The cause of Toxoplasma gondii in dogs

The cause of toxoplasmosis is Toxoplasma gondii, referred to as Toxoplasma gondii. The disease can be infected through the skin and mucous membranes, and can also infect the fetus through the placenta.

Clinical symptoms of canine Toxoplasma gondii

1. Healthy adult dogs will not get sick even if they are infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Most of them are asymptomatic and invisible infections.
2. Infection is more common in puppies and young dogs and the symptoms are more severe, and fatal cases have also occurred in adult dogs;
3. Symptoms are similar to canine distemper and canine infectious hepatitis, with the main symptoms being fever, cough, and anorexia. , listlessness, weakness, discharge from the eyes and nose, pale mucous membranes, difficulty breathing, and even severe bloody diarrhea. A few sick dogs have severe vomiting, followed by paralysis and other neurological symptoms.
4. Pregnant female dogs have miscarriages or premature births, and the puppies often have symptoms such as loose stools, difficulty breathing, and ataxia. Blood tests;
5. In the acute phase, red and white blood cells are reduced and neutral. Increased granulocytosis. Neutropenia and monocytosis are less common. The total number of white blood cells in chronic cases increases, mainly neutrophils, and thrombocytopenia, but there is no bleeding tendency.

Treatment and prevention of Toxoplasma gondii in dogs

1. For acute infection cases, sulfadiazine (SD), 70 mg per kilogram of body weight, or trimethoprim (TMP), 70 mg per kilogram of body weight can be used For body weight, take 14 mg orally twice a day for 3-4 days. Due to the low solubility of sulfadiazine, it is easier to precipitate crystals in urine. When taking it orally, it should be mixed with an equal amount of sodium bicarbonate and drink more water.
2. Do not feed raw meat at ordinary times, and prevent dogs from preying on rodents and cat feces from contaminating feed and drinking water.

Special Reminder

If there is a pregnant woman at home, it is best to take your dog to check for Toxoplasma gondii before getting pregnant. This is safer. Generally speaking, ordinary anthelmintic drugs have little effect on Toxoplasma gondii, and injection treatment is better. After treatment, antibodies will be produced and you will not get Toxoplasma gondii again. But don’t be too nervous. Theoretically speaking, pregnant women infected with Toxoplasma gondii in early pregnancy will cause fetal malformations. However, firstly, the probability of dogs infecting humans is very small, and secondly, even if infected with Toxoplasma gondii, the probability of causing fetal malformation is very small. It is recommended that everyone get checked, just to make it safer for pregnant women.