Top 10 Reasons Dogs Visit the Vet

Posted by Clare Bristow

vet-with-dog From a review of dog medical claims in 2006, VPI Pet Insurance has identified the top 10 reasons why dogs were taken to the vet in 2006.

Whilst a couple of the conditions are more common with older dogs, you may already have visited the vet for at least one of the incidents listed.

I can tick off urinary tract infection, ear infection and eye infection. Thankfully all were caught in their early stages so were straightforward - and not too expensive - to treat.

Here is the list, in order of prevalence:

Skin Allergies - includes allergies to food, pollen, grass, carpets and, most commonly, fleas;
Ear Infections - certain dogs are predisposed to ear problems, but any dog can be affected. There are many causes of ear infections, including ear mites, allergies, and foreign bodies such as foxtails;
Stomach Upsets - most of the cases arose from dogs ingesting something they shouldn't, such as certain types of food and non-food objects;
Urinary Tract Infections;
Benign Tumors;
Pyoderma - this is the term given to infected wounds arising from self trauma. For example, if your dog has a skin allergy and he repeatedly scratches or chews the affected area of skin, then this can create a skin sore which may become infected if left untreated;
Sprains;
Osteoarthritis;
Enteritis (inflammation of the bowel); and
Eye Infections.

Early detection is the key to giving your dog every chance of having any of these conditions successfully treated.

If you examine your dog at home on a regular basis you'll become aware of his normal behavior and can easily spot abnormal behavior - such as excessive scratching, lumps and bumps on your dog's body and more frequent trips to the toilet - that you need to discuss with your vet.

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Keywords: common medical claims, dog insurance, home examination, insurance and home care, reasons dogs visit the vet, vets, Vets, Insurance and Home Care

Filed Under Vets, Insurance and Home Care, Blog

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Comments

One Response to “Top 10 Reasons Dogs Visit the Vet”

Andrew krebs-smith on January 30th, 2008 10:41 am

Overweight dogs can face serious medical problems, including heart disease, arthritis, skin conditions and breathing issues. We’ve pulled together some quality information at www.stopcanineobesity.com to help you identify and address these health concerns, but it’s best to visit a veterinarian to learn more about the risks. If you would be willing to support our cause (National Canine Weight Check in February) we would really appreciate it. I think your audience should know about this opportunity to get their dogs checked for free. We have a list of participating vets on our site, as well as a quiz to help determine if your dog is overweight. Thanks for any help you can offer, we really appreciate it!