Plague is an animal disease caused by viruses. The causative agents of the disease are very resistant to low temperatures and lose their strength at high temperatures. Cures for such a disease have not yet been invented, then how to treat a plague in a dog? There is a therapeutic regimen prescribed by the veterinarian. Also, many are interested in how to treat plague in a dog with folk remedies. In this article, we consider the causes of the disease, symptoms, treatment methods, folk and medication.
Which dogs are in danger?
Most of all, puppies and young dogs are prone to such a disease, the most dangerous period is the age of three months to one year. During this period of life, the teeth of the animal change, the immunity becomes weak, and the body undergoes various kinds of diseases. If the puppy is still being fed by the mother, then he is not at risk of the plague, because with milk the antibodies against this terrible disease get into the body, but exceptions occur.
The breed of dog is not related to predisposition. A mongrel and a pedigree dog can get sick with a plague. The peak incidence was observed in spring and autumn, and it is at these times of the year that every owner should know how to treat a dog's plague. Providing first aid in time will speed up the healing process, minimizing the possibility of animal death.
Causes of infection
Plague is caused by the most dangerous virus for animals. It penetrates through the respiratory tract or orally.
The main source of infection is communication with a sick animal, in this case the virus emits a dog through saliva, urine or feces. If a dog gets sick with a plague, then the virus is on all objects that came into contact with it, and these things need to be eliminated, the best way is to burn it. Do not throw away these objects; they can cause infection of another animal. Never accept the used things of a dead dog as they can carry a dangerous virus. A common cause of infection in an animal is:
- feeding troughs;
- Toys
- beds;
- carrying bags;
- Aviaries in which infected individuals have ever been kept.
If the dog is domestic and does not come into contact with other animals, this will not mean that it is safe. The cause of infection can be even ordinary dirt on a person’s shoes brought home, clothing or the remains of dirt on a dog’s legs after a walk.
The danger of infection arises in early spring and late autumn, when the plus temperatures are not as high as in the summer. It is at this time of the year that you need to especially protect your pet. So, how to treat a plague in a dog?
Infection period
From the moment of contact of the animal with a sick individual or with an object-carrier of the virus, the dog is affected by the disease. But in the first 5-20 days, the dog is only a carrier and a distributor, and it is almost impossible to find out that the pet is sick.
The incubation period makes it difficult to diagnose plague symptoms in dogs. How to treat a pet at this time? If you see that something is wrong with the dog, but are not sure that this is a plague, then be sure to consult a veterinarian, you can not self-medicate. The only thing is to provide first aid with folk remedies, which we will talk about later.
When the signs of plague in dogs are revealed, the veterinarian will tell each dog breeder what to treat. An urgent need to start therapy with the following symptoms:
- Short-term increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees. The heat subsides itself, and therefore it can be noted in the behavior of animal strangeness: the dog is either active, or becomes lethargic.
- Appetite is reduced even if the pet is a lover of food. The dog refuses even his favorite treats, becomes lethargic.
- The mucous membranes begin to turn red.
- Diarrhea, cough, vomiting - always accompany the plague.
- The dog begins to be afraid of the light, her eyes watery, she hides in the dark corners of the house, refuses to go for a walk.
- The most recent signs are the inability to get up. The dog becomes weakened, lies, does not respond to the voice of the owner and does not respond to stimuli. Panting, protruding tongue and rapid or, conversely, weakened heartbeat.
The disease primarily affects the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory system. The virus affects the central nervous system, and the animal has cramps, coordination becomes confused, and paralysis occurs. All the latest symptoms are one hundred percent signs of nervous plague in dogs. How to treat this disease at home, everyone should know, because the disease can not be left without therapy, the fatal outcome with a plague is 90%. The faster you start treatment, the more chances you will get your pet out of the world. Is it possible to treat a dog with a distemper? This question is constantly featured on the Internet. Answer: it is possible, vodka will be excellent first aid. How to do this, write further.
The course and diagnosis
The intensity of the course of the disease depends on the immunity of the dog. There are several forms of the development of the disease:
- Lightning-fast development - the dog has no symptoms, but it dies in a day.
- Super-acute course - the temperature of the dog rises sharply, it falls into a coma, and if you do not start treatment, then the animal will die within 2-3 days.
- Acute form of the disease - the dog has the symptoms described above.
- Chronic plague - the symptoms either appear or disappear, in this form the dog is a constant carrier of the virus.
Diagnosis of the disease should be made in a hospital. It will be necessary to take tests to exclude other viral diseases, the symptoms of which are similar to the plague.
How to treat plague in a dog?
It is advisable to send the pet for treatment to a hospital where professionals will deal with it. If this is not possible, then call the veterinarian at home to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
Since there is no cure for the plague, the fight against the disease is by increasing the immunity of the animal, which will fight the virus itself. The owner requires attention, love, support. It is necessary to build a place for the dog in the dark, where the light will not bother him. You also need a special diet. About what to feed the pet during the disease, we will tell in the further contents.
Specific treatment
Unfortunately, there are no magic injections from the plague yet. Scientists are trying to develop them, but so far to no avail. But there are serums that can help minimize the possibility of death - these are fluids with antibodies obtained from the processing of blood of animals with high immunity to the disease. The following serums are prescribed:
- Vitafel
- Hyksan;
- Globkan;
- Avirokan and the like.
In rare cases, a blood transfusion is used for a patient from an immune dog.
The complexity of this therapy is that you need to administer serum at the very beginning of the disease, and as we already understood, symptoms can appear both on the first and on the twentieth day after infection. The sooner the serum is administered, the greater the chance of a successful outcome. If the serum is used late or completely abandoned, then in rare cases a miracle of healing can occur. When the disease is launched, it remains only to rely on the strength of immunity and zeal for the life of a pet.
Serum needs to be entered to an animal 1-2 times a day. Since we are talking about the introduction of a foreign protein, you first need to inject "Diphenhydramine" to exclude allergies.
Vodka from the plague
Treatment of a dog’s plague with vodka is a proven folk method that helped save the lives of many tetrapods. You can give a dog a forty-degree “cure” in two ways:
- Take a large syringe, remove the needle. Fill it with vodka in an amount of 30-50 grams (depending on the size of the animal), pour into the mouth, hold your head until the dog completely swallows the drink. Give water to avoid burns to the mucosa. This procedure is carried out twice a day. Usually on the second day the dog becomes more active, he has an appetite, which means that he is recovering.
- The second method: in half a glass of vodka, dilute one raw egg, stir well. Divide the product into two halves, pour one portion into the jaws of the animal, and the second after 12 hours.
Now you know how to treat a dog for plague at home while you wait for the veterinarian to arrive. Of course, it is not possible to cure the animal only with vodka, other therapy must be used, but this drink will minimize the likelihood of death and help the pet recover faster.
Respiratory manifestations
Is it possible to treat plague in dogs with antibiotics? Only serum and vodka will not save the animal. How to treat plague in a dog at home? The veterinarian will prescribe complex therapy, the scheme of which must be adhered to strictly. With respiratory manifestations of the disease (sneezing, coughing, dry nose and cracking of the lobe, inflammation of the eyes), the reproduction and spread of harmful bacteria must be restrained. Therefore, treat the plague in the dog also with antibiotics. These medications will help to cope only with the multiplication of bacteria with the manifestation of respiratory symptoms, but the plague itself is not treated with antibiotics. Your doctor will prescribe Ampicillin, Levomycetin, Sulfalen, Sumetrolim, Streptomecin, or another antibiotic.
If you do not use it, then deterioration will occur - blindness, loss of scent, pneumonia, bronchitis or pulmonary edema.
Antibacterial drops should be used to clean the eyes and nose. Avoid crusts.
How to treat intestinal distemper in dogs
With this kind of plague, dogs will have profuse vomiting and yellow fetid loose stools. In the feces, mucus and even blood are often present. You can’t do without qualified help, you need to urgently call a doctor. The veterinarian will prescribe droppers from plasma-substituting solutions and salts: lactosol, disol, sodium chloride plus 0.5 glucose.
To stop diarrhea and vomiting, so that dehydration does not occur, the following drugs are prescribed:
- "Bifikol";
- Tserukal;
- Intestopan;
- Abomin
- "Smecta" and others that contribute to the elimination of toxins and stop diarrhea and vomiting.
There are folk remedies for the normalization of the digestive tract and the removal of toxins. Give the dog juices from carrots, decoction of linden and chamomile. If the dog refuses to drink it voluntarily, then pour in forcibly.
With this form of plague, treatment with vodka is unacceptable. The drink will harm the already irritated mucous membrane, will cause severe dehydration.
Other types of ailment
If the plague affects the nervous system, the doctor should prescribe the following medications: Midocal or analogs to reduce muscle tone, Paglüferal 2 for epilepsy, for weakness and partial paralysis, one percent Strychnine, and in case of severe irritability, diphenhydramine with Aminazine ", benzonal, folic acid, sodium barbital. Intracranial pressure will help reduce 25% magnesium sulfate.
With a skin plague, blisters and a crust appear on the skin, which must be treated with an ointment with an antiseptic effect. In order for the pet to comb the sores and not lick the ointment, you need to wear a protective collar. In severe cases, immunostimulants, antibiotics and vitamins are prescribed.
The dog got sick with a plague. How to treat? Do not give the animal medicine from your first-aid kit for "maybe it will help." All recommendations should be given only by a veterinarian. In the article, funds are prescribed only for familiarization, the doctor will prescribe the correct dosage and, possibly, other drugs.
Diet
We must not forget about special feeding during the plague. Food should help boost immunity so that the body can fight hard:
- give more minced meat or finely chopped meat;
- raw egg - twice a week (during illness and during recovery);
- cottage cheese and kefir low-fat varieties;
- broths of meat and vegetables are required, if you cook porridge, then make them liquid, like soup;
- decoction of motherwort must be poured into water for drinking during damage to the nervous system.
Recovery after ailment
We talked about how to treat plague in dogs at home. As soon as the pet gets better, you should not refuse a special diet, which includes many protein foods.
You can’t immediately send the dog back to the yard, if she lives in a booth or aviary, the dog must fully recover. Do not drive the pet, do not overload while walking, everything should be at a minimum, you need to save strength.
Make sure that the dog always has plenty of fresh, clean water. Wash the bowl stably, as bacteria multiply quickly in dirty dishes, and the dog can catch another ailment while the immune system is still weak.
In the place of residence of the animal should be clean, dry, in order to avoid pneumonia and bronchitis, which can occur during the recovery period after the plague. The room must be ventilated.
Veterinarians advise: in order not to expose the pet to the danger of contracting such a serious disease as the plague, take annual vaccinations. Today there is an effective vaccine against plague, with which you can not worry about the health and life of the pet.
Having plague once, the animal will no longer be exposed to this dangerous, difficult to treat disease. But there are many other equally dangerous viruses. Therefore, do not forget to wash the paws and belly of the pet every time after a walk, do not allow to pick up food on the street, always give fresh food.