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Canine Herpes
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The herpes virus in dogs is
a strain of virus that is related to, but different from, the strains that
affect humans. The
infection is contagious among dogs and is often transmitted when mating.
Humans cannot contract the canine strain. Adult dogs may cary
the virus in the lining of their nose, throat, lungs and genital tract without
showing any signs of illness. Puppies become infected whilst in the
womb and this may be the cause of death of an entire litter. Infected
puppies under 10 days old will normally die as the virus reduces their ability
to regulate body temperature. There is currently no specific treatment
for canine herpes. Isolation of an infected bitch and puppies is essential
to prevent infection of healthy puppies. Older dogs that are infected
seldom require treatment.
Canine Herpes Infection
Herpes more than a Neonatal Risk
Neonatal Herpes
Canine Herpes Infection
Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Litter
Most of us are familiar with herpes viruses because of human herpes.
Most of us know about mucous membrane or fresh body secretion contact
(Herpes I causes facial sores and is spread by kissing or sharing food
utensils, and Herpes II causes genital sores and is spread by sexual contact).
In small animals, feline herpes probably gets the most press as it is
responsible for at least 50% of feline upper respiratory infections. It
is extremely contagious among cats and is readily spread through the respiratory
secretions that are sneezed and sprayed by infected cats. While canine and
feline herpesviruses are closely related, infection cannot be transmitted
across species lines. All herpesviruses have the ability to infect the
host for life (retreating to the nerve ganglia of the nervous system),
though symptoms only periodically emerge.
Canine herpes is more of a reproductive problem than a respiratory
one; in fact, most infected dogs do not appear to get sick at all. Instead
the infections manifests in the pregnancy as resorption of the litter
of puppies, abortion, still birth, or death of puppies within a few weeks
of life. Transmission occurs through direct contact (sexual contact will
do it but the usual route is simply normal nosing, licking, and sniffing)
between an infected and uninfected dog. For this reason, it is recommended
that a pregnant female dog be isolated from other dogs for the last three
weeks of pregnancy and the first three weeks after birth. Let’s say that
again:
Any pregnant female dog should be isolated from other dogs for the
last three weeks of pregnancy and the first three weeks after birth.
Puppies can be exposed before, during, or after birth. Just because
one member of the litter is infected does not mean they all are. The incubation
period is 3 to 7 days following infection. Once symptoms begin (shallow
breathing, loss of appetite, vomiting) death follows within 48 hours. Infected
puppies uniformly have low platelet counts and may show red spots called
“petechiae” that actually represent small bruises.
What to Do When One of the Puppies Dies Shortly After Birth
The necropsy (autopsy) is the only realistic means to finding out
what happened. If you want to find out if the other litter members are
at risk or if the mother dog can safely be bred again, the dead puppy should
be examined.
• Place the remains in a zip-loc plastic bag and refrigerate until
you can notify your veterinarian. If the placenta is available, it should
be included.
• Expect the mother dog and
remaining litter mates to be examined and the dead puppy to be necropsied.
There are many causes for the loss of a near term or newly born litter
of puppies: coronavirus, parvovirus, toxoplasmosis, brucellosis, umbilical
trauma, genetic disease, etc. Knowing what to do heavily depends on knowing
what happened. Puppies that die from canine herpes have characteristic
“inclusion bodies” in many tissues under the microscope. Inclusion bodies
are essentially areas of heavy virus reproduction that are actually visible
and unique in appearance. The presence of herpes inclusion bodies confirms
the diagnosis.
Blood Testing Adult Dogs
The ability of an infected dog to maintain antibodies against canine
herpes is variable. Some infected dogs show no antibodies after a couple
of months and others have antibody levels persisting for years. If the
history is suggestive or herpes then any herpes antibodies found in the
bloodstream would be considered significant. Without the history of puppy
loss, the presence of antibodies simply indicates past exposure to the virus.
To get a better sense of how acute an exposure might be and whether or not
the antibody level indicates active infection, a second antibody level can
be drawn 10 to 14 days later. An active infection will show a fourfold rise
in antibody level. In a breeding kennel situation, it maybe useful to
know which dogs have been exposed and which ones haven’t so that the risks
can be assessed. It is only the unexposed females that are at risk for
infection during pregnancy and losing the litter. Checking pre-breeding
titers is not a bad idea for both the male and female dog.
If the infection is less than 3 weeks old, it may be possible to
actually culture the virus from swab from the nose or vagina. In general,
confirming herpes infection in a dead puppy is much easier and faster
than trying to confirm the infection in the adult dog.
Saving the Rest of the Litter?
Canine herpes is very bad news for puppies under age 3 weeks of age.
Often there is nothing that can be done to stop the sweep of this lethal
virus. This does not keep us from fighting, however. Serum from a recovered
female dog can be separated and injected into the puppies as a source
of anti-herpes antibodies. Warming the puppies may help as the virus cannot
survive at body temperature. Antiviral medications such as Acyclovir may
help.
Prevention
Fortunately, herpesviruses do not live in the environment (it dies
at 68º F and is readily killed by common disinfectants); direct contact
with an infected host or fresh secretions is needed. Still, once a dog is
infected, it will be infected for life. Shedding virus is increased by
stress. One more time: all mother dogs should be isolated from the final
3 weeks of pregnancy through the first 3 weeks after birth. In Europe, a
vaccine is available for use during canine pregnancy (one dose at the time
of breeding and a second 6 to 7 weeks later, to be repeated with each pregnancy).
Herpes is only a danger to the puppies when the mother is infected
during pregnancy. Once the mother has been infected, subsequent pregnancies
should be unaffected as she will have made enough antibodies to keep
the virus in check.
Date
Published: 7/4/2005 6:07:00 PM
Copyright
2005 - 2007 by the Veterinary Information Network, Inc. All rights reserved.
This work was originally published by Veterinary Information Network,
Inc. (VIN) and is republished with VIN's permission
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HERPES MORE THAN A NEONATAL RISK?
Fred Lanting
Until relatively recently, canine herpes seemed to be a problem
only in the whelping boxes maintained by rank novices in breeding dogs.
Experienced breeders could control it, prevent the effects. But it appears
that perhaps a different strain of virus is running rampant and causing
more and different problems for breeders. From the website http://www.canineherpes.com , comes the comment Canine herpes virus
has been largely forgotten for many years, due in part to the difficulty
in making a definitive diagnosis. However, it is becoming increasingly
clear that the virus causes many more problems than was first thought.
They were speaking mostly of the fading-puppy syndrome where entire litters
die off, one pup at a time, in the course of a day or two at most.
Herpes is caused by a virus. Demodectic mange is caused by the
action of a parasitic mite on the dog that has a weak immune system. Alike
as night and day, you might think, but there are one or two similarities:
some dogs are more resistant to such attacks than others, and the causative
or triggering culprits are almost everywhere. A close similarity in control
and resistance is in the response to other antigens, such as hookworm,
coccidiosis, and even parvo. None of these is an automatic death sentence
if the dog is an adult or adolescent, and is otherwise healthy. The very
young and the very old are less able to fight off new microbial or parasitic
attacks. The more such stresses are put on these individuals, the worse
the prognosis. I have seen puppies die of combinations like coccidiosis
and hook, when they would have survived if only one of those had been present.
I have seen adults exposed to parvo for the first time and come through
the ordeal just fine. But combine the threats, or aim them at the age
extremes, and mortality rates become very high.
What I meant by the omnipresence of antigens is that Demodex mites,
for example can be found on perhaps well over 90% of dogs and a big
percentage of humans. (One researcher said, This disease can literally
be carried home on your clothing.) It’s like dust or pollen everywhere.
But with an immune system not up to par, and a combination of stress factors,
and you have dangerous, even fatal consequences. I once bought a bitch
puppy for my mother. The pup developed severe generalized demodecosis so
bad that all attempts at control failed, and she had to be euthanised. Oestrus
is by far the most stressful trigger for demodicosis. Herpes virus, though
an entirely different organism, also exists on or in nearly all animals,
including probably a transient and harmless guest on humans. However, we
therefore could transmit the virus to our dogs. Virus particles do
not live forever in non-nutrient (host) environments, but long enough to
be carried to the ultimate host on clothing, by sneezes, etc. It is the
immune-challenged weakened pup that would fall to its onslaught. One difference
between Demodex and Herpes is that the mite is alive and active, though ineffective
against a healthy dog; herpes virus microbes enter a dormant state and are
awakened by various stresses. Merial says, Most animals have already been
exposed. Although it can be spread at mating, it is much more likely to
be spread by simple contact.
According to an Australian website, and an article by Dr. Mary
Wakefield, Puppies die of Herpes only so long as they are unable to mount
a fever response, or have the lower body temperature of neonates.
After 3 weeks of age puppies can raise their body temperatures high enough
to resist the overwhelming infection which results in death. The
treatment for Herpes in young puppies with the appropriate signs is elevation
of the body temperature. Check with your veterinarian if you think
this may be the problem in your litter under three weeks of age. The
problem with that advice is that by the time one has a clue to the presence
of the disease (the first dead or dying puppy), it is too late. The others
are likely to have been just as chilled during a period of exposure to
the virus. And in weakened pups, the virus can replicate like wildfire.
Unfortunately, the Wakefield piece, while very helpful overall,
has some minor problems. For example, she states, The best way of preventing
newborn puppies from acquiring the disease is to quarantine them and
their dam from 3 weeks prior to birth and 3 weeks after whelping. If
the virus is everywhere, as it almost always is, that is no solution.
There are only two ways (1.5, really) that I have confidence in to prevent
neonatal deaths from herpes: elevated ambient temperature during the first
three weeks, and the possibility of the Merial vaccine (but still, I would
not lower the thermostat!). Wakefield says, Herpes infection of the dam
which does not result in abortion may result in low birth weight, weak,
or stillborn puppies. And, she says that titers show herpes activity
in 80% of bitches who had lost their litters, even though there was no
bacterial blame. Wakefield advocates isolation, but I believe that’s a lost
cause; Merial states, The virus does not come from bad kennels it is already
everywhere!
Since immunity is very short lived, contracting the problem again
and again is to be expected. Dogs have fluctuating titer levels all
the time, some of it due to new exposures, some due to stress released
previously dormant particles.
In the next few paragraphs, I will quote from my book, The Total
German Shepherd Dog (http://www.Hoflin.com)
and give you what we used to know about it. Then I will return to some
of the reports and difficulties that exist early in 2004. I certainly
hope they will be resolved by year’s end!
Herpes There are many organisms in the virus family called herpes,
the most common in dogs being the puppy killer at ages of around two
weeks or less. Herpes seems to be present in most dogs most of the time,
but some pups are more susceptible or under more stress, which lowers their
resistance. New puppies that are not given adequate drying, heat, and nursing
opportunity (internal warming) right after delivery are most at risk.
Once the disease has been noticed in a litter, few survive. Prevention
is the only remedy in nearly all cases. It is practically unstoppable once
noticed.
Neonatal deaths and Herpes viremia This syndrome, caused by a
herpes virus, is a major cause of death in pups between five days and
three weeks, and may take two weeks to spread through the litter. Herpes
actually refers to a class of several viruses, so you may encounter the
word used in the context of a human disease, or a disease in other animals.
One of this class will not produce the same disease as will another. With
this viremia, death from kidney and liver failure usually occurs within
eighteen hours; symptoms include constant crying, shallow and rapid breathing,
loss of appetite and co-ordination, and a soft, yellowish green stool with
no particular odour. The stool symptom can be easily missed if the bitch
is cleaning her pups to make them defecate.
Treatment includes elevating the environmental temperature, thus
creating a sort of artificial fever since fever is one of nature's ways
of fighting virus organisms. Close to one hundred degrees F (38 C) for
the first three or more hours post-parturition is a recommended ambient
temperature, followed by 90 to 95 degrees for another 24 hours. Some
people who have worries about the drying out effect of such high temperatures
frequently give the pups glucose solution and formula to prevent dehydration,
but I have had hundreds of puppies born to my bitches without that. I just
make sure that the floor is warm or insulated, and the heat lamp, heating
pad, or low hanging light bulb is on when the dam is going out to potty
for the first weeks. Herpes thrives even as high as between 91 and 98.6
degrees F (33 to 37 degrees C), and chilled pups are especially susceptible.
At 100 or 101 degrees the virus stops replicating, so the object is to
get the pup's body temperature up to that which is considered normal in
the adult, about 102 degrees. After three weeks of age, the pup's
body temperature is usually high enough to prevent herpes growth, and by
then they have developed the shiver reflex, which is another heat regulating
mechanism. However, because damage to kidneys may not produce symptoms
until as late as ten months of age, perhaps the surviving pups (in a litter
with pups known to be dying of hypothermia -exacerbated herpes) that show
the crying symptom associated with hemorrhage and necrosis should be euthanised
right away. Ask your veterinarian about treatment with a preparation,
Vira A, designed for human herpes encephalitis, or he may have more recent
advances. But I have not seen any good results from any kind of treatment.
A few pups will survive now and then, but regardless of treatment (other
than elevated temperature).
This virus can remain latent for many months and be reactivated
by stress or an immunosuppressive agent such as a shot of cortisone
or similar steroid. Thus, pups that contract a marginal infection but
not enough to be fatal, might still have their immune system weakened,
or else harbour the inactive virus. Pups seem to get the virus through
the saliva of their infected dam, though a few may contract it in the
birth canal or even in the uterus before birth. If you have a kennel in
which two or more bitches are producing litters and one loses a litter
to herpes, what should you do to save the next litter? Besides the usual
step of cleaning everything with a dilute bleach solution (as with parvo
or other viral infections), you may find success by having your veterinarian
inject them with serum obtained from the bitch that lost the litter. You
may also succeed by keeping them in the high temperature environment mentioned
above.
That was the state of our knowledge in the last couple decades
of the 20th Century. We had come only so far as determining that herpes
had about 90% mortality in neonates. Now we may be on the brink
of an advance in knowledge, unfortunately brought on by an alarming increase
in failures in the dog breeding community. For some 10 or 15 years, I have
been hearing more and more complaints about bitches not conceiving. And
this is a day when companies like Synbiotics can help us zero in on the
exact best time to inseminate. Progesterone, LH, and other hormones can
be tracked with simple and fast test kits, and give far better accuracy
than the vaginal cytology (study of the changing shape of cells lining the
uterus) or the physical activity of the bitch or even the most jaded or
experienced stud dog.
At least in the German Shepherd world, many of us have been blaming
the fact that so many of our bitches were coming up empty on the known
use of anabolic steroids given to many of the top show dogs in an attempt
to boost their chances of being placed in the very highest positions
at the annual national specialty, or even the preliminary competitions
where success is considered in making judging decisions at the final
big show. There is no doubt that this goes on, and we know that many
of the top human athletes in weightlifting, football, boxing, track, etc.
are sterile or temporarily have a low sperm count.
But now, there may be another factor. Herpes appears to be the
cause of many or most of these missed matings. Nobody has been keeping
statistics, so we can’t tell how many failed breedings are costing bitch
owners money and time. While a few German clubs like the SV (for GSD’s)
will make note of such complaints, and withdraw rights from males that
are shooting blanks, they will not hear from most disgruntled breeders.
Stud dog owners are racking up the fees and bitch owners are getting poorer.
Correspondents in England and Australia tell me it (failure to conceive)
has been going on in their countries for some time, as it has in the U.S.
Recently, reports have come out of New Zealand and other far flung places.
Coming to a theatre near you! Freight and air regulations are prohibitive,
Homeland Security has much adverse fallout, and even if you can get them,
delayed repeat breedings are a drain on the pocketbook. Most Germans will
not give you more than the time of day after you twist their arms for a
second breeding if the first did not take.
The increasing use of too frequent vaccines for any and all things
is another target for blame for lack of conception and other concerns.
That is, some want to point the finger at the effect of over vaccination
on the immune and other systems. Fewer people have other causes they
want to point the finger to, but it is a definite fact that greater numbers
of people are not getting their bitches pregnant. Perhaps the new factor
in the well known but poorly documented rise in number of failed matings
is a new herpes variety. Europe seems to have found out that it is real.
In many growing pockets on the continent, breeders are using and reporting
success with a new vaccine. In England, for example, friends tell me of
scores of bitches supposedly infertile or nearly so have been producing very
well after getting the vaccine. The word going around there is that if the
bitch is vaccinated while in oestrus or right after the bitch is mated,
and again at 6 or 7 weeks in whelp, not only is it almost always successful,
but larger litter numbers than expected seem to be the norm.
Right now, I know of only one company making the herpes vaccine,
Merial. They have said that [rough translation]: the herpes canine virus
is an infectious and contagious disease caused by alpha herpes virus,
which involves reproduction disorders, losses of pups mainly before 3 weeks,
but also of infertility, abortions, and/or stillbirths. The vaccination
which exists is used to protect the pups less than 3 weeks at which age
one finds the clinical form most serious. The mothers receive an injection
at the time of heats [oestrus] and another injection one or two weeks before
whelping. This is thus addressed especially to the professional breeders
as well as to amateurs. Those of you who want to scroll through their advertising
and world wide company addresses can look at:
http://pharmacos.eudra.org/F2/register/200310207106_EURICAN
Herpes 205 - V 07-08
Merial also says, "Visit http://www.canineherpes.com
for comprehensive public domain info." and describes the virus
and vaccine thusly: EURICAN Canine herpesvirus (F205) strain antigens;
Indication: Active immunisation of bitches to prevent mortality, clinical
signs and lesions in puppies resulting from canine herpes virus infections
acquired in the first few days of life.
Merial is headquartered in Belgium, but has done much if not most
of its business in France, although national borders in Europe are getting
indistinct. French breeders I hear from tell me they are convinced the
new herpes strain is the real cause of bitches not getting pregnant as
well as a reputed increase in mummy puppies, absorbed foetuses, spontaneous
abortions, stillbirths, and neonate mortality in the first three weeks.
Whether this will be substantiated by scientific studies, I cannot forecast,
but I am told that the herpes incidence there (France) in GSD’s is now about
40%, and expected to rise to 80% in 2005. I know I have been mostly unsuccessful
in getting bitches bred in the past few years, and I hear the same complaint
from many, many others around the world.
The virus is not yet available in the U.S. Drug companies are
not as aware as they should be, or they know something they aren’t telling
us. Perhaps they don’t want to buy licensing rights to make it here,
which is not likely, because they could (and do) pass along those costs
with their huge profits, to the selling price to the vets and ultimately
to you. Many people would urge every breeder to get their brood bitches
vaccinated during her oestrus period and some say a booster before whelping.
But American vaccine manufacturers are behind the wave on this one.
The suggestion that breeders have some vaccine Fed-Ex'd or UPS'd direct
from Europe to your refrigerator is nice on the surface, but the U.S. Customs
Bureau (now under control of the Homeland Security Agency) does not allow
biological agents to be shipped to individuals. Let's hope the U.S. medical
supply houses get on the ball right away on this, because the few bitches
that are benefiting (if indeed it works as Europe claims) are getting their
vaccines smuggled in (undeclared in the luggage of people coming from Europe).
That’s a risky way to get what you need, and would probably carry a greater
penalty than what might be placed on grey haired seniors bussing to the
Canadian side of the river to get decent prices on their prescription
drugs.
There are other causes for non-conception, of course. One person
wrote me recently about the inability to get Boston Terrier bitches pregnant,
and being just about to give up breeding. A friend suggested that
she do a sensitivity test for bacteria near the uterus, and she did and
put her dogs on an antibiotic. (Amoxicillin wasn't doing the job.) I believe
that they were put on Baytril. Since she began treatment she now
has three very pregnant bitches. But E. coli and other bacteria, while
almost as omnipresent as Herpes and Demodex, is relatively seldom the culprit.
Merial information tells us, Like all herpes viruses, CHV is highly
infectious, and a recent study showed that more than 80% of the dogs
tested had been exposed to the virus at some time in their lives. Other
studies have shown infection rates of 40-100% in kennels around Europe.
They also note, Once the virus becomes established in kennels, periods
of high mortality are interspersed with a general fall in the average
birth weight of the litter and the existence of a problem only becomes
apparent once a vaccination programme is put in place.
The epidemic (not really an accurate term here) is going to get
worse before it gets better. Drug supply firms in the U.S. and other
countries need to determine if indeed, the conception failures are due
mostly to the virus, and that they had best get with the program and serve
their customers! The AVMA and others need to address this fatal problem
rather than meddle with the long tradition of tail docking with its two
seconds of discomfort. While only a few mentions in Merial’s promotional
literature (and zero professional journal articles so far) involve infertility
affecting several bitches, one suggestion under their treatment guidelines
is simply, Try the vaccine and see what happens.
To the question, If the bitch is already pregnant, is there any
point in vaccination?, they respond in the affirmative: If possible,
try and give two injections, even in the last few weeks of pregnancy. Even
one injection is beneficial, though obviously the later it is given the
greater the chance that the placenta will be damaged and the unborn puppies
affected. Here again, the emphasis is mostly on the health of puppies
already conceived or whelped, not so much on the failure to conceive.
That is only brushed lightly.
My advice is to put pressure on the drug suppliers, veterinary
colleges and AVMA to get the straight facts about the effect of herpes
virus on conception failures; then, if there is confirmation of the anecdotal
evidence, quickly make a vaccine available to breeders. We have already
lost enough!
Fred Lanting is an internationally respected show judge, approved
by many registries as an all-breed judge, has judged numerous countries’
Sieger Shows and Landesgruppen events, and has many years experience with
SV. He presents seminars and consults world wide on such topics as Gait-&-Structure,
HD and Other Orthopedic Disorders, Anatomy, Training Techniques, and
The GSD. Fred lives part of the year in Alabama, actively trains in schutzhund,
and breeds for occasional litters. He invites all to join his annual non-profit
Sieger Show and sightseeing tour.
COPYRIGHT
© Fred Lanting
All Things Canine -- consulting division, Willow Wood Services Phone:
256-498-3319 Fax: 256-498-3311
Reprinted with kind permission of Fred Lanting Author of The Total German Shepherd
Dog
This
is the expanded and enlarged second edition, a "must" for every true GSD
lover. It is an excellent alternative to the "genetic history" by Willis,
but less technical and therefore suitable for the novice, yet very detailed
to be indispensable for the reputable GSD breeder. Chapters include: History
and Origins, Modern Bloodlines, The Standard, Anatomy, The German Shepherd
in Motion, Shows, Showing, and Training, The Winners, Nutrition and Feeding,
General Care and Information, Health and First Aid, Parasites and Immunity,
Diseases and Disorders, The Geriatric German Shepherd, Breeding, Basics
of Genetics, Reproduction, Whelping, The First Three Weeks, Four to Twelve
Weeks, Trouble-shooting Guide
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(Fading puppy syndrome)
(Neonatal death syndrome)
THE
ROLE OF NEONATAL CANINE HERPES VIRUS INFECTION IN MIXED
INFECTIONS IN OLDER DOGS
There is in the veterinary literature much about herpes infection in
dogs, many excellent articles have been published.
Anyone wishing a quick look, got to any veterinary hospital or library
and ask for:
VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE
Stephen Ettinger, Page 309
GESTATIONAL DEATHS
We cannot at this time prevent the death of prenatal pups in uterus
by the virus. It seems to infect the placenta and kills the pup
during the later stages of gestation. The pups are born dead, autolyzed,
infected with fecal bacteria, and in some cases inclusions can be found
by pathologists in the placental tissue. We hope some day to be able
to address this problem.
NEONATAL HERPES PUPPIES
The usual presentation to veterinarians is with one or more puppies
dead, some dying and others not yet sick or showing symptoms. All
dead puppies should be autopsied. Lesions can usually be found
in the lungs, kidneys, intestines, and liver (see photos below).
TREATMENT OF SICK LITTERS
Newborn puppies from suspected kennels or dams with herpes virus
can be treated with a subcutaneous injection of 1c.c. of Distemper anti
viral serum given to each puppy immediately after birth and repeated 24
hours later. This will dramatically reduce the death rate.
TREATMENT OF INDIVIDUAL PUPPIES ILL WITH HERPES
Until recently all puppies manifesting herpes illness died within
a very short period of time, usually within a few hours of showing symptoms.
There are however two techniques for the treatment of these puppies that
have had considerable success.
Technique by:
A.W. Sears, DVM
Puppy should weigh between 1 and 3 pounds
DISTEMPER ANTI VIRAL SERUM: Administer
1 c.c. subcutaneously to each puppy every 12 hours for 36 hours, (3 doses).
Lasix: One drop orally, (To control lung edema)
Kaon (Potassium Gluconate elixir): Administer
one drop orally everyhour for 3 hours, (To control loss of potassium).
Chloromycetin: Administer 0.05c.c. orally once
daily, (to control lung infection).
Gancylovir: Administer 0.1 c.c. subcutaneously
to each puppy.
Incubator: Keep puppies in incubator at 96 degrees
for 24 hours.
Fluids: Give plenty of fluids orally, sugar water
works well, as do neonatal puppy formulas.
(Photos of puppies
treated with above protocol)
Ronald Bell,
DVM
Puppy should weigh between 2 and 3 pounds.
Acyclovir powder in capsules: Mix 200 mg capsule
in 10c.c. of warm water. The powder will not dissolve but is suspended.
Administer 0.5 c.c. (10 mg) to each puppy every 6 hours until puppies
are 3 1/2 weeks old.
Place in incubator.
Give fluids orally
Treatment of puppies does not guarantee that reproductive
lesions will not appear before puberty. Lesions are found both
in the prepuce (balanophthitis) and vagina, however, no reproductive symptoms
have been observed in the treated puppies.
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The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not
to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis
of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of
any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.
