This is a non-real estate related post, but directed at dog lovers in this community.

My family was made aware of two ailments that befell our dogs --- diseases we did not know about. And yes, they're serious.

HGE - Hemorrhagic Gastro Enteritis

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasesh/a/HGEindogs.htm 

Last Thursday, my sister said their young Shiba Inu  named Aiko seemed listless, and started vomiting blood. They made an appointment to see the doctor the following morning.

That night, her husband kept vigil over the dog. At 1:00 am Aiko started heaving and vomited a lot of blood. They packed her up and went to the veterinary hospital just 10 minutes away. Aiko didn't make it.

She was barely 4 years old. She was spirited and feisty. The family is in shock at how fast it happened.

Pemphigus Foliaceus

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2202&S=1&SourceID=42

Our rescue dog, Joey, who is a Formosan Mountain Dog, started developing some skin lesions on his nose. They would dry up, and then new lesions formed. We took him to the vet who took a biopsy and confirmed the diagnosis. Left untreated, it could also be fatal. Fortunately, we were able to get him to a vet. Although the treament will be a long one that needs to be constantly monitored (and yes, it can get very expensive), we are thankful that we don't have to endure the heartache of losing a pet again.

We have never heard of these diseases before....so I wanted to make sure that the dog lovers are aware of their existence, what the symptoms are, and how fast one should act.

Don't second guess...