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As your Partner in Pet Health, the team at Hillside Animal Hospital would like to provide you with as much information as possible regarding your role in keeping your dog happy and healthy. With this in mind, we have developed new Breed-Specific Wellness Programs. These programs are intended to increase your awareness on health conditions that have been found to be commonly associated with your dog's breed. While many dogs live a long, healthy life without facing major health issues, we feel that educating pet owners about possible health conditions is the best way to be proactive in detecting health issues before they become a problem. You'll find important recommendations for scheduling physical exams and diagnostic tests which we encourage you to discuss with the doctor throughout your pet's care. Please contact us at 480-391-7297 if you would like further information or to schedule an appointment.
Pomeranian - Specific Wellness Program
Endocrine Conditions
 Hypothyroidism
About the condition:
- A deficiency in the secretion of thyroid hormone.
How to detect this condition:
- A blood test can determine whether your pet is within the normal range of thyroid hormone. This is recommended starting at age 6 and every other year thereafter.
Eye Conditions
Cataracts
About the condition:
- Inside the eye is a lens that focuses light on the back of the eye or the retina. Vision occurs at the retina. This is similar to a camera which has a lens to focus light on the film. If the lens becomes opaque this is called a cataract. The most common cause of cataracts is genetic inheritance.
How to detect this condition:
- An eye exam should be performed annually to check for signs.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
About the condition:
- This disease causes an abnormal accumulation of pigment within the retina resulting in progressive retinal degeneration and visual deficiencies.
How to detect this condition:
- Checking the eyes regularly in conjunction with annual wellness exams can help detect this condition.
Musculoskeletal Conditions
Medial Patella Luxation
About the condition:
- This condition occurs when the "knee cap" moves in a direction that resembles a side-to-side motion rather than the normal up and down. It can cause intermittent or chronic lameness.
How to detect this condition:
- This may cause intermittent lameness where your pet may hold one leg up.
- Our doctors recommend checking for this condition, which involves feeling the joint movement, during annual exams.
Respiratory Conditions
Tracheal collapse
About the condition:
- Many small-breed dogs have insufficient rigidity in the tracheal rings. This can cause the trachea to have difficulty remaining open.
How to detect this condition:
- If you notice that your pet is coughing excessively, then we recommend that x-rays be taken to determine if they are at risk for tracheal collapse.
This list is not intended to cover all possible diseases and/or conditions found in Pomeranians, but instead lists those that we have found to be most common at Hillside Animal Hospital. Please let your doctor know if you have further questions regarding these or any other conditions.
Wellness Recommendations
An annual physical exam is recommended for the life of your pet so that any problems can be detected. In addition, we recommend the following diagnostic evaluations in order to provide more thorough veterinary prevention and care:
| Annually |
Eye exam |
| Age 6 |
40 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis |
| Age 8 |
48 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis |
| Age 10 |
56 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis, x-rays of chest, abdomen and hips if needed |
| Age 12 |
64 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis, x-rays |
| Age 14 |
72 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis, x-rays |
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