Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

66 •DOG OWNER’S HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK
bitch who aborts two weeks before she is due to deliver and whenever a bitch
delivers stillborn puppies or puppies who sicken and die.
Dogs with acute infection have enlarged lymph nodes in the groin and/or
beneath the jaw. Fever is rare. The testicles of the male may swell in the initial
stages, and then become smaller and atrophic as the sperm-producing cells
are destroyed. Note, however, that this disease can infect a dog or bitch without
producing any signs of illness.
In a dog with an acute infection, bacteria are found in the blood, urine,
body secretions, and the products of abortion. In a dog with a chronic or inactive
infection, bacteria can be transmitted in vaginal secretions during estrus
and in semen.
The most common mode of transmission is by contact with infected vaginal
discharges following a spontaneous abortion, and by contact with the
urine of infected dogs. The disease can spread rapidly throughout a kennel in
this manner. Males can acquire the disease through oral and nasal contact
with the vaginal secretions of estrus females. Females can acquire the disease
through breeding with an infected male. This is of particular concern to
breeders, because males can harbor the bacteria for life.
A positive blood culture obtained during an acute infection is the most
conclusive diagnostic test. Bacteria can also be cultured from aborted tissue.
Blood serum tests will determine if a dog has ever been infected.
Treatment: Brucellosis is difficult to eradicate. A course of intramuscular
and oral antibiotics given for a minimum of three weeks will eliminate the
disease in 80 percent of dogs. To be considered cured, a dog must be free of the
bacteria for at least three months. Since it is difficult to achieve a cure, it is
recommended to spay or neuter all infected animals to prevent the transmission
of disease to other dogs.
Prevention: All animals should be tested before they are used in a breeding
program. Brood bitches should be retested one month before each breeding
and, ideally, stud dogs should be retested before every breeding.
Public health considerations: Rare instances of human infection have followed
exposure to canine brucellosis. It is important to wear rubber gloves
and take proper hygienic precautions when handling all aborted products of
conception.
LEPTOSPIROSIS
Canine leptospirosis is caused by an order of bacteria called spirochetes—
slender, spirally undulating bacteria. There are at least four species of the leptospira
bacteria (or serovars) that can infect dogs: canicola, icterohemorrhagiae,
grippotyphosa, and pomona.
Leptospira are found in wild and domestic animals. The bacteria are spread
in the urine, often making their way into water sources and remaining infective
in the soil for up to six months. Rats, pigs, raccoons, cattle, skunks, and