Canine Viral Hepatitis

canine viral hepatitis, acute adenovirus infection common in young dogs, affecting the liver and inner lining of blood vessels and occurring worldwide. It is usually characterized by fever, lack of appetite, vomiting, intense thirst, abdominal tenderness, and hemorrhages. It also infects foxes, timber wolves, coyotes, and bears.

Puppies, which seem most susceptible, have the highest mortality rate. The severity of the illness, which may occur at any time during the year, varies from an unnoticeable disease to a fatal infection. A susceptible dog usually becomes ill six to nine days after exposure to a dog discharging the virus, the first sign being an elevation of temperature. If the fever persists more than two days, other symptoms become apparent. These include general signs of distress and an attitude of apathy, followed by a partial or complete loss of appetite, combined with intense thirst. Fiery redness of the mouth lining is an important sign. Swellings, causing disfigurement, are sometimes found. Skin hemorrhages resulting from a bodily injury bleed profusely because of prolonged blood-clotting time. Approximately 25 percent of the dogs that recover from infectious hepatitis develop temporary bluish white discolorations of one or both corneas of the eyes.

Treatment of signs by a veterinarian is desirable to prevent the complications that may occur as a result of secondary bacterial infection. Once the signs are evident, however, therapeutic substances do not affect the disease course resulting from direct virus action. The canine infectious hepatitis virus persists for months in the urine of most dogs that recover from the infection, serving as a constant source of infection to susceptible dogs. Prevention by vaccination is thus the best way to protect dogs from this highly contagious disease.

Because of similarities in signs, canine infectious hepatitis has long been confused with another important disease of dogs, canine distemper. Furthermore, these diseases may occur simultaneously. After recovery, a dog is immune to both diseases. Immunity against both diseases can also be produced by the administration of a combined distemper virus and hepatitis virus vaccine.