Symptoms of canine hepatitis
Symptoms of Canine Hepatitis
Some diseases that affect people can also occur in pets. This is the case of hepatitis. For this reason, this time we want to talk about the symptoms of canine hepatitis, so that you can learn to detect them and help your faithful friend.
What is Canine Hepatitis?
Canine hepatitis consists of inflammation of the liver due to several causes.
It is true that, thanks to vaccines, it is less and less frequent that it occurs in pets, but if the animal is not protected, it can suffer it.
The symptoms of canine hepatitis can vary somewhat depending on the type of hepatitis.
Types of hepatitis in dogs
The types of hepatitis in dogs that exist are treatable, but if not remedied in time and the disease is allowed to progress, they can be deadly.
Autoimmune hepatitis: it is the dog’s own immune system that reacts against liver cells because it confuses them with pathogens (hepatocytes).
Common hepatitis: This can be caused by poisoning. Such poisoning can occur as a side effect of a medication that may be aggressive to the liver. It can also be given by ingesting something toxic.
Infectious hepatitis: is caused by canine adenovirus type 1. This is a highly contagious viral disease that, in most cases, occurs in dogs under one year of age. Unfortunately, it has no cure, but it can be prevented.
The types of hepatitis in dogs that exist are treatable, but if not remedied in time and the disease is allowed to progress, they can be deadly.
Autoimmune hepatitis: it is the dog’s own immune system that reacts against liver cells because it confuses them with pathogens (hepatocytes).
Common hepatitis: This can be caused by poisoning. Such poisoning can occur as a side effect of a medication that may be aggressive to the liver. It can also be given by ingesting something toxic.
Infectious hepatitis: is caused by canine adenovirus type 1. This is a highly contagious viral disease that, in most cases, occurs in dogs under one year of age. Unfortunately, it has no cure, but it can be prevented.
Symptoms of canine hepatitis
The symptoms of canine hepatitis can be more or less visible and severe depending on the stage of the disease.
Symptoms of mild canine hepatitis include:
Not excessively high fever.
Diarrhoea.
Jaundice (the white area of the eye turns yellow).
On the other hand, when hepatitis in dogs begins to add severity, the symptoms increase:
The fever rises considerably.
Diarrhea and vomiting blood.
Swollen lymph nodes.
Seizures.
What is known as «blue eye» can occur. It is not that the animal’s eye suddenly turns blue, but that the cornea becomes much duller than normal.
Jaundice is more evident.
Persistent thirst.
Inflammation and bleeding gums.
Abdomen hard, tense and painful, especially in the liver area.
The behavior can also be altered, causing the dog to become more aggressive.
Lack of appetite.
Depression.
Treatment for symptoms of canine hepatitis
Detected any of the symptoms of hepatitis in dogs, you should immediately go to the veterinarian so that he can establish the appropriate treatment for your pet.
Even if the disease has healed, liver damage can leave serious sequelae. That is why it is important to act as soon as possible.
After the relevant tests carried out by the veterinarian, it will be possible to determine what type of hepatitis is the one that afflicts your pet.
When it comes to common hepatitis, the symptoms will be treated and the risk factor causing the disease will be eliminated.
In the case of autoimmune hepatitis, a symptomatic treatment will be established and an immunomodulatory one can be added if necessary to restore the defenses.
However, with infectious hepatitis the only thing that can be done is to avoid it, because it has no cure. In case the dog suffers from it, its symptoms will be alleviated with medications, in order to avoid other secondary infections. In addition, the dog’s lifestyle will have to be adapted to this condition, for example, taking very detailed care of its diet.
