The cause of Toxoplasma gondii in dogs

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

Clinical symptoms of Toxoplasma gondii in dogs

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. Infections are more common in puppies and young dogs and the symptoms are more severe, and there are also fatal cases in adult dogs;

3. Symptoms are similar to canine distemper and canine infectious hepatitis, mainly including fever, cough, anorexia, lethargy, weakness, secretions 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. If a pregnant female dog has a miscarriage or premature birth, the puppies often have symptoms such as loose stools, difficulty breathing, and movement disorders. Blood tests;

5. In the acute phase, red blood cells and white blood cells decrease, and neutrophils increase. Neutropenia and monocytosis are rare. In chronic cases, the total number of white blood cells increases, mainly neutrophilia 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 Take 14 mg orally twice daily for 3-4 days. Because the solubility of sulfadiazine is low and it is easier to precipitate crystals in urine, it should be taken 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 chance of dogs infecting humans is very small. Secondly, even if infected with Toxoplasma gondii, the chance of causing fetal malformations is also very small.

It is recommended that everyone get checked, just to make it safer for pregnant women.