Toxoplasmosis in dogs
Toxoplasmosis is one of the common diseases in dogs and cats. It is a parasitic disease which is caused by parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. The severity of this disease depends upon the number of parasites infested the dog. It is important for dog owner to get it treated at early stage as it a transmissible to humans. Pregnant women who have their pet infected with such this disease need to be more careful.
Causes of Toxoplasmosis in dogs:
The main cause of Toxoplasmosis in dogs is Toxoplasma gondii. Your pet dog can acquire this parasite either from rooting in infected soil or from ingesting cat feces. The dogs that are few raw or imcompletely cooked meat are at a great risk of developing this disease.
Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis in dogs:
Though most dogs infected with Toxoplasma gondii do not exhibit any symptoms of infection, however dogs those have clinical illness can show a number of non diagnostic signs of infection such as seizures, depression, neurological symptoms, fever, muscle weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, jaundice, partial or complete paralysis, inflammation of tonsils, respiratory problems, lethargy, inflammation of the cornea, inflammation of retina and many more.
Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis in dogs:
The best ways to diagnose Toxoplasmosis in dogs is by the measurement of antibodies to the organism. Your vet might perform some tests such as complete blood count, ocular examination, biochemistry profile, fecal examination, chest x- ray, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, transtracheal aspirate, analysis of pleural, ELISA test, antibody test in order to diagnose Toxoplasmosis in dogs
Treatment for Toxoplasmosis in dogs
If you found that your pet dog is suffering from clinical toxoplasmosis then you should immediately take your infected dog to a vet for proper treatment. Your vet will prescribe certain antibiotics to get it treated. Your vet can either prescribe clindamycin or a combination of Sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine to your pet dog in order to get toxoplasmosis treated. In severe cases of toxoplasmosis, these treatments might not work. The severe cases of toxoplasmosis in dogs can get treated with diaminodiphenylsulfone, atovaquone or spiramycin.