Dog colds

Unfortunately, our four-legged pets, although less frequently, still get sick, and they suffer some ailments harder than humans. For example, a common cold in a dog can lead to sad consequences, since the infection spreads through the animal’s body at lightning speed, leaving the site of inflammation and affecting vital organs and systems. This is a good reason to timely treat a dog with the first alarming symptoms. How can you recognize an ailment and help your pet not cope with it?

Causes of the common cold in dogs

If the dog has a strong immune system, then no colds will threaten her. A disease can only make a pet boring for a couple of days, and after two or three days it comes back to normal.

Among the main global causes of colds in dogs are the following:

Hereditary predisposition. Most often, this phenomenon is observed among representatives of ornamental breeds and breeds that can be mass-bred, since their gene pool in most cases is weakened. This is the cause of various pathologies and a tendency to colds.
Poor care and irresponsible attitude of the owners. Some dog owners do not attach much importance to the living conditions of the pet, especially for animals for outdoor keeping - on a chain or in an aviary. Violation of these standards - an insufficient, low-nutritional diet, a lounger in a draft place, a lack of a good booth, leaving a pet on the street in severe frosts - can lead to a dog's disease. Unvaccinated animals are also more likely to become ill.
Old age dogs. In older animals, natural changes occur in the body, and they lead to a decrease in protective functions. Therefore, such pets need careful care, as well as a complete diet suitable for this particular category of dogs.
The confluence of factors provoking the disease. An animal can become supercooled after falling into the rain after swimming, since under such conditions it loses the ability to normal thermoregulate. Often dogs catch a cold, being outside in frost, or for a long time in a draft.

Pet owners of the decorative breed should be aware that their pets have a normal temperature higher than medium and large dogs, which increases the risk of complications due to colds.

Most dogs are contact animals who enjoy walking with their relatives. But such a group pastime increases the risk of infection with infectious diseases and other ailments. If a dog without vaccinations is involved in the walk , or is already sick, then the owner is best to leave the site with the pet. If this was not possible, then it is better to take your pet away to get rid of contact with a sick dog.

Fleas, helminths, ticks and other parasitic insects weaken the animal’s immunity, are carriers of dangerous pathogens, inhibit the body’s protective functions, releasing toxic products of their vital functions. In this case, it is very important to carry out preventive treatment of the pet.

And if a puppy or adult dog got into the house from the street, then you should visit a veterinary clinic with him and pass a series of tests.

Symptoms of the common cold in dogs

The common cold is not asymptomatic, so it is important to pay attention to the condition of your pet. Among the main signs of a cold in dogs, the following can be noted:

in a sick animal, the appetite decreases, or the dog may completely refuse to eat ;
the nose becomes dry and hot, which indicates an increase in temperature;
the lymph nodes become inflamed;
conjunctivitis may develop;
the dog coughs ;
after exercise, breathing becomes quite frequent, shortness of breath is often observed in dogs;
the animal often and eagerly drinks;
may be anxious;
often in pets with a cold a runny nose appears, a flow from the nose causes the dog to often lick the discharge;
the voice coarsens in the animal, barking goes into a cough with expectoration.

Of course, not all symptoms may be present in a dog, but even two or three of them are a good reason to visit a veterinarian, diagnose an ailment with the help of certain examinations, and take tests.

Possible complications due to colds

With a disease, the body exhibits a compensatory reaction, which is its natural resistance. This manifests itself in the form of a sharp expansion of blood vessels, an increase in blood flow to supercooled areas, and an increase in the temperature regime.

But with prolonged exposure to low temperatures, the body weakens and it becomes difficult for him to fight. As a result, the pet receives even stronger cooling, there is a violation of thermoregulation and the activity of internal organs and systems is lost.

Without timely treatment, malaise turns into a serious disease, it can be inflammation of the lungs, kidneys, connective tissues.

If the animal is often sick with colds, then this leads to a decrease in immunity. This condition makes the pet vulnerable to infectious diseases - any, even a weak microorganism, can significantly undermine its health.

Cold diagnosis

Finding a pet in poor condition, the owners in most cases seek the advice of a specialist. In this case, the owner should clearly outline the picture of the disease, but words alone are clearly not enough. The veterinarian needs to examine a sick animal, listen to internal organs - the trachea, heart muscle, lungs. There is also a mandatory delivery of biomaterial for a general analysis of blood and urine, a smear intake. Another study conducted in such cases is a C-reactive protein assay.

Comprehensive diagnosis eliminates the possibility of other diseases that have similar symptoms, which means that appropriate treatment will be prescribed. The efficiency of the events depends on how long the pet will be cured and whether he will have any complications.

How to treat a dog for a cold

If it is not possible to show the dog to doctors, then you can try to cure the cold yourself. Of course, in this case, there is a risk of incorrect diagnosis of the disease and the development of complications.

Among the common actions, the following is most often applied:

First of all, the factors provoking the disease should be eliminated. If the case is in the wrong location, the lounger should be placed away from the draft. If the whole thing is the insufficient insulation of the booth, then this can be corrected.
At elevated body temperature, you can give your pet the drug Paracetamol in tablets, calculating the norm based on the size of the dog. (1 - for a large dog, 1/2 - for a medium-sized pet, 1/4 - for representatives of dwarf breeds).
For colds, it is better to change the pet’s dry diet to wet food or natural, but mashed, food. It is necessary to add a vitamin-mineral complex to the diet. It is best if the food is high in calories, give it in a warm form.
To eliminate the cough, you can use natural remedies - tincture of licorice root, a decoction of coltsfoot, plantain.

Of course, this may not help, as most often the owners discover the disease in the later stages. But in any case, it is not worthwhile to use medications intended for humans to treat an animal without recommendations.

Preventative measures

Naturally, treating a dog is much more difficult than trying to avoid a cold. Therefore, in this case, prevention is extremely important:

It is recommended to avoid situations that can lead to hypothermia of the pet - you should not walk with the pet for a long time in bad weather, if the dog has poor coat, then special clothing and shoes should be taken care of.
It is necessary to provide street dogs with a warmed booth, do not make concrete enclosure flooring, and do not bathe them in winter.
It should be given vitamins to the pet in winter and spring.
Whenever possible, contact with sick dogs should be avoided.
The dog must be vaccinated , according to the schedule of vaccinations.

And one more important advice from veterinarians - a dog that lives in affection and care, practically does not get sick.