Dogs can contract Salmonella from ingesting food or water contaminated by the bacteria, as well as from contact with contaminated objects, raw food (especially meat) or infected animals. When this happens, the dog can suffer from gastroenteritis, diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and even die from the process in the most severe cases in the most susceptible animals. Salmonellosis is a disease that is transmitted between animals and people, or what is the same, it is a zoonotic disease. Proper hygiene and cooking of food is very important in disease prevention.
Do you want to know everything about salmonellosis in dogs? Keep reading this article on our site where we talk about the disease caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella, its symptoms, treatment, diagnosis and prevention.
What causes salmonellosis in dogs?
Salmonellosis is a infectious disease of bacterial origin caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonellaand that is contracted through food, saliva or feces of an infected animal and can lead to serious he alth problems. It is a zoonotic disease that is transmitted between animals and people. In fact, it has been proven that the serotypes that are most frequently isolated in cases of human gastroenteritis are the most frequent serotypes in dogs. So, if you are wondering if salmonella is transmitted from humans to dogs and vice versa, the answer is yes.
Specifically, it is caused by various serotypes of Salmonella enterica, except Salmonella typhi which causes fever and a much more fatal disease in people. Specifically, Salmonella typhimurium is one of the serovars of S. enterica most closely associated with cases of salmonellosis in dogs, as well as cats.
How do dogs get salmonellosis?
Salmonellosis is more frequent in poultry, amphibians and reptiles, it can also be seen in cattle, horses and pigs and less frequently in cats and dogs. Transmission of salmonellosis is fecal-oral, which means that it can be transmitted to dogs through food, water and objects contaminated with fecal matter with the bacteria they enter in contact with your mouth and subsequent ingestion, or through direct contact with an affected animal. Raw meat and eggs are another source of infection. The bacterium is resistant for months and even years in warm and humid places.
Infected dogs can sometimes act as asymptomatic carriers of the bacteria, shedding one or more serotypes intermittently for a period of time even longer than six months. Dogs with weaker immune systems are more prone to the disease, as are puppies or older dogs.
Pathogenesis of salmonellosis in dogs
Once the bacteria is ingested by the dog, it invades the mucosa of the small intestine, where it multiplies and causes lesions in the epithelium intestine producing enterotoxins. The immune system begins to attack to kill the bacteria, but Salmonella, in cases of weakness, takes advantage of this condition to its advantage to cause more damage. It is then that it lodges in the terminal ileum (final part of the small intestine), where it multiplies, crosses the intestinal walls and causes serious damage. Once it reaches the large intestine, it exits through the rectum to the outside to contaminate more animals, continuing the fecal-oral cycle.
Symptoms of salmonella in dogs
Although most dogs are asymptomatic, resulting in a source of infection, but some may show clinical signs such as:
- Watery (sometimes bloody) diarrhea.
- Vomiting.
- Fever.
- Anorexy.
- Weightloss.
- Lethargy.
- Dehydration.
- Abortions in pregnant bitches.
May cause septicemia (bacteria in the blood) and/or sudden deathespecially in younger and older animals. Salmonellosis in puppies can cause a syndrome much like the enteritis caused by canine parvovirus, including severe neutropenia (reduced neutrophil count).
Diagnosis of salmonellosis in dogs
For the diagnosis of salmonellosis in dogs, in addition to clinical signs compatible with salmonellosis, other possible infectious causes must rule out, as they are:
- C lostridium perfringens
- Clostridium difficile
- Campylobacter spp.
- Yersinia enterocolitica
- Giardia lambia
- Cryptosporidium
- Other parasites
- Parvovirus
- Rotavirus
In the blood test you can see variable haematological changes that may include:
- Non-regenerative anemia.
- Lymphopenia (low lymphocytes).
- Thrombocytopenia (low platelets).
- Neutropenia with left shift.
Identification of Salmonella in dogs can be done by:
- Faeces culture of the suspected animal: it can be positive from the beginning of the infection, with maximum positivity in the third week. It is very useful for post-treatment control and to detect chronic carriers.
- Blood culture: it is carried out in selective media and the animals are positive during the first week of infection. While in the third week the positivity rate drops to 50%.
- PCR: much more sensitive and faster technique than the culture that indicates that the dog has the disease.
How to cure salmonellosis in dogs? - Treatment
Use of antibiotics for salmonella in dogs should be limited to cases of systemic disease , cases very severe or immunosuppressed dogs. Being able to use:
- Ampicillin
- Neomycin
- Amoxicillin
- Sulfameoxazole/Trimethoprim
- Gentamicin
- Fluoroquinolones
- Chloamphenicol
- Third generation cephalosporins
However, as Salmonella presents many problems of antimicrobial resistance, becoming a major public he alth problem, an antibiogram should be performed and the most sensitive antibiotic should be applied. Many microbiologists do not recommend antibacterial treatment because it would favor the persistence of the bacteria in the intestine after healing, affecting the intestinal flora and the appearance of strains resistant to antibiotics, which is why they are used only in the worst cases to try to save the dog's life.
Most dogs affected by salmonellosis will have mild or no illness, especially he althy adults. Because of this, treatment should be at home, ensuring good hydration and nutrition In cases of severe dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea, dogs will require hospitalization with fluid therapy to correct electrolyte imbalances and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce the effects of endotoxemia caused by endotoxins released by Salmonella.
Forecast
The prognosis for he althy, vaccinated, dewormed, immunocompetent adults is usually good or very good. On the other hand, in the immunosuppressed, the sick, puppies and the elderly it can be much more serious and worrying as they have more possibilities of developing septicemia. Therefore, in the presence of non-specific clinical signs of weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and dehydration in a dog, it is essential to visit the veterinarian, where they will make a diagnosis of this or another disease with similar symptoms to proceed with its treatment.
How to prevent salmonella in dogs?
To avoid the appearance of salmonellosis in our dogs, sources of contagion of the bacteria should be avoided as much as possible while increasing measures home hygiene. So, it requires:
- Check that the environment where you live is clean and disinfected.
- Avoid dirty or contaminated food and water.
- Prevent contact with feces from other animals or objects possibly contaminated with them.
- Avoid eating raw meat that has not been frozen beforehand.
- If we touch any lizard, bird or turtle or visit a zoo, wash our hands before touching our dog, as well as prevent them from eating or having contact with these animals.
Because it can infect people, they should always wash their hands after handling the feces of their dogs or objects contaminated with them, as well as other animals that are also susceptible. Proper cooking of food is also essential, avoiding the ingestion of raw or undercooked food, especially meat, egg products and the consumption of unpasteurized milk. The control of these foods is especially important because they are the ones with the greatest risk of carrying the bacteria.
