Health Information About Bichon Frise All Owners Should Know

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Skin problems is one of common issue that these type of dogs experience with itchyness, rashes and sores which may cause the furs to fall out, letting the raw skin exposed with bleeding bald patches. Veterinarians blame this vulnerability to dermatological diseases as being due to the double layered coat that is characteristic of the breed. They've inner coats and outer coats, the inner coats being long and silky combined with the curly ones, these cause hair strands to get tangled forming some kind of a mesh. If the pet owner is not diligent in brushing their Bichon's fur daily, dirt and bacteria collect on the skin, leading to irritation and infection. Fleas, mites and ticks also get trapped in the coat, with their bites causing itchy sores characteristic of mange (a persistent, highly contagious skin disease characterized by eczematous inflammation and hair loss).

Like other dogs, Bichons need to be vaccinated against deadly viral diseases, namely Parvovirus infection and Distemper. Parvo infection is a very contagious disease which is marked by a high fever, loss of appetite, lethargy, bloody diarrhea and vomiting, leading to death. On the other hand, Distemper is caused by a Paramyxovirus.

Heartworm is another common health problem for bichons specially if located in a tropical country. Upon entry into the bloodstream, the worms lodge within the right heart of dogs. Symptoms of heartworm include loss of appetite, difficulty of breathing and generalized body weakness, resulting in coma and death. There is no cure for heartworm, so that once a Bichon is infected, the prognosis is very poor.

AIHA or Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia is one of the disease that all Bichon Frise owner should be aware and should watch out for as well as ITP or Immune-Mediated Thromboyctopenia and liver shunts. These are the diseases that affects the dog's immune system based of the studies done by professinals. In AIHA, the Bichon's immune cells destroy the red blood cells, leading to severe and potentially fatal anemia. Bichons with such a pair of ailments will show with anemia signs and symptoms similar to dark urine, skin pallor, light or yellowish gum area, weakness (because of lack of power), appetite loss, looseness of the bowels as well as nausea or vomiting, tachycardia (fast heart rate) and tachypnea (rapid breathing).

The last one but equally harmful is teh liver shunt that includes a big possibility of occuring if the bichon frise is underweight. Dogs with liver shunts primarily present with seizures, but this symptom may be accompanied by voiding of dark urine, appetite loss, increased thirst, or lethargy. Because there are many diseases that may afflict their dogs, puppy owners are advised to read any Bichon Frise facts about health that they can find, so they would be aware of any symptoms that may develop in their pets.


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