Anemia

ANEMIA
  • Anemia is a disease in the oxygen-carrying capacity ofblood. When an dog suffocates, the pink color of the tissue turns blue. A lack of oxygen in the tissues can be produced by many causes otherthan lack of air.
  • The blood may simply be unable to carry it about thebody. This, in turn, may result from a diminished supply of red cells inthe blood. There may be too few, or the chemical composition of theircomponents may be inadequate.
  • Hookworms are the most common cause of an inadequate supply ofred cells. Their blood consumption strains the blood-building equip-ment, which cannot keep up with the loss. A hookworm-infested ani-mal lacks animation and gets out of breath easily.
  • It shows all thesymptoms of anemia, as though blood had been drawn from its arteriesor veins.
  • Little puppies arc frequently found to be anemic because ofhookworm infestation. There is so little iron in milk that they cannotregain their losses despite dcworming, and they frequently die becauseof their owner's ignorance of this fact.
  • Heavy infestations of sucking lice may also cause anemia. Some dogsharbor so many lice that the parasites touch one another in places.
  • The dog's gums reveal a sickly pallor; it can't stand cold and loses itsappetite. The basic condition is probably aggravated by toxins from thelice. Animals are often seriously weakened by these parasites. Dogshave actually been known to die from lice infestation.
  • Blood diseases, rare in dog, produce an altered blood picture.Some ordinary diseases alter the proportion of red and white cells, notby reducing the number of red cells but by increasing the number ofwhite cells. This is not anemia. Diseases that produce toxins or attackthe blood-building apparatus of the body produce anemia by reducingthe number of red cells.
  • A lack of iron or copper or both causes anemia. Insufficient iron isresponsible for a shortage of hemoglobin, and though there may be a full quota of red cells, they can't pick up and transport oxygen.
  • Copperdeficiency also causes anemia. Copper is not part of hemoglobin but isconcerned with its formation.
  • Niacin deficiency, which causes black tongue; a shortage of vitaminB complex factors; and pyridoxin deficiency all cause anemia.
Last modified: Thursday, 7 June 2012, 11:12 AM