Nutrition & Health
Lets start w/ diseases and health problems that the akitas have been found to have.
CATARACTS: Normally in elderly dogs,the lens of the eye becomes cloudy causing partial or total loss of vision.
CORNEAL DYSTROPHY: An inherited degenerative condition in which the cornea of the eye becomes cloudy or opaque.
CUSHINGS DISEASE: A condition in which the adrenal glands secrete too much cortisol. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that regulates carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism.
EYE ABNORMALITIES: The akitas is prone to a rolling in of the eyelid,or lids and protruding eyelid(s).
GLAUCOMA: Pressure on the retina from excess fluid in the eyeball, which causes partisl or total loss of vision.
GLYCOGEN STORAGE DISEASE: An inability to store and use the complex carbohydrate glycogen, which is primarily stored in the liver and muscle.
HIP DYSPLASIA: An abnormal development of the hip joint.
HOT SPOTS: A bacterial skin infection that progresses into a severe inflammation from excessive licking and chewing.
IMMUNE-MEDIATED HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA: Anemia resulting from an immune system-mediated destruction of the red blood cells.
MALABSORPTION: A condition in which the small intestine does not absorb nutrients properly.
OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS: Inflammation of the cartilage in the joints. A form of arthritis.
OSTEOCHONDROSIS: An abnormal development of joint cartilage. Most commonly found in the shoulder,knee,and elbow.
PEMPHIGUS FOLIACEOUS: Crusts around nose that peel to reveal raw lesions. Trunk lesions of similar appearance and stubborn to heal. An autoimmune skin disease.
PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY: A slow deteriation of the retina, leading to blindness.
SEBACECOUS ADENITIS: Skin is usually sensitive and may be painful to the touch because of crusting of exudite. Secondary skin infection is a real concern. Age of onset is usually between 18-36 months of age. Diagnosis can by confirmed with a skin punch biopsy to reveal inflammatory infiltrates. Care must be taken NOT to confuse this condition with other diseases to which Akitas are prone. There are no false positives once diagnosis has been made by histology, but sub clinical cases do occur leaving veterinarians with false negatives. While considered autoimmune in origin at this time, there is some debate as to the actual cause.
THYROID DISEASE: The akita is prone to thyroiditis,lymphotic thyroiditis,and hypothyroidism. Thyroditis and lymphotic thyroiditis are autoimmune diseases that lead to hypothyroidism,a common disease of thyroid hormone deficiency. The thyroid regulates your dog's metabolism. A large number of skin problems in dogs are caused by thyroid disease.
UMBILICAL HERNIA: A tear in the muscle wall in the stomach where the umbilical cord was.
VON WILLEBRANDS DISEASE: Abnormal blood-clotting defect involving both platelet and coagulation function(factor VIII).
VKH/UDS: Uveitis (a veterinary ophthalmologist's opinion should be sought), loss of pigment (vitiligo) around and under the nose and eyes. Other abnormal findings can include vestibular abnormalities, blood or hair coat and attitude changes due to the disease process. Autoimmune in origin. Once diagnosed, prognosis and immediate treatment options should be discussed with your veterinarian. Considered rare in the general canine population--but is often seen in Akitas.
THESE ARE THE DISEASE AND HEALTH PROBLEMS AKITAS CAN AND MAY HAVE!!ITS ALSO THE REASON GOOD BREEDERS DO HEALTH CHKS.
NUTRITION:
LIVER!! Very big on a dogs diet... if a dog is lacking something in their diet,you can almost bet its in liver. Liver is the source for all of these: VITAMIN A,B1,B2,B3,B5,B6,B12,BIOTIN,FOLIC ACID,CHOLINE,D,K... Then the very few that arent can be found in these: VITAMIN C = CITRUS FRUITS,GREEN VEGIES,POTATOES,BERRIES...
VITAMIN D = FISH-LIVER OILS,YEAST,EGG YOLKS...
VITAMIN E = NUTS,BROWN RICE,WHEAT GERM,EGGS,WHOLE GRAINS,**SOYBEAN**AND SUNFLOWER OIL,SEEDS,GREEN LEAFY VEGIES.
Believe it or not liver will also keep your dog from eating stool.Other good sources for vitamins is dog bloom. And Dog Zyme for stomach digestion and to help prevent bloat.
However I strongly do not recommend you use **SOY BEAN**OIL,or products with alot of **SOY** .. Akitas have been known not to thrive well on products with alot of soy and has been found to cause **BLOAT** . Another one to avoid is **CORN**OIL or just **CORN** Due to the fact it has the same effect that **SOY** does on akitas.This gos for all large dogs.
BLOAT(GVD) IS JUST HOW IT SOUNDS! Bloat is a condition where the stomach rapidly expands. It generally does this due to gas and water. Torsion Twist is where the stomach twists over and each end is twisted shut, this blocks off the system and if these two situations combined are not treated immediately, the situation often results in death! IT IS A SERIOUS THING, IT CAN KILL YOUR DOG IF NOT CAUGHT IN TIME AND MOST OF THE TIME EVEN IF YOU CATCH IT ,IT HAS ALREADY DONE ITS DAMAGE.!!!
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