow groove is created. In a dog with shallow grooves, the patella will luxate (jump out of the groove) sideways, especially toward the inside. This causes the leg to ‘lock up’ with the foot held off the ground. Smaller breeds of dogs have the highest incidence of patella luxation.

• 
  NEUROLOGICAL/SOCIALIZATION DISORDERS: Due to the frequently poor breeding conditions in puppy mills, puppies bred there often suffer from health and/or social problems. Puppies raised in a cramped environment shared by many other dogs become poorly socialized to other dogs and to humans. Dogs are then transported over long distances in poor conditions, sometimes resulting in animal stress and death.

• OVERBITES/UNDERBITES: Puppies and dogs with overbites and underbites may need to have dental surgery because the Constant contact between upper and lower incisors can cause uneven wear, periodontal disease, and early tooth loss.  Many times the tips of the teeth are shaved off or the problematic teeth are removed altogether.

• 
  PARVOVIRUS: Parvovirus is a viral disease of dogs. It affects puppies much more frequently than it affects adult dogs. The virus likes to grow in rapidly dividing cells. The intestinal lining has the biggest concentration of rapidly dividing cells in a puppy’s body. The virus attacks and kills these cells, causing diarrhea (often bloody), depression and suppression of white blood cells — which come from another group of rapidly dividing cells. In very young puppies it can infect the heart muscle and lead to “sudden” death. Vaccinations usually are given at around 2-3 weeks and after the first series of shots, puppies are given boosters every 2 weeks until they are around 13 weeks old.

• 
  UNHEALTHY COAT: What a dog looks like on the outside is likely an indication of what is going on in the inside. If a dog’s coat is matted, dull or has an unkempt appearance, chances are that the animal is unhealthy and should be looked at by a veterinarian. The dog may need more fatty acids and nutrients in its diet than what it is getting.

These are just some of the symptoms and conditions that puppies and dogs from puppy mills might exhibit. Other puppies born in normal conditions may have these conditions as well, but these are just some of the most prevalent ones found in puppy mill puppies. There is no reason these dogs and puppies should be subject to these conditions. The new legislation regarding puppy mills should be very beneficial in curbing many of these commercial breeding facilities where dogs are produced for quantity and profit.

Click on the following links to read more about Puppy Shopping and Experiences of Dog Owners.