Viral Infections

• Viral infections can cause a variety of symptoms in dogs. Some common symptoms associated with many viral infections include vomiting, diarrhea, fever, lethargy, as well as increased or decreased urination, defecation and water intake. Some of the most well known viral infections include rabies, parvovirus and canine distemper.
  
  

Bacterial Infections

• Bacterial infections occur when bacteria enter the body and multiply excessively, either through an open wound, through the skin, the eyes, ears, nose, through consumption of food or water, contact with infected feces and more. Most bacterial infections can be taken care of with antibiotics or other medications through your veterinarian. Even more so, some bacterial infections will clear up on their own. Some common bacterial infections include pink eye (conjunctivitis), staphylococcus infections (staph infections), and brucellosis, which causes severe diarrhea.
  
  

Fungal Infections

• Fungal infections occur when the dog comes in contact with fungal spores that can be airborne or in the soil. In many cases, dogs can also catch fungal infections from other dogs or in rare cases, they can be caught from their owner. Ringworm, though many believe is caused by an actual worm is really a fungus that causes red, circular lesions on the pet. Ringworm is one of the most common fungal infections in dogs. Additional fungal infections include yeast infections and more rarely blastomycosis and histoplasmosis.
  
  

Urinary Tract Infections

• Urinary tract infections occur when bacteria enters the urinary tract, usually through the urethra. However, bacteria can also cause an infection after it's made its way through the body to the urinary tract. Organs of the urinary tract include the kidneys, the bladder, the urethra and the ureters. Therefore the term "urinary tract infection" can also include various bladder infections, kidney infections and so forth. Fortunately, an increase of water can help cure some of these infections. For infections that do not clear on their own, medications can be prescribed by your veterinarian.
  
  

Eye and Ear Infections

• The eyes and the ears are very common sites for infections in dogs. Dogs can suffer from ear infections because of yeast infections, ear mites and various other bacterial infections. Meanwhile, the eyes can become infected from bacteria or foreign objects, such as the case is with pink eye (conjunctivitis). Both infections should be examined by your doctor to determine the true cause, because at-home diagnosis can lead to a misdiagnosis that could cause even more serious issues.