Dogs
Damaged toenails are very common, especially in active dogs. Most nail injuries occur as a result of a nail catching or snagging on plant matter, carpet, or other material while the dog is running.
Damaged toenails are extremely painful at the moment of injury. In many cases, pain will persist until the damaged portion of the nail is removed by a veterinarian. However, the vast majority of dogs with injured nails make complete recoveries.
Dogs
Hot spots are areas of skin that rapidly become irritated and infected, resulting in hair loss, moistness, and inflammation of the area. They are called “hot” because they develop very quickly–in many cases overnight. Often, self trauma such as excessive licking or scratching is involved in the development of hot spots. However, hot spots can occur in the absence of licking or scratching.
Cats and dogs
Fever of unknown origin is a common syndrome in cats and dogs. Affected animals experience an elevated body temperature, usually accompanied by lethargy, weakness, and lack of appetite.
As the name implies, the cause of fever of unknown origin is not determined in most cases. However, most pets with the syndrome are treated for bacterial infections. This treatment usually is successful.
Dogs and cats
Foxtails, or grass awns, are arrow-shaped stickers that are produced by some types of grasses that have gone to seed. Foxtails carry grass seeds. They evolved to embed in the skin and be spread by animals.
Cats
FIV is a virus that is related to HIV, the human AIDS virus. Experts do not believe FIV is capable of infecting humans. FIV causes a syndrome in cats that is similar to human AIDS.
Most FIV-infected cats catch the virus by fighting with other cats. The virus spreads when an infected cat bites a cat that is not infected. A much smaller number of cats catch the virus from their mother as kittens. Sexual transmission of FIV does not appear to be common.
Cats
Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, is a poorly understood and extremely dangerous disease of cats. The disease is resistant to treatment and very difficult to diagnose. Almost all cats that contract FIP die from the disease.
Cats
Feline leukemia virus, or FeLV, is a virus that infects cats. It is related to FIV and HIV, the virus that causes human AIDS. There is no evidence that FeLV can infect humans.
FeLV does not sicken every cat that is infected with it. However, some cats that are infected with FeLV suffer suppression of the immune system or develop cancers. These cats often die from the virus.
Cats
Obesity is a syndrome in which the amount of excess body fat an individual carries is great enough to cause harm to health and well-being. Obesity is a debilitating syndrome that is linked to a number of serious health consequences for cats.
A number of factors play a role in the development of obesity in cats. However, the root cause of obesity is the consumption of more calories than the body needs.
Cats
Heart disease in cats is caused most often by a condition known as cardiomyopathy. In this syndrome, the muscles of the heart become unable to perform normally. As cardiomyopathy progresses it may lead to heart failure (inability of the heart to circulate blood normally through the body) or other serious consequences.