Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Dogs and the Hepa Virus

Hepatitis, which is a sort of disease of the
liver caused by a viral infection, does not only
happen to humans but to canines as well. The
virus that causes it in dogs is called the CAV-1
virus and it only affects dogs not humans.
Getting into contact with an affected dog will
not put the owner at risk.

The CAV-1 virus behaves just like other common
viruses. It stays in the lymph nodes where it
replicates itself and then goes right into the
bloodstream. After that, it will affect various
organs, such as the eyes, the liver and the
kidneys. Although it is a serious disease, not
all instances of a CAV-1 infection will be a
major cause of concern. Some dogs do not even
display symptoms after acquiring the disease. It
is different when it comes to puppies though. In
most instances, puppies become seriously ill when
infected with the virus.

There is no known cure yet that can destroy the
CAV-1 virus after a dog becomes infected. There
is a vaccine for it, however, so you can help
your puppy avoid this infection through a series
of vaccinations. Since the introduction of the
vaccine, there had been a great decrease in the
number of dogs affected by canine hepatitis.

Not all types of canine hepatitis originate from
the CAV-1 virus. Some, have unknown origins and
are called idiopathic or periportal hepatitis.
These types of hepatitis affect dogs from five to
six years old.

The symptoms for all these types of hepatitis
infection are generally the same. It includes
weakness, diarrhea, jaundice, vomiting, weight
loss and depression. Since this disease is
incurable, the best that your vet can do is to
provide some treatment for the symptoms.
Sometimes antibiotics are also given to prevent
any secondary infection that may arise from the
hepatitis.

Treatments are applied to the symptoms so that
the dog will be able to carry the disease more
comfortably. After contracting the CAV-1 type of
hepatitis, however, the dog will become immune to
this disease all his life, which is the better
side of it. The rate for survival is high for
adult dogs but younger dogs may not be so lucky.

There are some breeds of dogs that may never be
cured from chronic hepatitis though. Examples of
these are the Doberman Pinschers and some
terriers. There is yet no cure for this type of
disease and they may need to carry this disease
for the rest of their lives.

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Learn more about dog arthritis on Steve Weber's
site at Cactus Canyon
http://www.flexicose.cactuscanyon.com

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