Veterinary Technician Advice: Diseases
your Puppy or Dog may get if not Vaccinated
By Kami R. Guy, CVT
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you didn't vaccinate your puppy
or dog? If so, this article and the ones to follow, will inform you about the
diseases and symptoms that a dog or puppy can have, how it makes them sick, how
to treat them and how it affects their health. I will start with the first
vaccination which is the DA2PLPC, or as many call it, the eight-in-one. These
are the core immunizations for the canine. Each letter or abbreviation stands
for a disease and each number stands for the strand of that disease. The
abbreviations stand for the diseases Distemper, Adenovirus type 2 (hepatitis),
Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, Leptospirosis, and Coronavirus. There are many times
the vaccination DA2PPC will be given, which is the same as the DA2PLPC but
without the Leptospirosis. The DA2PPC is sometimes given at the first two puppy
visits and at the third visit the DA2PLPC will be given.
The first
disease in the DA2PLPC vaccination series, is Distemper. Canine Distemper is
highly contagious and affects dogs of all ages. This disease also infects
animals such as the fox, dingo, coyote, wolf, jackal, ferret, mink, weasel,
marten, skunk, badger, otter, raccoon, panda, kinkajou, coati and on, rare
occasions, the Bengal tiger. If you live in an area that has a multitude of
these animals, your puppy or dog is more prone to this disease because the virus
is shed through body secretions, such as feces, saliva, urine, conjunctival and
nasal exudates and through aerosols. It is very easily spread but is also very
easily destroyed by drying, heat, disinfecting and ultraviolet light. In canines
the infection rate is higher than the disease rate. This is probably due to the
degree of natural and/or vaccine induced immunity. Of the dogs that are infected
with this disease, an estimated 25% to 75% develop only a subclinical infection
and eliminate the virus without showing any symptoms. The virulence of the viral
strain, along with the age, breed and immunocompetence, may influence the
infection rate of the disease.
If a puppy or dog is infected with this
disease and does not eliminate the virus, then the first signs that will be seen
are symptoms that resemble those of an upper respiratory infection. This usually
occurs 2-5 days after infection and sometimes progresses further causing
pneumonia and complications caused by a secondary bacterial infection. If the
disease progresses further, then fever, anorexia and depression will occur
within the 6th - 9th day of infection. Vomiting and diarrhea may also occur at
this time. If the disease is not improving within 14-21 days after infection,
Central Nervous System (CNS) signs may be seen. This may include personality
changes, seizures, ataxia, circling, pacing, paresis & progressive
paralysis. Some dogs may also develop problems such as dermatitis, retinal
lesions and/or blindness and most commonly Hyperkeratosis, which is referred to
as hard pad disease. If puppies are exposed to the disease and recover before
the eruption of their permanent teeth, they will have pitted permanent teeth.
This commonly occurs because it is found that younger pups are more susceptible
than older pups or dogs. This is due to the weaning age and the decreasing of
maternal antibodies at this time.
Diagnosis of the disease is usual by
clinical signs. There are tests that will help with diagnosis, but not all of
them are accurate. The diagnostic tests that may be performed are blood work,
radiography, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, electroencephalography and
immunofluorescence of cerebrospinal fluid, blood and bone marrow.
The
treatment of this disease is tough. There are no antiviral treatments, so
systematic and supportive care is the best that can be done. The patient should
be kept warm, clean and quiet, with a minimized stress level. The hydration
status is monitored carefully and fluid therapy will be given if necessary with
a balance of an electrolyte solution, potassium supplementation if anorectic and
glucose to increase calorie intake. Systematic medications that may be given
will be antiemetics to prevent vomiting, multicomplex B vitamins, expectorants
for the cough and antibiotics if a secondary infection is present. There are no
treatments for the neurologic signs. Seizures are sometimes attempted to be
controlled by anticonvulsant, and may be needed for the remainder of the dogs
life if Epilepsy occurs. If the dog becomes paralyzed, it should be placed on a
waterbed or sheepskin pad to decrease the occurrence of sores. The dog must be
turned from side to side every couple of hours and the bladder must be expressed
three times daily.
The prognosis of all animals that are treated for
canine Distemper is guarded. Even in cases where the dog is recovering, a
relapse may occur. The relapse may occur soon after the initial infection and
treatment, or later in the dog's life and is usually neurologic. When it occurs
in older dogs, even those that have never had symptoms of the disease, it is
referred to as ODE or Old Dog Encephalitis. This is why vaccinations are
recommended annually to boost immunity. The mortality rate of dogs varies, but
studies have shown that the Boxer, Pekingese and Scottish Terrier have a low
mortality rate while the Samoyed, German Shepherd and Cocker Spaniel have a
higher mortality rate.
Prevention is the key to avoiding these problems
in your puppy or dog. The amount of maternal antibodies that the pup receives is
determined by the amount that the mother or bitch has received. Vaccinating a
pup that still has maternal antibodies is not necessary but there is no way to
know when the maternal antibodies in that particularly pup start to decrease. It
is because of this that vaccinations are started at 6-8 weeks and given every
two to four weeks until 14-16 weeks of age. After this time the vaccination
needs to be given annually to boost the initial vaccinations.
As you can
tell this is a very serious disease to vaccinate your puppy or dog against. But
this is just one of the diseases that is included in the DA2PLPC series. In the
next articles, we will discuss the rest of the diseases in this series and also
the other vaccinations that are recommended or available for your puppy or dog.
I hope you have enjoyed this article and will be looking forward to articles to
come.
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