In hemolytic anemia's, a loss of red blood cells (rbcs) occurs due to destruction of the rbcs. The destruction occurs due to antibodies which stick to the rbc and cause the body to react, leading to destruction of the cell. This can be the direct result of a drug, toxin, blood parasite, virus or other primary cause or it can be an unexplained immune mediated reaction. It can occur inside the blood stream (intravascular hemolysis) or outside the bloodstream (extra vascular hemolysis). In most cases in dogs, hemolysis occurs outside the blood stream in the spleen, liver and bone marrow. The destruction of red blood cells often leaves recognizable cellular debris in the blood stream. In particular, a form of damaged rbc known as a spherocyte occurs. Finding spherocytes on a blood smear almost guarantees that some form of hemolytic anemia is occurring. It does not really give a clue as to whether the IMHA is due to a primary cause or if it is occurring for no apparent reason, though. Since this disorder does not stop the production of red blood cells, there are usually immature red blood cells in the bloodstream which can be detected on the blood smears as well (a regenerative anemia).

This condition the heart is enlarged and compensatory mechanisms are acting to maintain blood flow. The dog will initially have no clinical symptoms but will eventually exhibit lethargy, will tire easily (heart can't pump enough blood), start coughing (fluid in lungs), etc. Basically the symptoms of congestive heart failure.

There is no cure for dilated cardiomyopathybut there are treatments that will improve cardiac function which will deninish the clinical symptoms. The typical treatment consists ofenalapril (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor), lasix (diuretic),and digoxin (improves the contractility of the heart, i.e. functions better). The treatment, in addition to lessening the clinical manifestations of the disease, may prolong the dog's life. Since cardiomyapathy is a progressive disease. Treatment prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms may slow down the progression and increase the dog's life expectancy.

A hormonal disorder  usually occurring around 2-5 years . Clinical signs are lethargy, hair loss, bacterial skin infections, excessive skin pigmentation, coarseness of the hair, and obesity. Dogs who are affected will be lethargic and will tend to feel the cold more. This conidtion can be diagnosed by means of a simply blood test.

HIPS

Hip dysplasia literally means an abnormality in the development of the hip joint. It is characterized by a shallow acetabulum (the "cup" of the hip joint) and changes in the shape of the femoral head (the "ball" of the hip joint). These changes may occur due to excessive laxity in the hip joint. Hip dysplasia can exist with or without clinical signs. When dogs exhibit clinical signs of this problem they usually are lame on one or both rear limbs. Severe arthritis can develop as a result of the malformation of the hip joint and this results in pain as the disease progresses. Many young dogs exhibit pain during or shortly after the growth period, often before arthritic changes appear to be present. It is not unusual for this pain to appear to disappear for several years and then to return when arthritic changes become obvious.