If you’re wondering what is blastomycosis in dogs, consider yourself lucky. Blastomycosis, sometimes referred to as simply “blasto,” is a nasty fungal infection that causes respiratory problems and can lead to death. If you haven’t heard of it, your dog hasn’t gotten this diagnosis.

Dogs (and humans!) can be infected when they accidentally breathe in fungal spores. The fungus is found in warm wet climates and resides in decaying matter, like leaves, and in soil. Once the spores are inhaled, they thrive in the warm, moist environment of the dog’s airways and lungs and begin to reproduce. In severe cases, the infection can spread to other organs in the body.

Blastomycosis Symptoms

Blastomycosis symptoms in dogs usually look like a respiratory infection and include coughing, difficulty breathing, weight loss, and lethargy. If other organ systems are infected, the dog might also have a fever, lameness, eye problems, or skin lesions. Blastomycosis is not contagious.

Blastomycosis Treatment

Blasto is treated with anti-fungal medications, as well as treatments targeted for any of the symptoms that your dog is experiencing. Dogs with mild respiratory signs generally have a good prognosis and are able to make a full recovery, but this disease can be fatal.

Blastomycosis Prevention

How to prevent blastomycosis in dogs? There is no sure-fire strategy, as we cannot see the fungal spores in the air or leaf litter. Avoiding areas where blasto is prevalent is the best strategy.

In the United States, blasto is most common in the midwestern, south-central, and southeastern states. The Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Ohio River basins, Great Lakes, and St. Laurence Seaway are the areas with the most cases reported. The fungus that causes it, Blastomyces dermatitidis, prefers a warm, moist environment.

If you live in one of these areas or have visited them with your dog, seek veterinary attention immediately if you notice any respiratory abnormalities – prompt treatment is the best way to protect your dog.

Have you ever seen a dog whose eyes were each a different color? This condition is called heterochromia, and it’s due to variations in the amount of melanin pigment in the iris, which is the colored part of the eye. Heterochromia can be congenital (inherited) or acquired.

Inherited heterochromia is caused by specific genes that are passed to the puppy from one or both parents. All puppies have blue or bluish-gray eyes when they are born. The eye color changes as they mature, with the final color of the eyes appearing at about 16 weeks. Puppies with inherited heterochromia will display their differently colored eyes by that age. Puppies with different colored eyes usually have normal eyesight and no problems.

Acquired heterochromia, on the other hand, is worrisome. If an adult dog’s eye starts changing color, he needs to be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Acquired heterochromia can be caused by trauma to the eye or by inflammation in the eye. Cancer, some autoimmune conditions, and bleeding disorders can cause ocular inflammation that, in turn, causes the eye or eyes to change color.

Types of Heterochromia

Inherited heterochromia manifests in three basic forms. Complete heterochromia, which is called “heterochromia iridis,” is when the two irises are different colors. Dogs with complete heterochromia are sometimes called “bi-eyed.”

The second form, “sectoral heterochromia” (called “parti-eyed”), refers to two or more colors in the same iris. This variation in color may include flecks, marbling, and /or geometric splits, which is when discrete segments of the iris are different colors.

When the center of the iris is a different shade than its remainder, it’s called “central heterochromia.” Often, the center color doesn’t form a perfect circle, but exhibits streaks or spikes of color that flare irregularly into the outer color.

The Inheritance of Heterochromia

Hereditary heterochromia is caused by specific genes that are often the same genes that determine coat color. Scientists have identified 15 genes that play roles in canine coat color phenotypes. Two genes known to produce heterochromia are named for the coat patterns they produce: merle and piebald.

The merle coat color consists of variegated patches of dark color over a lighter shade of that color. Merle comes in two colors: liver (red merle) and black (blue merle).  The coat occurs due to an incomplete (or partially expressed) dominant gene, which means that only one parent needs the merle gene to pass it along to the next generation. With the merle gene, inherited heterochromia is predictive: Dogs who have the merle gene are more likely to have heterochromia than dogs without this gene.

Though it produces stunning coat colors, the merle gene is also associated with a host of ear and eye disorders. Ethical breeders avoid mating two dogs with merle characteristics, as the result of such a pairing is a 25% chance of producing “double-merle” dogs, which are prone to disorders that can include blindness and deafness. Unscrupulous breeders, or those who are ignorant or careless about the dangers of the double-merle genes, may produce blind and/of deaf dogs and pass them off to puppy buyers who are unaware of the additional challenges of managing and training a blind and/or deaf dog. Other unethical breeders may “dump” such puppies in shelters or with rescues.

The piebald gene, aka white spotting gene, causes a more random deletion of melanin that results in a dog with a completely white coat, or white patches and/or white spots on the dog’s coat. This gene can also result in heterochromia and deafness. The suppression of melanocytes by the piebald pigment gene can lead to degeneration of the auditory nerves that enable hearing in very young puppies. This inheritance is more complex than the merle gene, and much more research needs to be done to understand it.

Owing to a preponderance of the genes that cause heterochromia, certain dog breeds are far more prone to having eyes of differing colors than others. In addition to Australian Shepherds and Siberian Huskies, heterochromia occurs in Great Danes, Dachshunds, Dalmatians, Chihuahuas, Shih tzus, Border Collies, and quite a few lesser-known breeds. Some sources suggest that perhaps 10% of Siberian Huskies are either bi-eyed or parti-eyed.

What Matters Most

Breeding for good health is of paramount importance to ethical dog breeders; they want puppy customers to enjoy many wonderful years with a four-legged family member who can enjoy the world with all his or her senses, including eyesight and hearing. So, if you’re purposely looking for a dog with two different colored eyes – and many people do! – just be sure you find an ethical breeder. But make eye color (and coat color!) secondary to the pup’s personality and suitability for your home and what you eventually want to do with the dog. If you’re purchasing a purebred dog, go to the best breeders. Get to know the puppies for making a choice. And, if you get the perfect-for-you bi-eyed beauty, revel in your pup’s peepers!

Most dog knee injuries are either a patellar luxation or a cruciate ligament injury.  A patellar luxation, or dislocation, is usually due to congenital defects, which means the poor conformation was present at birth. While cruciate ligament injuries can have a conformation component as well, trauma is usually the cause. Both injuries cause pain and require veterinary attention.

Dog Knee Dislocation

The patella is your dog’s kneecap. The patella normally slides up and down in the middle of the knee in a natural groove, called the femoral trochlear groove, located at the end of the femur. Unfortunately, inherited defects in the dog’s knee can allow the kneecap to slide to one side or the other. If it slips to the outside, it is a lateral luxation. If it slips to the inside, it is a medial luxation.

Medial luxations are most common and tend to occur in small breeds such as Boston Terriers, Chihuahuas, Miniature Poodles, and Pomeranians. Larger dogs, such as Chinese Shar Pei, Flat-Coated Retrievers, Akitas, and Great Pyrenees, often have lateral luxations.

About 7% of puppies have patellar problems, and most show evidence of luxation in both rear legs.

Patellar luxations are graded as to their severity:

• Grade I: The patella can be luxated by hand but doesn’t flip out on its own. If left alone, it will reposition to normal.
• Grade II: The patella may slip out of its place on its own but if the dog straightens his leg, or you push on it, it will return to its place.
• Grade III: The patella tends to normally be in an abnormal location but you can push it into place with your hand
• Grade IV: The patella is always luxated and can’t be put back in place by hand.

Patellar Knee Injury Symptoms

If your dog’s kneecap moves out of place, you may notice your dog “skipping” at times when he moves, holding a leg up, or stopping and stretching a rear leg out, then continuing on. Severe luxations in puppies may alter their stance, resulting in a bowlegged appearance (medial luxation) or knock-kneed appearance (lateral luxation).

Kneecap problems are usually diagnosed with a physical exam. Your veterinarian will also check for cranial cruciate problems since the two problems can be associated. X-rays are often recommended to look for other orthopedic conditions that may influence treatment, such as hip dysplasia.

Treatments for Knee Injuries

Treatment varies with the severity of the luxation. Grade 1 and many grade 2 cases are often left alone and watched for developing problems, especially in smaller dogs. Grade 3 and grade 4 cases usually need surgery to keep the dog comfortable and reduce the chances of more orthopedic problems down the line.

In dog knee surgery for a dislocation, generally, the soft tissues are tightened on the opposite side of the luxation to help hold the patella in place. The femoral groove may be deepened to help keep the kneecap on its ideal track. The tibial crest may be moved to realign major muscles and provide a more normal anatomy for the leg. Many dogs with a kneecap problem will develop osteoarthritis later in life.

Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Most cruciate ligament problems are related to trauma. It could be an acute injury that occurs when the dog turned too tight at speed, for example, or a low-grade, chronic problem that has degenerated over time. Tears may be partial or complete.

Your dog has two cruciate ligaments: the caudal (responsible for forward stability of the joint) and the cranial (rear stability). These ligaments crisscross (hence “cruciate”) the knee joint between the bottom of the femur and the top of the tibia. They provide stability for the knee joint but allow extension and flexion. Side-to-side movement is limited.

Dogs tend to tear their ligaments while active – running, turning sharply, stepping in a hole while running, and so on. However, a ligament can be torn in an event as simple as an overweight Beagle leaping off the couch and landing badly. Risk factors for cruciate problems include environmental factors such as lifestyle activities and weight.

Torn Ligament Symptoms

Sudden, extreme pressure causes the ligament fibers to stretch and rupture. Many dogs will cry out, and most will suddenly go three-legged lame and hold up the affected leg. The joint may become inflamed, swollen, and painful. Signs of a chronic partial tear may be more subtle – resembling arthritis. You may notice your dog is unusually stiff after a period of inactivity and/or shows intermittent lameness.

Breeds at highest risk of a torn cruciate are muscular, active, medium to large dogs, including Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, Rottweilers, and Pit Bulls.

This injury is so common in Labs that a genetic test looking for susceptibility to cruciate problems is available through the Comparative Genetics and Orthopaedic Research Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. A dog who is positive on this genetic test is not guaranteed to rupture a cruciate but is considered at higher risk: about 62% genetic coupled with 38% environment. Owners should be extra vigilant about preventing weight gain and should do regular physical therapy to keep their dogs fit.

Diagnosing a Cruciate Knee Injury

Your veterinarian will likely diagnose your dog’s knee injury on physical examination. A lax (loose) joint is a solid indicator of a complete tear. Further diagnostics might include radiographs to look at arthritic changes and/or arthroscopy, which is a surgical procedure that allows the veterinarian to into the joint and check the menisci, which are two cartilage discs that provide cushioning in the knee joint.

Knee-Injury Treatment

Small dogs may do well with a custom fitted brace or may need a surgery called extracapsular repair in which a suture helps to stabilize the joint until scar tissue takes over that function.

For larger and very active dogs, surgeries involving cutting bones in the joint and repositioning them tend to have the best outcomes. These procedures include tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) and tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA).

If you choose conservative therapy with a brace, have a custom brace made, which will minimize sores and give your dog the best chance of healing. For older dogs who are not good candidates for surgery, a brace may be the best option regardless of size.

Rehabilitation for Knee Injuries

No matter what treatment you and your veterinarian decide is best for your dog, aftercare is important. Careful postoperative protocols need to be followed exactly as directed by your veterinarian.

Rehabilitation will include passive range of motion exercises (PROM), a schedule of walks that build in distance and hills gradually, and additional exercises such as underwater treadmill. Laser and pulsed electro-magnetic field (PEMF) therapy may be suggested. Joint nutraceuticals may be recommended to support his joints and slow the inevitable development of arthritis. Sadly, 40% to 60% of the dogs who tear one cruciate will eventually tear the other.

Preventing Knee Injuries in Dogs

Your dog’s overall health can impact the likelihood of an injury and successful recovery. Keep your dog at his ideal weight. Look into an exercise program to strengthen his core muscles, including balance exercises, such as work on a wobble board or peanut. Be realistic about your dog’s conformation. As much as you may want to do agility or flyball, you might consider doing scentwork or Rally with your dog to further minimize the risk of injury.

There are a number of reasons for a dog’s eye or eyes to begin bulging unnaturally. If you notice your dog has one or both eyes bulging, or has an oddly colored eye or a strange discharge from the eye—get your dog to your veterinarian as soon as possible. Time is of the essence for saving your dog’s vision. The bulging may be due to a swollen eyeball, which happens with glaucoma; swelling around the eyeball, which happens with infection and allergic reactions; or swelling behind the eyeball, which happens with infections, bleeding, or tumors. Glaucoma is painful, so your dog may act depressed and not want to eat. The eye will be red and look enlarged, the cornea may turn a bluish cloudy color, and there may be vision loss. Glaucoma is a veterinary emergency.

Flat-faced dogs with bulging eyes

Bulging eyes are most common in brachycephalic breeds of dogs—they’re the ones with the cute, smooshed-in faces like the Pug and Boston Terrier. These dogs naturally have shallow orbits, which are the bony sockets in the skull that house the eyeballs. Unfortunately, these dogs are at a higher risk of corneal injury. They are also prone to a terrible situation called proptosis in which the dog’s eyes pop out.

With proptosis, the eyeball pops out of the socket and the eyelids collapse behind it, essentially holding the eye out. This is a disaster that can happen in any dog due to trauma (usually a dog fight or vehicular incident), but it occurs most commonly in brachycephalic breeds due to their shallow sockets. Veterinary personnel are trained to avoid overzealously restraining a brachycephalic dog, as a person could literally pop the dog’s eyeballs out. Although proptosed eyeballs can sometimes be replaced, there is typically permanent damage to the optic nerve, which causes blindness. In most cases, the eyeball is surgically removed.

Bulging eyes in other dogs

Dogs of any breed can experience retrobulbar disease, which can take up enough space behind the eye to push the eyeball forward. This can be painful for the dog when he opens his mouth wide, such as when yawning. If you gently push on the eyeballs with the lids closed, you may notice you can push the normal eye in a bit, but the affected eye doesn’t budge. The most common causes of retrobulbar disease include tumors, abscesses, cysts, and hematomas. Treatment for periorbital disease depends on diagnosis, which usually requires advanced imaging like a CT scan.

An unusual cause of bulging eyes in dogs is extraocular myositis, which is an immune attack on the muscles that hold the eyeball in place. It occurs most frequently in young Golden Retrievers. The dog may appear to have a wide-eyed, surprised look all the time. Immediate veterinary care is needed to avoid permanent damage.

Alopecia is the medical term for baldness. In dogs, alopecia refers to areas on the dog’s body that are not growing hair.

Most episodes of seasonal alopecia in dogs are not alopecia at all but routine turnovers of the coat or seasonal shedding. Your dog isn’t down to bare skin, he just looks naked compared to his usual haircoat. This is normal. When you see the hair turning dull and getting tufts or “pluckables,” this is a good time for a warm bath and a blow dry. Removing as much of the dead hair as possible encourages new growth.

You also may have heard of a dog “blowing her coat,” which is seen in many longhair dogs at puberty and in female dogs after a heat or having puppies. In these cases, most of the long guard hairs remain, but the softer, woolier undercoat that is gone. This is not alopecia.

True alopecia means the loss of all hair, and it is almost always secondary to another health problem. Many skin conditions can cause hair loss, including flea allergy, bacterial infections, or fungal infections. In almost all these cases, the skin is red, inflamed, moist, or has pustules and flaking. For these cases of alopecias, you need to diagnose and treat the primary problem, which may require your veterinarian’s help. A medicated shampoo or topical treatment will likely be prescribed. After treatment, the hair will grow back.

Chemotherapy can cause hair loss in some dogs but rarely causes the dramatic loss that many people experience.

Another cause in dogs is hormone or endocrine abnormalities such as Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism). With Cushing’s, your dog will have more clinical signs than just alopecia. He will have skin growths or tags and seborrhea. He will develop a potbelly appearance due to lack of muscle tone. Many dogs will pant and drink and urinate more than usual. Diagnosis will require bloodwork, both a normal chemistry panel plus specific tests for adrenal function. Medical therapy generally involves mitotane or trilostane, which will be required for life. Your dog will need periodic monitoring for side effects and to adjust the dose if needed.

Rarely, alopecia is caused by a poor diet. If this is the case, you will need the help of your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist to determine if your dog’s diet is deficient in important nutrients.