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Hepatitis In Dogs
By Kirsten Hawkins, Fri Dec 9th
Hepatitis, a disease of the liver that is seen in severalanimals, including humans, is caused by a viral infection.Canine hepatitis is caused by the virus designated CAV-1 whichis seen only in dogs. Humans and other animals are not at riskto contract hepatitis from the CAV-1 virus. Like many viruses, CAV-1 first localizes and replicates in thelymph nodes and spreads into the bloodstream from there. Once inthe blood, CAV-1 attacks several organs, most notably the liver,eyes, and kidneys. Although hepatitis is a very serious disease,not all cases of CAV-1 infection lead to it and not all areserious. Some dogs show few or no symptoms after being infected.Some, on the other hand, especially young puppies, becomeseriously ill. Once a dog is infected, there is no treatment that will destroythe CAV-1 virus. There is no cure. There is, however, a verygood vaccine that can be given to when they start theirseries of inoculations. The vaccine has greatly reducedincidents of canine hepatitis in the United States and WesternEurope.
Not all cases of hepatitis
are caused by the CAV-1 virus. Calledidiopathic or periportal hepatitis, these cases of hepatitis areof unknown origin and occur in dogs that are five or six yearsold in most cases. Symptoms of both CAV-1 hepatitis and hepatitis of unknown origincan include vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, jaundice,depression and weakness. Since there is no cure, a vet can onlytreat the symptoms to the best of his or her ability.Antibiotics are typically given to prevent further infections. In most cases when a dog contracts CAV-1 the symptoms can betreated to keep the dog comfortable until the virus passes. Oncethat happens a dog is usually immune to the disease for the restof its life. Survival rates are high for CAV-1 induced hepatitiswith death usually occurring only in puppies. Some specific breeds (most notably Doberman Pinschers andcertain terriers) can develop and suffer from chronic hepatitis.There is no cure for the disease and these animals will have itfor the rest of their lives. About the author:Kirsten Hawkins is a dog lover and animal expert from Nashville,TN. Visit http://www.doghealth411.com/ for more information ondog health, the care of dogs, and dog travel.
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