Viral Diseases

Canine Distemper

This is a viral illness which affects young dogs mainly, although older ones sometimes suffer from it.

Distemper takes three forms: digestive, with high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and severe dehydration; respiratory, with the same general signs but also coughing; and nervous (sometimes the final form of the disease) with signs of meningitis, spasms, usually ending in death of the animal.

Distemper may be carried on the nose or the pads (hard-pad disease). The incubation period is from 7 to 12 days. The illness can last several weeks.

Specific antibiotics and anticonvulsants are usually disappointing. Preventive vaccination is the only effective way to control this disease. as a general rule, the older dog is, the less likely it is to die from distemper.

Infectious Hepatitis

This disease, transmitted through urine, is particularly common among male dogs in their first year.

Signs of the disease may include high fever, loss of appetite, intense thirst, and severe pains (cramps) which may occur suddenly. The mucous tissue are saffron yellow and congested. In some cases the whole cornea turns bluish; this color disappears when the dog is well again. There is a high survival rate for dogs which survive the first 48 hours.

Treatment of infectious hepatitis is carried out by the veterinarian. It is supportive in nature, consisting of serum, antibiotics, and vitamin supplements, particularly the B complex. Vaccines are the best prevention.

Para-Influenza

This virus is the cause of serious tracheobronchitis, and usually affects dogs cloistered in large groups (in kennels) and grooming establishments, for example.

A dry, noisy cough, easily triggered by pressing on the throat, develops gradually, over the course of several weeks. Sulphonamides stop the cough within 2 or 3 weeks, Codeine syrup eases the discomfort.

Preventive vaccines contain antibodies which fight against influenza.

Rabies

This terrible, dangerous scourge for all warm-blooded animals, including man, can be found virtually throughout the world. Rabies exists in 2 forms:

Raging Form

The dog bites everything, even inedible things such as wood, stone, and metal. It attacks anything that moves, and mutilates itself. The least sound excites it and makes it bark.

Paralytic Form

The animal's jaw muscles are paralyzed. It neither eats nor drinks. Since it cannot swallow its saliva, it foams at the mouth. It is racked by spasms, always agitated.

A rabid animal must be terminated. But it is difficult to know in advance whether the animal is rabid or not. Certainly it must be isolated, but the decision to have it destroyed can be made only after seeing the illness evolve. The final diagnosis can be made after the brain has been examined during the autopsy. It is best to confirm the diagnosis before treating humans bitten by the sick dog because rabies vaccines can be dangerous.

Signs of Rabies

Ten to sixty days after being bitten by a rabid animal, the dog shows an obvious change in behavior as the virus attacks the nervous system. A usually agitated, aggressive dog may become calm and timid, or a gentle animal may become an unpredictable biter.

Treatment of Rabies

If your dog is bitten by an animal suspected of having rabies, wash the wound with soap and disinfect it. Take the dog as soon as you can to a veterinarian to be vaccinated (if it has not already been) or to have a booster shot. The vaccine is very effective if it administered at once.

If it is shown that the animal that bit the dog was rabid, the infected dog will be destroyed, unless it can be proved that it has been vaccinated.

Vaccination is carried out after the age of five months. It involves a regular booster shot. This is legally compulsory in afflicted areas, for crossing international borders, and in boarding kennels.

Parvovirus

This serious disease is characterized by profuse brownish or bloody diarrhea, loss of appetite, and rapid dehydration. If the dog is not treated very quickly, it may die within 24 hours.

The sick dog may recover if it receives good supportive treatment: plenty of serum (intravenous fluids), antibiotics, and so on. Various vaccines are available. Yearly boosters are recommended.