Symptoms & Treatment of Canine Hepatitis: A Comprehensi

Characteristics of the Disease

The disease affects dogs of all breeds, ages, and genders, and can occur throughout the year, but the incidence and mortality rates are particularly high in puppies between weaning and their first birthday. The source of infection is the sick dogs and carriers, who contaminate the environment through their secretions and excreta. Notably, recovered carriers can shed the virus in their urine for 69 months postrecovery, making them a significant source of transmission. The disease primarily spreads through the digestive tract, but can also be transmitted via the placenta.

Symptoms

The symptoms of this disease are complex and vary in severity based on the extent of infection and the degree of organ damage. The incubation period ranges from 4 to 9 days. Dogs may experience a persistent high fever with a characteristic biphasic fever pattern, a decrease in white blood cell count; mucous discharge from the eyes and nose; abdominal pain, subcutaneous edema, and enlarged tonsils are common. Respiratory symptoms are generally absent, but severe cases may present with neurological signs in the later stages. Prolonged clotting time and difficulty controlling bleeding, along with disseminated intravascular coagulation, are key to the disease's progression.

During the recovery period, affected dogs may develop cloudy corneas, forming a bluewhite corneal opacity, commonly known as "blue eye disease," which often resolves naturally.

Pathological Changes

The liver may be enlarged or normal, with liver cell necrosis causing a change in liver color; the gallbladder wall thickens due to edema; the thymus swells; the renal cortex shows grayishwhite necrotic foci; and due to endothelial cell damage, the serosa of the stomach, subcutaneous tissue, lymph nodes, thymus, and liver may hemorrhage.

Differential Diagnosis

1. Canine Infectious Hepatitis vs. Canine Distemper

Both diseases present with fever, biphasic fever, diarrhea, and neurological symptoms, as well as hemorrhages in the lymph nodes, thymus, and liver. The difference lies in the age of the affected dogs; distemper is more common in puppies aged 24 months, with pronounced neurological symptoms. Autopsy reveals congestion and hemorrhage in the gastrointestinal mucosa, heart, spleen, kidneys, lungs, and meninges, with effusion.

2. Canine Infectious Hepatitis vs. Canine Parvovirus Infection

Both diseases exhibit fever, leukopenia, and diarrhea. The difference is that parvovirus infection causes sudden vomiting, diarrhea with a foul smell, and later stages with blood in the stool. Autopsy shows hemorrhage in the small intestinal mucosa, enlargement and congestion of mesenteric lymph nodes, and nonsuppurative necrosis in the myocardium or endocardium.

3. Canine Infectious Hepatitis vs. Canine Salmonellosis

Both diseases present with depression, fever, and liver enlargement with hemorrhage. The difference is that salmonellosis causes severe vomiting and diarrhea, with extensive edema in the gastrointestinal mucosa, necrosis in some intestinal segments, and ulcers in the upper duodenum. Lymph nodes in the mesentery are enlarged, hemorrhagic, and spleen is enlarged with hemorrhagic spots and necrotic foci on the surface.

4. Canine Infectious Hepatitis vs. Canine Leptospirosis

Both diseases cause depression, anorexia, vomiting, fever, and congestion and hemorrhage in the eyes and mouth. The difference is that leptospirosis leads to jaundice in the mucous membranes, blood in the stool and urine (urine appears like soybean oil), and painful muscle reactions.

5. Canine Infectious Hepatitis vs. Canine Acute Hepatitis

Both diseases present with fever, anorexia, depression, diarrhea, and pain upon palpation of the liver area. The difference is that acute hepatitis affects individual dogs, with an expanded dullness upon liver percussion and some cases with neurological symptoms such as excitement, convulsions, coma, or drowsiness. Muscle tremors, itching, and yellowing of the mucous membranes are common. Initial urine contains increased bilirubin and urobilinogen, and the serum bilirubin shows biphasic reactions.

Reminders

Sudden onset of the disease and prolonged bleeding time are generally indicative of canine infectious hepatitis, but a specific diagnosis is necessary for confirmation.

Preventive Measures

1. Prevention

1. Regular vaccination with attenuated vaccines or combined vaccines is effective. Pet dogs must receive planned immunizations for both female dogs and puppies. Dogs that recover from the disease can develop lifelong immunity.

2. Emergency prevention can use homologous or heterologous bivalent or trivalent immune serum or immune gamma globulin, but the protection period is limited to 2 weeks.

2. Treatment

The treatment principle is antiviral, preventing secondary infections, symptomatic treatment, and supportive therapy.

1. Antiviral

Hightiter immune serum, 12 mg/kg body weight for dogs, administered subcutaneously or intravenously once daily for 3 days;

Isatis root, available for oral administration in dogs, 1 packet per dose, three times daily;

Ribavirin, 57 mg/kg body weight for dogs, administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly once daily;

Interferon, 10,000200,000 units per dose for dogs, administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly every other day.

2. Antibacterial, preventing secondary infections

Ampicillin, 2030 mg/kg body weight for dogs, administered orally twice or thrice daily, or 1020 mg/kg body weight, administered subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intravenously twice or thrice daily;

Cefazolin sodium, 13 mg/kg body weight for dogs, administered intramuscularly or intravenously three to four times daily;

Suprax (amoxicillin clavulanate potassium suspension), 0.1 ml/kg body weight for dogs and cats, administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly once daily;

Bactrim, 15 mg/kg body weight for dogs, administered orally or subcutaneously twice daily.

3. Liver protection

Potentyl, 48 ml per dose, administered intravenously;

Methionine, 24 ml per dose, administered intramuscularly;

Glucuronic acid, 50200 mg per dose, administered orally three times daily, or 100200 mg per dose, administered intramuscularly or intravenously once daily; or 2550 mg per dose, administered orally or intramuscularly.

4. Preventing eye disease

Atropine and procaine penicillin for topical eye drops;

Hydroxybenzole hydrochloride eye drops, for viral keratitis, administered one to two times per hour.

5. Fluid replacement

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), coenzyme A, vitamin C, 50% glucose saline, 5% glucose, and others.