Parvovirus infection
Canine parvovirus is very small but extremely hardy: it survives in the environment for a long time.
The disease first appeared in 1970. There were no effective vaccination programmes at the time, so a huge epidemic broke out and killed thousands of dogs. Today there are no large parvovirus outbreaks, but unvaccinated dogs still catch the disease all the time.
The infection is usually spread through the faeces of infected dogs. The virus can also be carried on shoes or clothes, and on a dog's coat and paws.
Signs of the disease appear straight away:
- the dog becomes lethargic;
- it vomits heavily;
- it refuses food and water;
- it has abdominal pain;
- it develops bloody diarrhoea.
The dog suddenly loses a lot of fluid, becomes dehydrated and may die. Vaccination is the best way to protect your dog from this disease.
Coronavirus
Canine coronavirus causes mild diarrhoea in dogs. However, the infection makes a dog more vulnerable to parvovirus, so in some cases vaccination against coronavirus is also advisable.
Canine distemper
Thanks to vaccination, distemper is less common, but it still occurs. The infection is usually passed on through the airways when dogs meet. It can take as long as three weeks for the first signs to appear. Dogs under one year old are most often affected.
The main signs are discharge from the eyes and nose, and coughing. There may also be:
- vomiting and diarrhoea;
- loss of appetite;
- drowsiness.
A few weeks later, various neurological signs may appear, even convulsions or epileptic seizures. In some dogs, neurological signs only appear several years later. Dogs that survive sometimes have damaged teeth and thickened paw pads ("hard pad").
Distemper often cannot be cured. The best protection against it is vaccination.
Infectious canine hepatitis
Hepatitis mainly damages the liver, so a dog can die quickly. The infection is passed on when dogs meet, and dogs that have recovered can spread it for more than six months. Young dogs in their first year are most often affected, but older dogs sometimes get it too.
The first signs:
- feeling generally unwell;
- loss of appetite;
- very high temperature;
- pale gums;
- vomiting and diarrhoea;
- abdominal pain.
Later the dog may develop jaundice or "blue eye", when the cornea becomes clouded. After vaccination, dogs develop good immunity to infectious hepatitis.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is spread by house mice or by infected dogs, usually through contact with the urine of an infected animal. The disease mainly damages the liver and kidneys.
It shows up as:
- high temperature;
- extreme thirst;
- drowsiness;
- abdominal pain;
- vomiting and diarrhoea;
- jaundice.
If the disease is not treated at an early stage, it is usually fatal. People can also catch leptospirosis through contact with infected mice or dogs. That is why the leptospirosis vaccine protects not only your dog but also your family.
Kennel cough
Kennel cough is a contagious disease of the upper airways. It most often occurs where dogs are in close contact: in breeding kennels, boarding kennels and at shows.
It can be caused by several pathogens:
- canine parainfluenza virus;
- canine adenovirus;
- canine distemper virus;
- herpesvirus;
- reovirus;
- the bacterium Bordetella bronchiseptica.
The most obvious sign is a persistent dry cough. Sometimes the dog retches, loses its appetite or runs a temperature. Very rarely the disease progresses and causes pneumonia. Treatment is usually successful and the dog recovers easily, although it can take a few weeks.
Dogs can be vaccinated against several of the pathogens that cause this disease. Vaccination is especially recommended for dogs that regularly go to shows or live in kennels.
