Shar Pei

Cause of disease

The cause of rheumatism is unknown. But it is currently thought to be an autoimmune disease. That is, the hemolytic Streptococcus that invades the body of a sick dog can cause the body to produce corresponding antibodies. When there are certain incentives that cause the Streptococcus to invade the human body again, the invading Streptococcus acts as an antigenic substance and is identical to the one present in the body. The anti-Streptococcus antibodies combine to form an antigen-antibody complex. This antigen-antibody complex can cause the occurrence of rheumatism. Wind and cold, dampness, coldness, rain, overwork, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, etc. are all causes of rheumatism.

Key points of diagnosis

It is characterized by sudden onset, local redness and swelling, migration and recurrence.

1. Muscle rheumatism; often occurs in the muscles of the shoulders, neck, back, waist and thighs. The affected muscles are swollen and painful, and the muscles are stiff when touched, which can cause motor dysfunction and a stiff and inflexible gait. However, with the increase in the amount of exercise and the prolongation of time, the symptoms are relieved or disappear. From the entire course of the disease, the affected area It has the characteristics of wandering. The body temperature of sick dogs can increase by 1 to 1.5°C, and the breathing and pulse also change slightly. If the muscles of the whole body are rheumatism, the affected dogs will have stiff muscles all over the body, difficulty walking, and often lie down.

2. Articular rheumatism: often occurs in joints with high mobility, such as shoulder joints, elbow joints, hip joints, knee joints, etc. The diseased joint capsule and surrounding tissues are edematous, the joint appearance is swollen, and there is heat and pain when palpated. Affected dogs have difficulty getting up and lying down, and show lameness and stiffness when exercising, especially in the early morning or when they first stand up from lying on the ground. However, with the increase in the amount of exercise and the prolongation of time, the lameness symptoms can be reduced or disappeared. The diagnosis can be made based on the medical history and the above symptoms.

Key points of diagnosis

The common areas where eczema occurs are the neck, back, abdomen, tail base, around the scrotum, and between the toes. The main symptom is inflammation of the skin surface. At the beginning of the disease, small papules ranging from the size of rice grains to millet grains can be seen on the affected area, which quickly develop to the surrounding areas. The coat is rough and messy, and the affected area is itchy. The sick dog appears restless and constantly licks, scratches, bites or rubs the resting area, thus aggravating local damage and infection. There is yellowish-red exudate on the surface of eczema, which dries to form sticky skin. In severe cases, it can lead to large areas of skin necrosis and full-thickness exfoliation. Sick dogs are depressed, have reduced or no appetite, have elevated body temperatures, or may die from septicemia. Eczema between the toes often recurs without healing.

Treatment

1. Eliminate the cause of the disease: including treating the original disease, eliminating external parasites, removing foreign matter, improving feeding and management conditions and feeding ratio, etc. Improve environmental sanitation and adjust the nutrients in feed

2. Reduce or stop self-injury and relieve fatigue and itchingYou can give a sedative or put a collar on the sick dog to prevent it from continuing to bite the affected area.

3. Actively carry out drug treatment. After using antibiotics and steroid drugs together for 24 hours, the wound will dry out, and scaly skin will form after a few days. Or cut and clean the area, remove the dead skin, apply antibiotic ointment, and wrap it with a sterile bandage. And use one of the following drugs for systemic treatment. Flumetasone 0.125-1 mg/kg body weight, subcutaneous injection; Prednisone 0.1-0.4 mg/kg body weight, intramuscular injection, 2-3 times a day; Triamcinolone, intra-articular injection 1-3 mg/time , when injected intramuscularly or subcutaneously, 0.11 to 0.22 mg/kg body weight, or taken orally, the dose is 0.25 to 2 mg/time, 1 to 2 times a day, for 7 days. If the disease occurs repeatedly, pay attention to food therapy and replace certain feeds. (Picture source: Internet)