Glossary of Dog Diseases

Dog Diseases, Short Descriptions

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Eclampsia - Convulsions occurring during the delivery of puppies.
Ectopic ureters - Tubes from the kidneys to the bladder do not open correctly into the bladder.
Ectromelia - Congenitally absent leg bones.
Ectropion - Abnormal rolling outward of the eyelids.
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - Connective tissue disease. Produces loose skin that can tear easily. Also called Cutaneous asthenia
Elbow dysplasia - Abnormal development of the elbow joint.
Elbow subluxation - Looseness and/or misalignment of the elbow joint
Elongated soft palate - Abnormally long soft palate extending into the throat causing breathing difficulty.
Endocardial fibroelastosis - Condition where heart muscles develop scar tissue.
Endometritis - Inflammation of the endometrium, the lining of the uterus.
Enlarged Foramen Magnum - Too large of an opening at the base of the skull where the spinal column begins.
Entropion - Where the eyelid rolls inward
Eosinophilic Panosteitis - A painful inflammatory bone disease, generally affecting young dogs, often characterized by increased eosinophils in the blood.
Epidermal Dysplasia - Abnormal development of the outer layer of skin, usually beginning at a young age
Epidermolysis bullosa - Abnormally loose skin with deep, blister-like lesions
Epilepsy - A disease characterized by seizures, convulsions, and/or loss of consciousness. May be managed with various drugs.
Epiphora - A condition where tears do not drain adequately, typically due to excess tear production
Epiphyseal Dysplasia - An abnormal development of the epiphysis, a part of the long bones.
Esophageal Achalasia - Functional stricture or spasm of the muscles of the esophagus where it joins the stomach
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency - A condition in which the pancreas fails to secrete digestive enzymes normally, resulting in diarrhea and weight loss, usually caused by pancreatic acinar atrophy.
Familial Amaurotic Idiocy - Seizures, stupor, blindness, and other neurological effects due to the absence of an enzyme which splits gangliosides, resulting in fatty deposits in the brain tissue. Similar to Tay-Sachs disease in humans.
Fanconi Syndrome - Disorder where the renal (kidney) tubules fail to absorb electrolytes and nutrients, so they are excreted with urine.
Fibrosarcoma - Cancerous tumor of fibrous connective tissue.
Fibrous Dysplasia - Condition in which reforming bone is replaced with abnormal fibrous tissue, resulting in bone lesions.
Fibrous Histiocytoma - Cancerous tumor most commonly of the soft tissues, but may affect bone.
Folliculitis - Infection and inflammation of hair follicles.
Fragmented Coronoid Process - Separation of a bony structure of the ulna, affecting the elbow joint. Typically seen in male large breed dogs. Possibly hereditary.
Furunculosis - Deep skin infection resulting from the abscess of a hair follicle infected by Staphylococcus.
Gastric Torsion - Twisting of the stomach, with or without distention.
Generalized Myopathy - A general weakness of all muscles. This may be symptomatic of disease, or it may be caused by various drugs.
Glaucoma - Optic nerve damage due to increased pressure in the eye.
Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy - Enzyme deficiency ultimately resulting in a loss of myelin, which covers and insulates nerve cells. Results in tremors, muscle weakness.
Glycogen Storage Disease - Inability to break down glycogen, which is the form sugar is stored in the body. Affected dogs can store sugars as glycogen, but then cant use it during exercise or between meals.
Goiter - Enlargement of the thyroid gland for reasons other than inflammation or cancer
Granulocyte Dysfunction - Rare dysfunction of a type of white blood cell (neutrophil) which results in serious chronic infections.