Infectious Hepatitis in dogs is also known as "Rubart's Disease" and "Blue Eye Disease", it is caused by a virus called "Canine Adenorivus type 1" (CAV-1). Today it is not very widespread since vaccination prophylaxis has significantly reduced the circulation of the virus in the canine population.
Dogs become infected by very close contact with affected subjects.
The virus is spread into the environment through feces, urine and saliva. Infected dogs, if they manage not to die sooner, spread the virus for relatively long periods (even a year) and this constitutes a dangerous source of contagion for other animals also in consideration of the fact that the virus resists for a long time in the environment (1 -2 weeks). A frequent vehicle of transmission is activated when urine emitted by infected dogs is smelled.
The main symptom is fever (40 ° C).
The clinical forms differ in:
? Apparent: the dog heals after 1-2 days of fever without other symptoms; particular attention must be paid to this form as the infection goes unnoticed and the subject remains carrier-diffuser for very long periods (it would be necessary to carry out investigations);
? Severe: the dog, in addition to fever, may show other symptoms such as anorexia, intense thirst, abdominal pain often accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea; the duration of this form is about a week and generally the animal, with appropriate support therapy, heals;
? Fatal: the dog dies 4-5 days after the onset of symptoms. Sometimes death is sudden only 1-2 days after the onset of the fever.
A particular symptom, which also gave the disease its name, is the appearance of corneal opacity which gives the eye a bluish color. It is a symptom that was once observed when dogs were vaccinated with particular vaccines that are no longer in use today; in fact, nowadays, the blue eye is rarely observed.
Infectious hepatitis mainly affects unvaccinated puppies and only rarely does adult dogs.
The diagnosis can only be made through laboratory analyzes aimed at the search for antibodies to CAV-1, the isolation of the virus in faeces and urine and with the determination of GOT and GPT transaminases.
Prophylaxis focuses on vaccinating puppies with vaccines that are normally associated with the distemper vaccine. Strangely, the vaccine is not prepared with CAV-1 virus, but with another virus related to it (CAV-2) which, although not the causative agent of infectious hepatitis, is safer and can immunize dogs in comparisons of CAV-1 (the appearance of the blue eye was caused by vaccination with CAV-1).