Who has a dog has an unconditional friend and that is why our pet deserves the best and we as owners must ensure a continuous and complete state of well-being, but unfortunately this is not just about providing a proper nutrition, take him regularly to the vet and pamper him, since our dog will always be susceptible to multiple diseases.
For this reason it is important that we keep ourselves informed about what diseases can affect our dog and through what symptoms they can manifest themselves, since in this way we will be able to act quickly and appropriately, which will be vital for your recovery.
To make this task easier for you, in this post on our site we detail with you the symptoms and treatment of canine parainfluenza.
What is canine parainfluenza?
Canine prainfluenza is a virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family, and together with other groups of pathogens it is responsible for canine infectious tracheobronchitis, which is popularly known as kennel cough.
This virus is transmitted by air from one dog to another (so it is common to find it when several dogs live together, hence the name of kennel cough), this transmission occurs through small droplets that dogs secrete through their nose and/or mouth.
The canine parainfluenza virus attaches to and replicates in the cells lining the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles, the nasal mucosa and lymph nodes, mainly causing a clinical picture at the respiratory level.
Canine parainfluenza symptoms
We must mention that canine parainfluenza has an incubation period that ranges between 4 and 7 days, during this period the dog will not show any symptoms.
When the virus is already replicating, the most obvious symptom through which canine parainfluenza manifests itself is a severe dry cough that ends with retching, however, depending on each specific case, the following symptoms may also occur:
- Nasal and ocular discharge
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Bronchopneumonia
- Cough
- Vomiting
- Expulsion of phlegm
What to do if I think my dog has canine prainfluenza?
If we observe in our dog some of the symptoms that we have mentioned above we must urgently go to the vet to determine the cause.
Canine prainfluenza is diagnosed by taking a sample of the nasal or oral mucosa in order to isolate and identify the virus or pathogen that is causing the symptoms, a blood test can also be performed to check for an increase in the blood of certain antibodies.
Treatment of canine parainfluenza
Canine parainfluenza treatment is usually symptomatic, since in a period of approximately 10 days the dog will have already generated enough antibodies and will have defeated the disease, which we must clarify is benign.
As symptomatic treatment, antipyretic drugs (to reduce fever) and expectorants can be given to relieve the accumulation of mucus in the respiratory tract.
However, the lesion that produces canine parainfluenza in the respiratory mucosa is used by multiple bacteria to colonize these areas and grow, therefore, it is common for the veterinarian to decide to start a treatment with antibiotics to prevent any complications.
Canine parainfluenza prevention
The vaccine against canine parainfluenza is included in the vaccination program for dogs, therefore, it is enough to properly follow the vaccination schedule to prevent this disease.
In addition to taking this important measure, if our dog is going to be continuously confined with other dogs, for example in the event that we are going to leave him in a kennel, thenmust be vaccinated specifically against kennel cough
This vaccine can be applied nasally or intraparenterally, and in the case of the first vaccination several doses will be required.
