Can my dog pass on any diseases to me?

Diseases that can be transmitted from animals to man are known as zoonoses. Comparatively few of these are spread by the dog, although they do include some that can be extremely important, especially in children.

External parasites transmissible to man include fleas, the ‘itch mite’ (Sarcoptes), the fur mite (Cheyletiella) and ringworm fungi. Cat fleas (the species most commonly found on dogs) often attack man and in some urban situations have even replaced the common human flea (Pulex irritans). They generally come from the environment rather than from the dog itself, so that the first bites are usually on the ankles. In adult humans an itchy red rash is found, and in children irregularly inflamed weals which subside within forty-eight hours to leave small, red, raised papules which are intensely irritant. Later these lesions can occur anywhere on the body. Occasionally fleas may transmit the tapeworm Dipylidium to children.

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Are there likely to be any complications when treating a diabetic dog oneself?

The most frequent complication in the management of a diabetic dog is the inadvertent injection of an overdose of insulin, which causes the dog to show weakness, confused behavior and staggering, followed eventually by convulsions and coma. Fortunately, the situation is rapidly reversed by dosing the dog immediately signs appear with one or more dessertspoonsful of honey or syrup, or a specially prepared glucose solution stored in the refrigerator against just such an eventuality.

The vet has told me that my dog is diabetic and would need an insulin injection every day. Is this going to be so distressing for the dog that it would be kinder to have her put to sleep?

Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes) is a condition that affects about six dogs in every thousand, three-quarters of them bitches. It is most common after middle age and Dachshunds are particularly likely to be affected.

The condition arises from the deficient production of the hormone insulin by the beta cells of the pancreas. As a result, glucose derived from the diet and from metabolism within the body cannot be stored for future use as an energy source and much of it is simply excreted in the urine. Diabetic dogs show the classic signs of an increasing loss of weight and weakness, despite a markedly increased appetite, together With an increased thirst and the passage of large volumes of urine. Approximately one quarter of them develop cataracts (opacity of the lens in the eye). Later, if no treatment is given, body fat is broken down to provide energy and at this stage the dog loses its appetite, becomes dehydrated, vomits and eventually goes into a coma (keto-acidotic coma), which if untreated would lead to death.

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If my dog has to be put to sleep, how could I dispose of his body?

Some owners wish to have the body of their dog returned to them for burial at home, although most people prefer their vet to dispose of the body for them. (Subject to local laws, any grave should be made at least 3 feet (90 cm) deep.) Usually the vet will have an arrangement with the local authority to collect any bodies either for incineration or burial, whichever method of disposal is available in the area. There are also various pet cemeteries and crematoriums that can offer their services, and usually your vet will be able to give advice about the facilities which are available locally.

How do vets put dogs to sleep?

Nowadays the method usually adopted for canine euthanasia is for a veterinary surgeon to inject an overdose of a barbiturate anaesthetic, usually intravenously, but occasionally in very young, elderly or weak animals by another route. The dog goes to sleep as if being anaesthetized before an operation but does not recover. This method inflicts no pain and with an intravenous injection is extremely quick, since only a matter of seconds elapses before the animal becomes unconscious. With a very aggressive or nervous animal it may be necessary to administer a tranquillizer or other sedative drug beforehand in order that it can be calmed and adequately restrained for the injection. In general, it is preferable for euthanasia to be performed on a vet’s premises since all the specialized equipment and trained assistance will be available there.

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Under what circumstances is it advisable to have a dog put to sleep?

Where it is known that a dog will have to endure continual or recurrent suffering, with little or no prospect of remission, then almost certainly the most humane course of action is to have it painlessly put to sleep. By suffering is meant not only acute or severe pain, but also the consequences of congenital malformations and serious injury, and those slowly progressive illnesses which inevitably can only terminate in death, such as paralysis, cancer and uncontrollable wasting diseases; in fact any disease where severe irreversible damage has been caused.

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What other dog diseases come with old age?

As well as cancer, there are a number of other conditions which become increasingly common as dogs grow older. One of the most significant is kidney failure. The kidneys have the important function of eliminating the waste products of metabolism, particularly those resulting from the breakdown of proteins in the body, and of regulating the composition of the blood plasma. With age, the number of functional units which comprise the kidneys gradually diminishes, and this may be accelerated by severe damage (e.g. from a road accident), bacterial or viral infection (e.g. leptospirosis or infectious canine hepatitis) or, rarely, neoplasia. When around 70 % of the kidney tissue has ceased to work, the waste products will accumulate in the blood and cause such toxic effects as a loss of appetite, listlessness, vomiting, increased thirst, dehydration, weight loss and, after a time, ulcers in the mouth. This condition, chronic renal failure, is not reversible, and to enable the dog to live with it the diet needs to contain less protein than normal, in order to reduce the production of these waste materials. When cancer or some other progressive cause (e.g. amyloidosis) is responsible, euthanasia is advisable.

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