Also, the organ facilitates storage correct of vitamins and minerals, without forgetting the better functioning of the digestive system. By the way, the liver removes toxic substances and manages to produce a number of essential substances to make it possible blood clotting.
According to some studies, however, the liver of the dogs it performs over 1000 tasks in the body, a truly impressive number. This means that we must avoid diseases that weaken the liver, in particular theinfectious hepatitis. Now it seems to have disappeared thanks to vaccines, but the episodes are still there and it is better to investigate every aspect of this pathology.
The different types of hepatitis
Common hepatitis. It is the simplest to diagnose, because a bit like the human liver, even the dog's liver can have a negative reaction if he takes too many medicines. The organ in this case ignites especially if it comes into contact with toxic substances. The possibility of intervention is limited because the symptoms appear when the disease is in an advanced state.
Autoimmune hepatitis. Unlike the previous one, it is not induced by external agents, but by a defect present within the dog's immune system. This is unable to properly read the liver cells, which are actually considered harmful agents, so it works to destroy them.
Canine viral hepatitis. Also called canine infectious hepatitis or Rubarth's disease is caused by a virus, which affects dogs and foxes, and is transmitted through contact with the saliva or feces of infected animals. The virus strong, resistant and extremely contagious in extreme cases it can cause the death of the dog.
The name of hepatitis comes from its discoverer. The Swedish veterinarian, Sven Rubarth after years of studies and observations, in 1947 he came to elaborate a theory which he then presented within his own doctoral thesis. Viral disease was defined by the scholar contagious hepatitis canis (HCC) was widespread worldwide and mainly affected puppies and young dogs.
The cause was due to a virus called Adenovirus which was transmitted through the infected body fluids with which the subject came into contact via the digestive or respiratory tract. Especially for the stray dogs or for i hounds, the possibility of being infected with this virus is very high, because they spend several hours outdoors, so “running into” this type of virus is extremely easy.
Thanks to the studies conducted in the laboratory, the veterinarian, in addition to discovering the virus, was able to isolate it, then insert it into the vaccine which has since been administered to all dogs.
Symptoms of Rubarth's Hepatitis
At first the dog shows ahyperthermia significant which leads to a increase in body temperature of the dog which may be due to excessive internal production of heat, and the inability of the dog's body to dissipate heat properly. While the normal body temperature ranges from 38 ° C to 39 ° C, it suddenly increases considerably.
This is followed by one consistent loss of appetite leading the hound to some sort of anorexia, followed by a consistent general weakness. These symptoms are followed by others that should not be underestimated.
In a little while the dog you will suffer from vomiting, diarrhea and an enlarged liver and aching. In addition to the internal organs, the disease also leaves its aftermath on other parts of the body. Our four-legged friend is hit by a corneal edema with uveitis, which is the inflammation of the anterior chamber of the eye.
The disease has its peak the moment it comes impaired coagulation capacity some blood. While older dogs react positively and life expectancies are high, younger ones die suddenly from CC collapse.
How to treat the disease
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The vet will take care of after a thorough examination prescribe the right medicines. The best in this case are those that act on immune system and they take care to control it. Among the most common are the immunomodulators they protect the liver from damage.
In addition, the vet will be able to prescribe anti-inflammatories and antibiotics to fight secondary infections. This is because the virus tends not to disappear completely, so you need to be able to keep any symptoms under control
In order for our four-legged friend to recover and overcome the disease in the best possible way, the medicines and treatment of the veterinarian must be accompanied by a particular regime feed designed for the liver and therefore low in protein. Together with healthy habits such as walks in the fresh air and rest.
Prevention
To prevent viral hepatitis, the best solution is the Vaccine. This applies to both puppies and adults. The virus is transmitted through the urine and remains active more for one year after healing. Furthermore, once spread in the environment, the virus lasts up to two weeks, with the risk of infecting dogs that come into contact with the infected material.
