Dog Viruses

Dogs are endangered by a large number of infectious dog diseases, especially during puppyhood. It is necessary to start their vaccination schedule at the age of 8 weeks. If the owner is responsible and he has his dogs vaccinated, he will most likely never face the feared diseases. By knowing what you are up against, you could prevent your dog from becoming a victim of dog viruses. Find out how to treat a sick dog at home.

Dog Viruses: Parvovirus enteritis

The dog disease is caused by a small-sized, very resistant virus, thought to take shape at the end of the 1970s, with the transformation of the similar cat virus. For more than 10 years until the development of the vaccine, a lot of dogs caught this dog disease.
Fortunately the vaccination stopped the epidemic from worsening, meaning that owners who get their dogs vaccinated can be safe in the knowledge their pet will not become ill. The virus did not disappear however, it may continue infecting the dogs that were not properly vaccinated. Few week old puppies are primarily endangered, but there are breeds especially sensitive to the parvovirus, like the Rottweiler or the Poodle. Without suitable immunity, they will sooner or later become infected with the pathogen.

The disease mainly causes viral stool infections. The most important symptoms of parvovirus enteritis are constant vomit and diarrhea. The stool stink strongly, is bloody and almost unstoppable. The animal neither eats, nor drinks and has strong abdominal pains. The dog then dries up because of the continuous fluid loss, gets into a state of shock and quickly dies. The only chance for recovery is if the owner acts quickly and asks for veterinary help, which often means hospital nursing.

Canine distemper

Unlike parvovirus, canine distemper has been a known dog virus for a long time. Vaccination magnificently protects against this dog disease, but those who do not grasp the opportunity, will probably have a canine-distempered dog. The dog virus causing canine distemper harms the respiratory organ and the nervous system. Primarily the young, few months old dogs are in danger, but the more aged animal infection may also appear. The symptoms of the illness are very much similar to human influenza: fever, nose and eye secretion, coughing, laryngitis and trachitis. Paw hardening may also appear in some cases. There is need for immediate veterinary help in this case.

Dog diseases can be prevented simply by taking the necessary precautions and having your dog vaccinated, visit our page on dog vaccinations.