Click/tap a condition on the left to see details.
Auto-immune Diseases
Definition
The immune system is the body’s defense network of white blood cells, antibodies, and other substances used to fight off infections and reject foreign proteins. The immune system has the innate ability to recognize its own cells versus foreign cells. However, when a dog or cat has autoimmune disease, the immune system loses its ability to distinguish its own cells, and it begins to attack and reject the body’s own tissue as foreign. Autoimmune disease can affect a single system or be more generalized in nature.
Examples of autoimmune diseases:
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (reduction of red blood cells)
- Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (destruction of clotting cells)
- Autoimmune diseases of the skin
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Lupus (this can imitate almost any other disease)
- Immune-related arthritis
- Allergies
- A variety of other diseases affecting any body tissue, organ or symptom
Symptoms
Because autoimmune diseases can affect any bodily system or multiple systems, there are literally countless possible symptoms. Some include:
- Low white or red blood cell count
- Fever that does not respond to antibiotics
- Pain
- Attitude changes
- Muscle wasting
- Skin problems, including persistent itching
- Lesions, sores, blisters or other such skin blemishes
- Loss of skin pigment
- Depression
- Heart rate changes
- Anorexia
- Respiration changes
- Weakness, lethargy
- Heart murmurs
- Pale mucous membranes
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
The causes of autoimmune disease are not generally known. Some theories include genetics, environmental pollutants and food preservatives. Early detection often makes the critical difference, as untreated autoimmune diseases are very serious and multiple system involvement is common. This can make diagnosis and treatment very difficult.
ThePetCheckup is an early detection, home health screening kit for dogs and cats. It helps animal caregivers protect the health of their dogs and cats between routine veterinary visits.
Bacterial Infections
Definition
Bacteria are very small, living organisms made up of just one cell. Bacteria exist pretty much everywhere–the air, the soil on our skin and inside our bodies. Most of them are completely harmless and some of them are very useful. But some bacteria can cause diseases, either because they end up in the wrong place in the body, or simply because they are ‘designed’ to invade us. This can lead to infections and diseases.
Symptoms
Given the right set of circumstances, bacterial infections can cause havoc and problems with your dog or cat’s health. Infections are caused by a variety of conditions. Generally, an unhealthy pet will have greater difficulty in dealing with bacteria. Bacterial infections can include the bladder, prostate, vagina, kidney, or urinary tract. If your veterinarian suspects a bacterial infection, he or she may want to do further investigation to determine it’s origin. Most treatments for bacterial infection require a prescription from the veterinarian.
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
If you notice any changes in your pet’s normal habits, bring him/her to your veterinarian for a checkup. But in-between routine veterinary visits, using ThePetCheckup at home every month may help you to catch a bacterial infection when it is still small and easily treatable. As with any infection, prompt treatment is needed to keep the infection from getting any worse. If left untreated, bacterial infections can develop into more serious conditions.
Cushing’s Disease
Definition
Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism) is the overproduction of the hormone cortisol by the adrenal glands that are located near the kidneys. It can also be caused by a growth in the adrenal gland or the pituitary gland. It is more common in dogs than cats and generally affects dogs 6 years of age or older. It is most often seen in poodles, dachshunds, terriers, German shepherds and golden retrievers. However, the disease can also affect younger animals.
Cushing’s often predisposes an animal to diabetes. In cats with Cushing’s especially, it is common for them to have diabetes as well.
Symptoms
- Symmetrical hair loss
- Excessive eating, drinking and urination
- Lethargy
- Distended abdomen
- Skin abnormalities
- Secondary urinary tract infections
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
By weakening the immune system, Cushing’s disease can make animals more vulnerable to other diseases. Therefore, early detection of this illness is extremely important. Because this disease is difficult to diagnose, there is no one test to identify it.
If consistent imbalances on ThePetCheckup test make your veterinarian suspect the possibility of Cushing’s, he or she may want to do further specialized testing involving blood and urine tests as well as follow-up with x-rays and/or ultrasonography.
Diabetes Insipidus
Definition
Diabetes Mellitus is a common disorder in both cats and dogs. Most people, when they think of diabetes, think of diabetes mellitus. It is estimated that 1 in 500 dogs are diagnosed with diabetes. This condition is treatable and MANY diabetic dogs live a normal and healthy lifespan.
Also known as sugar diabetes, diabetes mellitus is a disease involving glucose (sugar) in the blood and insulin. Insulin is a hormone normally produced by the body to regulate blood glucose. Diabetes mellitus occurs when your pet’s body has too much blood glucose either because he doesn’t produce enough insulin for the body’s needs. Insulin therapy is the most common and effective treatment. A special diet and exercise regimens are often recommended in addition to frequent follow-ups by your veterinarian.
Symptoms
- Increased thirst and water consumption
- Increased frequency of urination – sometimes “accidents” in the house
- Increased appetite
- Weight loss despite a large appetite may also occur
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
Once an effective treatment is established, diabetes can be effectively controlled and your dog or cat can enjoy a normal lifespan. The key is early diagnosis. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical for reducing clinical signs and prevent further complications from developing. Left untreated, diabetes mellitus can cause many other problems for your pet, and it can also be fatal.
By testing your canine or feline at home on a monthly basis with ThePetCheckup, you will also be able to determine if your pet may have a tendency to develop diabetes at a later time. If you are treating a pet with diabetes, continue using ThePetCheckup to see if any secondary illnesses are starting to occur.
Some of our most gratifying testimonials have come from customers who said that because they were able to bring in their pet at such an early stage of this disease (before outward symptoms appeared), their veterinarian felt that the diabetes will be able to be kept in check with a only a special diet.
We recommend using ThePetCheckup monthly between routine veterinary visits, to provide your dog and cat with a whole new level of preventative care.
Diabetes Mellitus
Definition
Diabetes Mellitus is a common disorder in both cats and dogs. Most people, when they think of diabetes, think of diabetes mellitus.
Also known as sugar diabetes, diabetes mellitus is a disease involving glucose (sugar) in the blood and insulin. Insulin is a hormone normally produced by the body to regulate blood glucose. Diabetes mellitus occurs when your pet’s body has too much blood glucose either because he doesn’t produce enough insulin or because he is sensitive to the available insulin in his body.
Insulin therapy is the most common and effective treatment. A special diet and exercise regimens are often recommended in addition to frequent follow-ups by your veterinarian.
Symptoms
- Increased drinking
- Increased frequency of urination
- Increased appetite
- Weight loss despite a large appetite may also occur
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
Once an effective treatment is established, diabetes can be effectively controlled and your dog or cat can enjoy a normal lifespan. The key is early diagnosis. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical for reducing clinical signs and prevent further complications from developing. Left untreated, diabetes mellitus can cause many other problems for your pet, or can even be fatal.
By testing your canine or feline at home on a monthly basis with ThePetCheckup, you will also be able to determine if your pet may have a tendency to develop diabetes at a later time.
Some of our most gratifying testimonials have come from customers who said that because they were able to bring in their pet at such an early stage of this illness, their veterinarian feels that the diabetes will be able to be kept in check with a only a special diet.
We recommend using ThePetCheckup monthly between routine veterinary visits, to provide your dog and cat with a whole new level of preventative care.
Hepatitis
Definition
The liver is the main filtering and clearing house of the body. All blood supply travels through the liver to be detoxified. Hepatitis is a general diagnosis for a number of illnesses where there is inflammation and death of liver tissue. Types of hepatitis include Infectious Hepatitis, Chronic Active Hepatitis, and Leptospirosis Hepatitis. Affected dogs and cats develop a slowly progressive liver disease. There are many possible causes including viruses, bacterial infection, and some drugs (such as high doses of aspirin). Leptospirosis can actually be transmitted between animals and humans, whereas infectious hepatitis can be transmitted only between animals through contact with blood, feces or mucus membranes of an infected animal.
Symptoms
- Listlessness, lethargy, depression
- Increased drinking and urination
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Inflamed nostrils
- Pale mucus membranes
- Convulsions in young puppies
- Discharge from the nose
- Coughing
- Bloody stools and vomit
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain and/or enlarged stomach
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
ThePetCheckup is a simple, in-home early detection test that may help to detect health problems at an early stage in your dog or cat…before symptoms appear. Because liver damage can be extensive before hepatitis is diagnosed, early detection is critical.
Hepatitis in dogs and cats is normally treated with antibiotics, IV fluids, dietary change, corticosteroids, and possibly copper-reducing medications. Hepatitis can be controlled when caught early, however, because liver damage is often advanced before the disease is diagnosed, prognosis is not always good.
Kidney Disease
Definition
Kidneys filter and remove waste material from the blood stream. They also regulate the volume and composition of your pet’s body fluids.
Kidney disease (sometimes referred to as renal disease) may have many different causes, including inherited defects, infections, or toxic substances. Kidney failure occurs when the kidneys are no longer able to remove toxins and concentrate urine. The animal needs to drink more and more water to excrete the same amount of toxins. If the disease progresses into kidney failure, the animal cannot drink enough water to keep up and the level of toxins in the blood will increase.
Often the cause of kidney disease cannot be determined, but with careful testing, the disease can be managed. Most treatments are aimed at decreasing the workload of the kidneys, reducing the severity of symptoms and slowing the progression of the disease.
Kidney disease is not limited to any particular age or breed, but is one of the most common problems of older cats and dogs and is a leading cause of death for these animals.
Symptoms
Signs associated with kidney failure are:
Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination and/or increased volume
- Poor hair coat
- Lethargy and/or vomiting
These signs may appear suddenly or develop over time. They may also be produced by other diseases.
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
If you notice any changes in your pet’s normal urinary habits, bring him/her to your veterinarian for a checkup. But in-between routine veterinary visits, using ThePetCheckup at home (we recommend every month) will help you to catch a kidney infection when it is still small and much more easily treatable. As with any infection, prompt treatment is needed to keep the infection from getting any worse. If left untreated, a kidney infection can turn into quite a serious health problem.
Kidney Infections
Definition
The major function of the kidneys is to eliminate wastes and toxins from the body. When the kidneys are not working properly, these substances will accumulate and affect your pet’s health. Each kidney is made up of about one million filtering units called nephrons. This is far in excess of the number required for the kidneys to perform their normal function, so there is plenty of “reserve” capacity. They maintain normal concentrations of salt and water in the body; help control blood pressure, aid in metabolizing calcium and sustain phosphorous levels. They also manufacture a hormone that encourages red-blood cell production. When kidneys don’t function properly, toxins build up in the blood and the dog or cat will become ill.
If your dog or cat develops a kidney infection, it can still maintain normal kidney function until this “reserve” capacity is used up. This means that most kidney infections can go undetected for sometime until it is fairly advanced.
Bacteria can make itself at home anywhere in the urinary tract…bladder, kidneys, or urethra (the tube through which urine flows). When the bacteria multiplies to large enough numbers, painful infections can occur. Cystitis is a bacterial infection of the lining of the bladder. If left untreated, a kidney infection may develop. If your animal does have a kidney infection, your veterinarian will most likely prescribe oral antibiotics which will relieve the infection in 1-2 weeks. Encouraging your pet to drink more fluids will help flush the bacteria out of the urinary tract.
Symptoms
- “Squatting” numerous times but not urinating
- Pain when the kidney area is palpitated
- Appearing listless or depressed
- Loss of interest in food
- Weight loss
- Blood in the urine
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
If you notice any changes in your pet’s normal urinary habits, bring him/her to your veterinarian for a checkup. But in-between routine veterinary visits, using ThePetCheckup at home (we recommend every month) will help you to catch a kidney infection when it is still small and much more easily treatable. As with any infection, prompt treatment is needed to keep the infection from getting any worse. If left untreated, a kidney infection can turn into quite a serious health problem.
Liver Conditions
Definition
The liver is the main filtering and clearing house of the body. All blood supply travels through the liver to be detoxified. Causes of liver disease include: genetics, drugs, poisons, malnutrition, parasites, environmental stresses, Cushing’s disease, cancer, trauma, and infectious diseases (bacterial, viral, fungal). Types of liver disease include: hepatic encephalopathy, acute hepatic failure, hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver), liver abscesses and other conditions.
When diagnosed early, the prognosis for treatment of liver disease can be very good. However, because the liver is built with large reserves to handle its job in the body, a significant portion often must be damaged before symptoms appear.
Symptoms
- Behavior changes
- Visual defects (blindness)
- Circling
- Pacing
- Anxiety
- Excessive drooling in cats
- Lethargy
- Seizures
- Acute depression
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Hemorrhage
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Enlarged liver upon palpation
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
Depending on the type of liver disease, surgery may or may not be necessary. Antibiotics, dietary management, vitamins, nutritional supplements and IV fluids are common treatments. Early detection is extremely significant in the success of treating liver disease. ThePetCheckup is an in-home, early-detection test which can be an important tool in helping your veterinarian detect early signs of liver disease.
Prostate Diseases
Definition
The prostate surrounds the urethra (tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body) and sits below the animal’s rectum. It produces a fluid that mixes with sperm and increases the total volume of spermatic fluid. Non-neutered, middle aged male dogs and cats are susceptible to prostate disease. There are several conditions that can occur and they can all show a range of symptoms. The prostate is a gland that is located internally in the pelvic region.
Non-cancerous prostate diseases include: prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement of normal prostatic tissue), cysts, fluid pockets, abscesses and prostatitis (generalized prostate infection).
Symptoms
Below are some common symptoms of prostate disease, however, some animals do not show symptoms:
- Straining to urinate
- Voiding small amounts of urine frequently
- Blood tinged urine
- Dripping blood from the penis
- Constipation and straining to defecate
- Lethargy
- Fever
- Holding tail slightly away from back end
- Weight loss
- Passing small thin tape shaped feces
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
Early detection is extremely important, as untreated prostate disease may develop into a serious health problem. Surgery is sometimes warranted.
If prostate problems are not addressed they can become a serious source of illness and discomfort. It is important to determine early whether the animal has an easily treatable condition or something more serious like prostate cancer.
Urinary Bladder Disease
Definition
Bladder disease is often referred to as urolithiasis, cystitis, urethritis, urinary calculi, bladder stones, or other names. Bladder disease is usually associated with bacterial infection, bladder stones, crystals (minerals which merge to form bladder stones), infection within the bladder wall, cancer or tumors in the bladder.
In the majority of cases, there is bacterial infection, often with crystals present as well. Sometimes only crystals are present. If crystals are present, they usually cause irritation and infection in the bladder before merging into forming bladder stones.
Bladder stones can occur in animals as young as 2 months, but normally occurs between the ages of 2 and 10 years. Bladder disease can occur in dogs and cats, both in males and females.
Symptoms
- Frequent urination (often in unusual places)
- Bloody urine
- Dribbling urine
- Straining
- Weakness
- Depression
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting and pain
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
Early detection is extremely important, as untreated bladder disease may develop into a serious health problem. Early detection can prevent complicated and costly treatments, and can save your dog or cat from pain and illness. If detected early, urinary bladder disease can often be treated with antibiotics and a change in diet. Stones are often removed by ultrasound, surgery or through a change in diet. Some cats have a genetic disposition to crystal development, and require special diets or medications to control crystal formation.
ThePetCheckup is an in-home early detection test that can help you protect the good health of your animal companion.
Urinary Tract Infections
Definition
Urinary Tract Infections, or UTIs, are caused by bacteria in the bladder or urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body). UTIs are uncomfortable and can make urinating a painful ordeal. It is simple to test for by a veterinarian and to treat in the early stages, however, UTIs left untreated for a long time can be life-threatening.
Symptoms
- Frequent urination
- Straining or difficulty urinating
- Blood in the urine
- Foul smelling urine
- Urination in inappropriate places
- Tender lower abdomen (in the area of the bladder)
- Fever
- Lethargy
How using ThePetCheckup regularly can help
UTIs can usually be treated very effectively with antibiotics. If left untreated, they can get worse, sometimes very quickly. The infection can ascend into the kidneys, prostate, lining of the heart and other organs.
Urethral obstruction—when the cat’s urethra becomes partly or totally blocked—is one of the most serious results of disease of the feline lower urinary tract. Male cats are at greater risk for obstruction than females because their urethra is longer and narrower. Complete urethral obstruction or blockage is life threatening and requires immediate veterinary attention.
Detecting UTIs in an early stage using ThePetCheckup monthly will prevent your dog or cat from experiencing pain, accidents in the home and the possibility of developing into a more serious illness.
Used in addition to routine veterinary care, ThePetCheckup is an at-home, early detection urinalysis health screen. It is very easy to do and may help you detect a potential serious imbalance in your dog or cat at a very early stage—when treatment is most effective. The same urinalysis test materials that are commonly used in veterinary clinics are now specially packaged for you so that you can use them at home (we recommend monthly) and provide a whole new level of preventative care for your dogs and cats.
