Enteritis in dogs

Surely, every dog ​​owner has come across the fact that his pet sniffs, or even tries to eat the feces of other animals. Of course, such actions are suppressed by the owners, and the point is not only in their unaesthetic, but also in the fact that it is through the products of vital activity that infection with such a serious disease as enteritis occurs. It is enough for a dog to simply lick a pile left on the street for the virus to enter the stomach and do its dirty work. However, enteritis can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her puppies.

Symptoms of enteritis in dogs

Enteritis or parvovirus is an intestinal disease, explains veterinarian Ruslan Shadrin. – Any poisoning, foreign body, viral disease or food intolerance causes inflammation, that is, enteritis will be in any case. Another thing is that it can pass in a mild form, and then the owners sometimes do not even go to clinics, but if the form is more severe, it can lead to complications and even death. And then you need hospital treatment.

Puppies and older dogs, as well as those whose immunity has been weakened due to illness or hunger, are especially susceptible to infection. In young dogs, enteritis is quite common and accounts for 7-8% of the number of pathologies that occur in them (1). Most often, puppies aged from 10 days to 2 months die from this disease (2).

Symptoms of enteritis can manifest themselves in different ways depending on its form. The most common type of disease is intestinal (3). Having picked it up, the dog becomes lethargic and sad, refuses to eat, while she is sick and has an upset stomach. The temperature first rises to 41 ° C or more, but then, on the contrary, drops to 37 ° C. Dehydration of the body occurs very quickly, which becomes noticeable in the sunken eyes and sagging skin of the animal.

There are other forms of enteritis, for example, cardiac. It occurs most often in small puppies and is much more difficult to diagnose because the external symptoms are not so pronounced: the animals become short of breath, the mucous membranes become pale, and the pulse is weak. Unfortunately, most puppies with heart enteritis die, and those that survive most often have heart problems for life.

Symptoms appear as early as 4 to 5 days after infection.

It happens that enteritis occurs in a mild form – as a rule, in adult dogs with strong immunity. Then everything is limited only to a temporary lack of appetite and an upset stomach.

If enteritis was not treated, but the dog still survived, the disease can become chronic. Then the unfortunate animal throughout life suffers from metabolic failures, frequent diarrhea and eating disorders.

Treatment of enteritis in dogs

If you notice one or more of the above symptoms, in no case wait for everything to go away on its own, but take your four-legged friend to the veterinarian. After all, in the literal case, the bill can go to the clock – if you do not provide the dog with qualified assistance in time, it is unlikely to cope with the disease itself.

In the clinic, treatment is carried out in stages. To begin with, a four-legged patient is prescribed a three-day course of immunoglobulin, then glucose is injected intravenously to make up for the loss of nutrients and strengthen the weakened body. After that, a course of antibiotics is prescribed, which fight directly with the causative agent of the disease. It also supports the work of the heart. Depending on the form and degree of the disease, the nutritionist prescribes special feeding, which we will discuss in more detail below.

With a cardiac form, intravenous injections are not given to a dog – this can be dangerous. In this case, slow administration of the drug using a dropper around the clock is shown.

Diagnostics

The first thing to note is that if you notice symptoms in your dog that are similar to those described above, do not attempt to diagnose yourself. There are a huge number of diseases of varying severity, the manifestations of which at the initial stages are very similar to each other, and without special equipment it is impossible to distinguish them. Therefore, having noticed that your dog refuses to eat, constantly lies, does not play, that he is sick, it is better to take the pet to the veterinarian.

The clinic will immediately conduct an express test for enteritis, as well as other studies that will help make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment. The main thing is not to delay, because the disease develops rapidly.

Modern treatments

Today, when the nature of the causative agents of the disease is thoroughly studied, veterinarians have developed an effective treatment regimen for enteritis in dogs. It includes both the direct fight against the virus and a number of rehabilitation and preventive measures.

So, in addition to taking a course of antibiotics, which are both effective and gentle on the animal’s body, treatment necessarily includes the elimination of dehydration, the removal of toxins, the normalization of all functions of the internal organs affected during the illness, and, of course, a whole range of measures to increase immunity dogs so that in the future she will never face this serious disease again.

Prevention of enteritis in dogs at home

Fortunately, today enteritis is still somewhat less common than before, due to the fact that most owners take all measures to prevent this deadly disease. First, and most important, is, of course, vaccinations. The first vaccination that puppies undergo at the age of 2,5 – 3 months is just aimed at preventing enteritis. Therefore, in no case should this procedure be neglected.

The second thing that every dog ​​owner should remember is the need to wean their pet from the tendency to pick up edible and inedible objects on the street, as well as to be interested in the feces of other dogs, from a very young age. If the dog clearly understands that it is strictly forbidden to take something from the ground, most likely, enteritis does not threaten him.

And, of course, it is worth monitoring the state of the food that the dog eats. If it is a natural food, then it should be thoroughly washed and, preferably, heat-treated.

“The main problem of our time is inadequate and poor-quality feeding of the animal,” says veterinarian Ruslan Shadrin. – As the doctor of veterinary sciences, academician Ivan Petrovich Kondrakhin notes, today non-infectious problems caused by inadequate feeding occupy one of the main places. That is, dogs are fed incorrectly, or the wrong food, too much or too little.

Popular questions and answers

Sources of

1. Vatnikov Yu. A., Sakhno N. V., Medvedev I. N., Byakhova V. M., Popova I. A., et al. Features of the course of parvovirus enteritis in dogs // Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences , 2017, https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/osobennosti-techeniya-parvovirusnogo-enterita-u-sobak
2. Reutskaya D.I. Immunity in parvovirus enteritis of dogs // Bulletin of the Altai State Agrarian University, 2003, https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/immunitet-pri-parvovirusnom-enterite-sobak
3. Radzykhovsky N.L., Zaika S.S. Pathomorphological characteristics of parvovirus enteritis in dogs // Scientific Bulletin of S.Z. Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology. Gzhitskogo, 2017, https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/patomorfologicheskaya-harakteristika-parvovirusnogo-enterita-u-sobak