Among parasitic diseases, the most poorly studied is toxoplasmosis in dogs. Officially, cats are considered its carrier, but four-legged friends can also be an intermediate host. However, there is a difference. The body of cats works in such a way that the causative agents of toxoplasmosis are excreted into the external environment. The dog becomes infected through food and water, which is especially possible if animals use only feeders. But the disease in the dog has no way into the external environment. However, it is almost impossible to determine in the early stages that your pet is a carrier of intracellular parasites.
Toxoplasma
What it is? These are small parasites that attach to blood cells and begin their journey through the body. You need to know about him, because the disease is dangerous for humans. The simplest toxoplasmas are most often transmitted from cats, however, during the period of exacerbation, they may well stand out from the dog's saliva. Therefore, playing with your favorite, you run the risk of getting sick yourself. Intracellular parasites inside a person lead to serious disorders in the body, which can have long-term consequences. They are primarily dangerous for pregnant women, as they can penetrate the placental barrier and cause miscarriage or provoke severe deformities.
Danger or not
In fairness, it should be noted that the probability of infection of the owner from the dog is negligible. Today we are not talking about getting rid of pets immediately, but about how to prevent this disease and cure your pet, if the symptoms have already manifested. Therefore, there is no need to get rid of a sick animal. Observe personal hygiene and visit a veterinarian.
Diagnostic Methods
Toxoplasmosis in a dog begins to manifest itself during an exacerbation. However, even at this time, you can guess about the presence of pathology only by indirect signs. On palpation, the enlarged lymph nodes are palpated. Coughing and purulent discharge from the nose may be observed. A sharp increase in temperature is possible, but soon it will return to its usual indicators. Frequent diarrhea is also an indirect symptom.
There are common signs by which toxoplasmosis in a dog can be suspected. This is a loss of appetite and, as a result, weight loss, a state of apathy and even nervous disorders. Agree, to understand right away what's what, an experienced doctor will not be able to. Symptoms are often confused with signs of viral diseases. They can correctly diagnose an ailment when treatment has failed. After that, the doctor prescribes an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which allows you to detect the presence of antibodies in the blood and plan therapy.
Disease progression
Toxoplasmosis in a dog can develop in different ways. The chronic form remains almost invisible to the owner. However, in some cases a different picture is observed. The incubation period lasts up to 6 weeks. At this time, toxoplasmas multiply in the organs of hematopoiesis. Accumulated in sufficient quantities, they are spread throughout the body. In the first place, the digestive tract, liver, and spleen are affected. As a result, we observe loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. Sometimes, against this background, skin diseases, dermatitis or eczema develop.
Acute toxoplasmosis
The sooner the diagnosis is carried out, the more chances the animal has for recovery. In rare cases, one can observe how toxoplasmosis in dogs proceeds. Symptoms develop rapidly, with damage to the central nervous system and the destruction of certain centers in the brain and spinal cord. In this case, paresis and paralysis develop, convulsions are possible. Toxoplasmosis can affect the kidneys and pancreas, causing severe pain in the abdomen. If the lungs suffer, then shortness of breath is observed. But most often under attack are the organs of the abdominal cavity. Foci of destruction in the liver and spleen lead to rapid depletion. Toxoplasmosis in dogs can be so fast. Symptoms of a severe form of the disease are quite rare, but it is extremely difficult to distinguish them from carnivore plague.
Pet treatment
If a dog is sick, this is a tragedy for every owner. Finding a veterinarian, taking time to visit the clinic, and carrying out the necessary procedures on a daily basis is an additional burden, but it’s most difficult to observe and be unable to help. However, toxoplasmosis rarely leads to severe lesions. Usually, the owners may not notice short-term signs that disappear as soon as the disease becomes chronic.
Forecasts
But, most likely, it will not be possible to completely cure him. Therefore, if a dog falls ill, you must first pass an examination and make the correct diagnosis, and then smooth out the symptoms. In this case, a small amount of parasites remains in the blood, but does not cause the animal any anxiety. The dog in this case is completely not contagious.
Main directions
Now let's talk about how to treat toxoplasmosis. If the examination showed the presence of parasites in the blood, it is recommended to conduct a full-fledged course, which includes several approaches.
- First of all, it is important to destroy the parasites themselves. As long as they remain in the same amount, the condition is unlikely to improve. For this, special preparations are introduced into the body, which are very toxic for the dog itself. Therefore, the dosage is carefully measured by the weight of the animal.
- Limit the effects of toxoplasma. These parasites have an amazing property. As soon as the conditions cease to be favorable, they are encapsulated and wait. Since they completely penetrated into living cells, they can be eliminated in only one way - by strengthening the immune system. Immunomodulators are best suited for this purpose.
- Strengthening the condition of the body. For this, various drugs are used that allow you to establish the work of the liver and kidneys, heart and blood vessels. That is, a general strengthening course that reduces the burden on vital organs.
Do not self-medicate, a doctor should prescribe therapy for your pet. Since it takes a long time to treat toxoplasmosis, you need to know exactly what and in what dosages it is worth using. In fact, this disease is not treatable. With the help of a special complex it is possible to put it into sleep mode, which will not disturb the animal. But if you ignore the symptoms, then you can earn serious consequences in the form of a defeat of any internal organ.
Prevention
As you know, any disease is much easier to prevent. The simplest creature that causes toxoplasmosis is a very insidious parasite. If it penetrates the body, it remains in the tissues even in the event of a successful treatment. That is, if the immunity weakens, then at any moment it will begin to multiply again.
Infection of an animal is often due to eating raw meat. Therefore, it is very important to heat it for at least 30 minutes. But a predator must receive a raw product. Yes, this is why veterinarians recommend pre-freezing it. At very low temperatures, the parasite also dies.
Be sure to maintain the cleanliness of the place where the pet is sleeping. Every week you need to clean the litter and do wet cleaning. In addition, it is important to limit the dog’s communication with street animals and to ensure that there are no rats and mice at home.
It is necessary to take basic preventive measures so that your pet does not suffer from toxoplasmosis in the future.