Symptoms & Prevention of Canine Tracheobronchitis

Clinical Symptoms of Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis

Symptoms in Affected Dogs:

Canine infectious tracheobronchitis is characterized by a series of distressing symptoms that can be quite evident in affected dogs. Here's a detailed look at what these symptoms entail:

Episodic Coughing: Dogs with this condition often suffer from sudden, forceful coughing spells. This is typically exacerbated during physical activity, excitement, or changes in weather. The act of touching the trachea can also provoke a cough.

Respiratory Sounds: An abundance of respiratory secretions can lead to the presence of coarse lung sounds, as well as dry and wet rales. In cases of mixed infections, dogs may exhibit signs of depression, a rise in body temperature, loss of appetite, and the discharge of purulent nasal mucus. Persistent coughing can also cause gastrointestinal discomfort, resulting in vomiting and diarrhea.

Differential Diagnosis:

To accurately diagnose canine infectious tracheobronchitis, it's crucial to differentiate it from other respiratory diseases. Here are some key distinctions:

1. Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis vs. Canine Parainfluenza Virus Infection:

Both conditions present with fever, depression, decreased appetite, nasal discharge, and coughing. However, in canine parainfluenza, the initial discharge is serous, which later becomes thick. Symptoms usually resolve within a week, but in mixed infections, coughing can persist for several weeks, sometimes leading to death. Some dogs may also exhibit neurological symptoms and hemorrhagic enteritis, with red and swollen tonsils. A specific fluorescent antibody test for canine parainfluenza virus can detect fluorescent cells in the tracheal and bronchial epithelial cells.

2. Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis vs. Canine Distemper:

Similar symptoms include fever, serous or purulent nasal discharge, coughing, depression, and decreased appetite. Distemper cases, however, exhibit biphasic fever, conjunctivitis or keratitis, and red conjunctiva. Severe cases may show purulent discharge, head tremors, vertebral twitches, and tetraparesis. Cytological examination of the lesions reveals pale blue nuclei, pink cytoplasm, and red inclusions.

3. Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis vs. Canine Heartworm Disease:

Both conditions can cause coughing that worsens with exercise. However, dogs with heartworm disease may exhibit tachycardia, liver pain, pleural effusion, and edema. Anemia and jaundice are common, and a peripheral blood examination can detect microfilariae.

4. Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis vs. Canine Tuberculosis:

Both conditions present with coughing and decreased appetite. Dogs with tuberculosis may show drowsiness, progressive weight loss, and an offensive odor in exhaled breath. Postmortem examination may reveal grayish yellow nodules in the trachea and lymph nodes. Fresh lesions have a red halo, while older ones are calcified. Sputum smear examination can detect acidfast bacilli.

5. Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis vs. Canine Lobar Pneumonia:

Both conditions involve fever, coughing, nasal discharge, decreased appetite, and depression. However, canine lobar pneumonia is noncommunicable and causes rapid breathing. Chest percussion reveals focal dullness and semidullness in the heart lobes and lower lobes, with rales and crackles upon auscultation. Diarrhea does not occur.

6. Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis vs. Canine Bronchitis:

Both conditions are more common in winter and spring, with symptoms like fever, initial cough, nasal discharge, and increased respiratory sounds on chest auscultation. However, canine bronchitis is noncommunicable, does not cause vomiting and diarrhea, and does not yield Bordetella bronchiseptica.

7. Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis vs. Canine Cold:

Both conditions present with fever, coughing, nasal discharge, decreased appetite, and depression. However, canine cold is noncommunicable and is often triggered by sudden cold weather, bathing, or air conditioning. There are no changes in lung sounds, and there is no severe coughing.

Diagnosis Tips:

The diagnosis is primarily based on the changes in cough, the presence of dry and wet rales on lung auscultation, no significant changes on chest percussion, and the presence of coarse bronchial shadows on Xray without focal shadows.

Preventive Measures:

1. Maintain a Clean Environment: Regularly disinfect pens, bowls, and other equipment.

2. Isolation: Isolate dogs that are sick to prevent the spread of the disease.

3. Vaccination: Use inactivated vaccines against Bordetella bronchiseptica, canine parainfluenza virus, and canine adenovirus type II to achieve a protection rate of up to 96%.

Treatment:

The treatment principle is to use antibiotics to prevent secondary infections and inflammation.

1. Ampicillin: Administer 2030 mg/kg body weight orally, twice or thrice daily; or 1020 mg/kg body weight by subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous injection, twice or thrice daily.

2. Cefazolin Sodium: Administer 1530 mg/kg body weight by intramuscular or intravenous injection.

3. Suprax (Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium Suspension): Administer 0.1 ml/kg body weight by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.

4. Enrofloxacin Injection: Administer 1 ml/kg body weight by subcutaneous injection.

5. Interferon: Administer 1020,000 units per dose by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.