Content
- Canine herpesvirus: what is it?
- Canine herpesvirus: contagion
- How canine herpesvirus is spread
- Canine herpesvirus: symptoms
- Herpesvirus symptoms in pregnant bitches
- Herpesvirus symptoms in adult dogs
- Canine Herpesvirus: Prevention
O canine herpesvirus it is a viral disease that can affect any dog, but it is necessary to pay special attention to newborn puppies, since these puppies can cause death if symptoms are not detected in time and if sufficient prevention measures are not taken as recommended. This pathology is present mainly in breeding sites and can cause several changes in female fertility and in the life of newborns.
If you want to prevent your dog or think he might be affected, keep reading this article by PeritoAnimal, we will explain what it is. canine herpesvirus - contagion, symptoms and prevention.
Canine herpesvirus: what is it?
O canine herpesvirus (CHV, its acronym in English) is a viral agent that affects dogs, especially newborns, and that can be deadly. This virus was first detected in 1965 in the United States, its main characteristic is that it does not support high temperatures (+37ºC), so it usually develops in puppies, which tend to have a lower temperature than adults (between 35 and 37°C).
However, canine herpesvirus does not just affect the newborn dogs, it can also affect elderly dogs, pregnant bitches or adult dogs with different symptoms. The cause of this virus is an Alfaherpevirus that contains a double strand of DNA and can survive up to 24 hours, depending on humidity and temperature, although it is very sensitive to the external environment.
This infectious agent is mainly present in canine breeding, where about 90% of dogs are seropositive, that is, they are affected by the herpesvirus but have not yet developed symptoms, which means they can infect other dogs.
Canine herpesvirus: contagion
The transmission routes by which canine herpesvirus are contracted are:
- Oronasal route;
- Transplacental route;
- Via venereal.
How canine herpesvirus is spread
Canine herpesvirus is transmitted oronasal when dogs are inside the mother's uterus or during the passage through the birth canal, due to the female's vaginal mucosa that can be seropositive or contagion can occur during pregnancy, when transmission will be transplacental, since the placenta will be affected by the virus. In this case, the offspring can die at any time during pregnancy, producing abortions in the female. The contagion can still occur in newborn puppies, up to 10-15 days after birth, if any other mucosa from the female enters the puppy's body, for example the nasal mucosa when breathing closely. Canine herpesvirus can also be spread through the venereal route if an infected or HIV-positive dog has sex with a healthy female.
Canine herpesvirus: symptoms
The newborn puppies seriously infected by canine herpesvirus will present several critical symptoms of infection:
- High-pitched moans produced by severe abdominal pain;
- Slimming from breast milk starvation;
- More liquid and grayish-yellow stools;
- In the last stage, nervous signs, subcutaneous edema, papules in the abdomen and erythema appear;
- In 24-48 hours, the illness will be deadly.
In the affected litters, mortality is usually around 80% and if there are survivors, these puppies will be latent carriers and may present irreversible sequelae, such as blindness, ataxia and deficit of the vestibular cerebellum.
In older puppies, the symptoms of infection will cause the virus to be secreted through saliva, eye discharge, tears, sputum, and urine and feces. They may also have conjunctivitis, rhinopharyngitis, and even kennel cough syndrome.
Herpesvirus symptoms in pregnant bitches
The symptoms of pregnant dogs with canine herpesvirus will be infection of the placenta and production of abortions, premature births or fetal deaths.
Herpesvirus symptoms in adult dogs
In adult puppies, the symptoms of this viral agent are similar to those of older puppies, and may present conjunctivitis and mild rhinitis. However, it is also possible that the animal's genitals are temporarily infected with the appearance of cysts on the mucosa of the vagina in females and with lesions on the surface of the penis in males.
Canine Herpesvirus: Prevention
As the only vaccine currently on the market against canine herpesvirus, it can only be administered to affected pregnant females so that they raise their antibodies considerably at the time of delivery and in the following days, so that they can transfer them to the puppies through colostrum for them to survive , prevention is the only solution against this viral disease. Therefore, the following are recommended. Preventive measures:
- Take sufficient precautionary measures during reproduction;
- Use artificial insemination to avoid venereal contagion;
- Quarantine pregnant females 4 weeks before, during parturition and 4 weeks after;
- Isolate litters from newborn puppies during the first 10-15 days;
- Controlling the body temperature of newborns so that it stays between 38-39ºC with the help of heat lamps, for example;
- Take sufficient hygienic measures where the dogs will be, because canine herpesvirus is very sensitive to disinfectants.
See too: Canine Leptospirosis - Symptoms and Treatment
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.