Content
- What is toxoplasmosis?
- Toxoplasmosis contagion in dogs
- Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis in Dogs
- Canine Toxoplasmosis Treatment
- How to prevent the spread of toxoplasmosis
When we adopt a dog, we soon discover that the bond that forms between a pet and its owner is very strong and special, and we soon understand that the dog has become another member of our family and not just an animal pet.
Thus, the care of our pet acquires a great importance in our daily lives and we must be aware of any symptom or behavior that indicates a condition, so as to offer a treatment as soon as possible.
In this article by PeritoAnimal we will talk about the toxoplasmosis in dogs, what are its symptoms to be able to identify the disease, how it is treated, how to prevent it and how it spreads.
What is toxoplasmosis?
Toxoplasmosis is a infectious nature disease caused by a protozoan parasite called Toxoplasma Gondii.
It is not a disease unique to dogs, as it affects a wide range of warm-blooded animals and humans as well.
When you suffer from contagion through the extra-intestinal cycle (which affects all animals), the toxoplasm passes from the intestinal tract to the bloodstream, where it reaches the organs and tissues it affects and, as a consequence, suffers from a reaction inflammatory and immunological.
Toxoplasmosis contagion in dogs
THE toxoplasmosis in dogs it is a disease that our dog acquires through the extra-intestinal cycle and, to understand this mechanism of action, we must differentiate the two cycles of reproduction of this parasite:
- Intestinal cycle: Occurs only in cats. The parasite reproduces in the intestinal tract of the cat, eliminating immature eggs through feces, these eggs mature in the environment when they have passed between 1 and 5 days.
- Extra-intestinal cycle: The contagion through this cycle occurs through the ingestion of mature eggs, which pass from the intestine to the blood and are capable of infecting organs and tissues.
A dog can get toxoplasmosis through contact with an infected surface, through ingesting cat feces, or through eating raw meat contaminated with the parasite's eggs.
Young or immunocompromised puppies are a risk group in the contagion of toxoplasmosis.
Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis in Dogs
Acute toxoplasmosis manifests itself through several symptoms, although our pet does not have to suffer from all of them.
If we observe in our dog any of the following symptoms we must go to the veterinarian immediately with him:
- Muscle weakness
- Lack of coordination in movements
- Lethargy
- Depression
- Convulsions
- tremors
- Complete or partial paralysis
- Breathing problems
- loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Jaundice (yellow coloration of the mucous membranes)
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Inflammation of the eyeball
Canine Toxoplasmosis Treatment
First, the veterinarian must confirm the diagnosis of canine toxoplasmosis and, for that, it will perform a blood analysis to measure different parameters, such as serology and antibodies, defense cell count and some liver parameters.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, the treatment will vary depending on each specific case and the basic health status of the animal.
Intravenous fluids will be used in the case of severe dehydration and antibiotics to control the infection in the affected areas can also be prescribed. restore the dog's immune system, especially when it was already debilitated before the toxoplasma infection.
In some severe cases, the dog may need a period of hospitalization.
How to prevent the spread of toxoplasmosis
To prevent contagion from toxoplasmosis in dogs, we must simply be careful and take the following hygiene measures into account:
- We must prevent our dog from eating raw meat as well as food in poor condition.
- We must control all those areas that our dog may come into contact with, such as a cat's feces.
- If we have also adopted a cat in our house, we must double our care, periodically clean the litter box and prevent our dog from coming into contact with it.
With regard to contagion to humans, we must clarify that it is not possible to spread toxoplasmosis from a dog to a human.
Between 40 to 60% of humans have already suffered from toxoplasmosis, but if the immune system works properly, the symptoms do not manifest themselves, being just a dangerous disease during early pregnancy in women who do not have antibodies.
Human contagion occurs through the ingestion of contaminated food and, in the case of children, through possible contact with the infected feces of a cat.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.