Every year the largest pet insurance company in the nation, Veterinary Pet Insurance Company, publishes the top 10 medical reasons that dogs come to the veterinarian.
In keeping with the David Letterman count down of top tens, we’ll start with number 10.

10. Hypothyroidism:
We certainly see an awful lot of hypothyroidism in our practice, but I wouldn’t have thought it would make the top 10. Maybe this is because this disease is often “over diagnosed.”
I say this because many dogs have a low baseline thyroid level. But, if you run further tests you often find that the dog is actually what we call “sick euthyroid.” In other words, they have another problem that reduces the amount of circulating T4 hormone in the peripheral blood, but the thyroid gland is actually quite normal.
True hypothyroidism may be on the rise due to toxins in our environment that damage the thyroid gland. Hypothyroid dogs tend to be overweight, less active and they also tend to have a lot of skin and hair loss problems.

9. Eye Infection:
This makes sense since dogs are low to the ground and can rub and paw at their faces. Allergies and trauma can also lead to eye infections. Every once in a while we even see an insect sting right on the cornea – ouch – that leads to an infection. Dogs also get contagious eye infections from one another. These are usually associated with other upper respiratory signs like sneezing or coughing. Any runny, red or squinting eyes should be seen by the veterinarian immediately.

8. Arthritis:
The most important thing to point out here is that dogs do get arthritis and it is quite painful. If your dog is having trouble rising from a sitting position, is hesitant to jump on furniture or go up and down stairs or is generally less active, he may have pain that can be managed. Arthritis can be diagnosed and controlled for many months to years.

7. Benign Skin Tumor:
Dogs get a lot of lumps and bumps. Fortunately most of these are benign. However, every once in a while a malignant lump will pop up so all lumps and bumps should be checked by your veterinarian and either removed and biopsied or monitored with needle aspirates regularly.

6. Bladder Infection:
Any changes in your pet’s urination habits should be checked out. Usually a bladder infection causes the dog to urinate smaller amounts at frequent intervals and often he or she can’t make it outside in time.

5. Diarrhea/Enteritis:
Now we are getting into the part of the list where I can say I see dogs present with these problems every day. Younger and active dogs love to get into things that they shouldn’t, often resulting in stomach upsets. Intestinal parasites like roundworms are common causes of diarrhea in young dogs and whip worms can cause diarrhea in older dogs.
Unvaccinated dogs get viruses like Parvovirus that cause life threatening diarrhea. Ingestion of spoiled foods can cause life threatening salmonella or e. coli diarrhea. If it lasts for more than one or two bowel movements, then diarrhea usually needs to be treated by a veterinarian.

4. Vomiting/Gastritis:
Persistent vomiting in a dog can be quite serious because, if they are vomiting, then they cannot hold down water to stay hydrated or medications to make them feel better. Thus, vomiting often has to be treated with injectable medications while a cause if being investigated.
We like to know what the vomit looked like, when it occurred (around a meal or not) and if the dog had stomach contractions with the act of vomiting. Without stomach contractions it is possible that your dog is actually regurgitating, which is caused by a very different list of problems and is often mistaken for vomiting.

3. Skin Infection:
These are usually caused by a common environmental bacteria, but for some reason the dog’s normal barriers to stave off infection is broken down. Obviously, scratches or other wounds can lead to infections like this, but usually skin infections are cause by underlying allergies that make the skin red, inflamed and susceptible to infection.

2. Skin Allergies:
When people have common allergies, they cough, sneeze and get congested. However, when dogs are exposed to something they are allergic to, whether it be pollens, grasses, foods or parasites, they usually itch. Almost any allergic reaction in a dog manifests itself in some way in the skin.
Fleas cause most of the skin allergies we see here in the Lowcountry. Most dogs will experience itchy red skin at some point in their lives and some will battle the condition daily.

Number one reason?
And the number one reason dogs go to their veterinarian? Ear infections! The number one cause of recurring ear infections in dogs is, you guessed it, allergies!
So, ultimately the top three reasons that pets come to the veterinarian are for some form of allergies. If you grouped the top three all together under allergies, we could sneak in a few more reasons onto the list. But, here is a scary thing, one of the most common medical problems in dogs is dental disease. But, this problem goes un noticed by owners and veterinarians because it is hidden. A dog with severe mouth pain will still eat and go about its business in a fairly normal way.
Obesity is another one that comes to mind. If over 50 percent of our pet population is overweight, they why isn’t this diagnosis popping up on the list?

(Dr. Katherine A. Saenger, DVM, owns Bees Ferry Veterinary Hospital and Boarding Kennel (www.beesferry.com) and is a former board member of the Charleston Animal Society (formerly John Ancrum SPCA.) If you have questions about pet behavior or health, or suggestions for column topics, e-mail her at vetsaenger@bellsouth.net, and watch the column in coming weeks for her responses. )