When a dog is often scratching and biting the hair, it may have developed an allergic reaction. An allergy is usually manifested by itching and erythema (red skin) in areas of the body such as the armpits, groins, abdomen, ear pavilion, face, near the tail, and between plantar pads.
If your dog has these symptoms, consult a veterinarian to rule out non-allergic inflammatory and infectious dermatological conditions. If the diagnosis of allergy is confirmed it is necessary to identify the origin, especially environmental allergens (atopic dermatitis) and flea bites (allergic to bite dermatitis, being important to have deworming up to date), followed by food allergies that often go unnoticed to owners.
A careful diet can be key to help prevent skin infections and other diseases of your dog, have or not food allergies.
In this article, we will focus on the type of food allergies.
Generally speaking, kennel cough is described by owners of infected dogs as a strong cough as if something is stuck in their throat.
Why does this condition happen? It’s serious?
What is kennel cough/infectious canine tracheobronchitis?
The infection can be caused by viruses or bacteria, or even a combination of the two. It is quite uncommon for just one organism to be involved in tracheobronchitis.
Some agents that cause kennel cough are:
The bacterium Bordetella bronchiseptica;
The Parainfluenza virus;
Canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2);
Canine distemper virus (Distemper);
The canine flu virus (Influenza);
Canine Herpesvirus Type 1 (CHV-1);
Mycoplasma haemocanis;
Canine Reovirus;
The coronavirus canine (CCoV).
Although kennel cough may appear severe, the infection is considered, in most cases, slight and the severity of the situation lies in the fact that it is highly contagious.
Dogs, in addition to passing the condition through contact between them, may undergo contagion through contaminated objects or places. For example, bacteria such as Bordetella can survive on surfaces for up to 48 hours, and the infection cycle can continue as soon as they find another host.
When can kennel cough become dangerous?
In most cases the infection is not serious and can disappear without the intervention of the owner, although it is not recommended to risk, taking into account the risk of uncontrolled contagion of the condition.
Sometimes, the problem can be complicated by the evolution of the infection through the presence of other bacteria. In this case, treatment should be with broad-spectrum antibiotics to prevent progression to high-risk pneumonia.
Another case where tracheobronchitis can be complicated is in specific groups of animals, such as dogs with a few days of age, dogs with other types of pathologies, the elderly, or with problems with the immune system.
In the case of contagion by puppies, it is advisable, in addition to the treatment, to have nutrition rich in nucleotides to increase their defenses.
Although it is extremely uncomfortable for our animals, it is usually short-lived, around 1 to 4 weeks.