Dog Health: What Every Dog Owner Should Know About Congenital, Inherited, & Acquired Dog Diseases

The key objective of this article is to introduce you to some basics of genetics and discuss some of the common diseases where these basics apply towards dog health.

There are perhaps 400 hereditary diseases in dogs that have been noted. Most dog diseases are unusual, while others are so common they are considered to be normal day-to-day dog health problems. Often, current knowledge of canine hereditary diseases is based on minimal information. For this reason there are so many differences in literature in relation to genetic diseases.

There are instances where a small group of closely related dogs had been studied In this group, it seemed like a disease had a clear-cut genetic factor but when this information was applied to a large group, the results were not the same. This is not the mistake of dog health experts, but relates to the truth that the original group of dogs was not large enough to make accurate genetic interpretations.

To help you understand genetics in dog disease, let's discuss some of the terminology in reference to dog health.:

Congenital Dog Conditions

This is a disease that is present at birth. It may be hereditary or due to intrauterine factors. The intrauterine factors most frequently involved are systematic disease of the female, nutritional deficiencies, toxicity, or the effect on dog health from a drug used during the dog's pregnancy. Physical factors can also lead to congenital diseases.

Inherited Dog Diseases

Many dog health issues are because of an inherited disease, which is a disease that is passed down on the genes. As an example, hairlip and cleft palate can be hereditary and are obvious at birth. Unfortunately, not all inherited diseases are visible at birth. A dog with progressive retinal atrophy may be healthy at weaning and develop clinical blindness by six months of age. Other dogs may not develop signs of decreased vision until they are six years of age. Congenital diseases show up later in life are referred to as "latent".

Acquired Dog Illnesses

An acquired disease is one that is the result of exogenous factors (those which are external to the body). In some instances of dog health problems, acquired diseases may look similar to inherited ones, such as cataracts, for example. Some are acquired as a result of metabolic, toxic, or infectious diseases. And others are caused by inheritance. When checking the individual dog health of the animal with problem, it is impossible to tell which was the cause.

Dog Health: What Every Dog Owner Should Know About Congenital, Inherited, & Acquired Dog Diseases
Many dog diseases are rare, while others are so common they are considered to be normal day-to-day dog health problems. To help you better understand genetics in dog disease, let's discuss some of the terminology in reference to dog health.

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