If a dog drives away invisible flies in front of its eyes. Episodic falling syndrome in Cavalier King Charles spaniels

Hello. The pit bull is 9 years old, lately he has been sitting on the floor, raising his head, shaking from side to side as if catching flies, snapping his mouth, scratching the floor with his hind legs, breathing heavily. How can I help before I go to the doctor? Thanks in advance.

Answer

What are the causes of lost behavior? The actions of dogs, especially those not specially trained, are often incomprehensible. A normal-looking animal instantly changes its behavior to the opposite.

What should a person who is concerned about the strange behavior of a pet do? The dog behaves in a specific way - shakes its head, catches non-existent flies. Similar descriptions are found in several sources that interpret the problem in various ways.

Some explain the strange behavior as bouts of rabies. Veterinarians often believe that if a dog buries something invisible with its hind paws and chases imaginary flies around the apartment, things take a deplorable turn. The owner should not be seriously worried until the dog begins to have frequent mood swings. It is necessary to start worrying and take the animal to the doctor. Rabies can be ruled out if there has been no contact with infected pets and the dog does not show unreasonable aggression.
Other veterinarians agree - when the dog shakes its head, the problem is in the ears. Perhaps fleas got in there. The dog feels discomfort, shakes its head and tries to catch the invisible offender with its teeth. The dog, not understanding that the action is happening in the head, behaves strangely.
The cause of unclear behavior is allergies. The owner should reconsider recent dietary changes, try eliminating new foods and see if the pet’s condition changes.
The cause of the frightening behavior is worms. By scratching dogs relieve itching around the anus. When action is not enough, dogs begin to run around the apartment, destroying everything and rubbing against objects suitable for the role of a scratcher.

Such conclusions can be premature and erroneous. The owner is obliged to take the pet to the veterinarian and conduct examinations. It is better to identify even the worst version of the disease quickly.

Cause of heavy breathing

Inexperienced owners often ask strange questions to doctors. This is explained by concerns about the health of the four-legged family member. The answers should be clearly imprinted in the memory of a person planning to get a dog.

One answer concerns breathing itself. From what is described in the message, it is clear that the dog is in a state of stress. Whether it’s rabies or regular fleas, the dog wants to get rid of the pest no less than the man. The animal cannot do this and becomes more nervous. Accordingly, interruptions in breathing are caused by panic and anxiety.

Sometimes such behavior is regarded as a symptom of another disease. In dogs of certain breeds, there are difficulties in the functioning of the nasopharynx when the septum is initially curved. There are a lot of similar examples, but the main idea is clear: breathing difficulties arise when a pet is unable to cope with the ailment that has arisen. The owner must take action to help the dog find comfort. The pet will relax, and the health situation will quickly move in the right direction.

Ways to help your dog

When selecting treatment methods, the doctor will explain to the pet owner that it is impossible to act without a clear diagnosis of the disease. Dogs are smart creatures, but they won't tell you when things are getting better. The doctor has no right to use the trial and error method. There is little chance of an accidental hit. Only a routine examination will help identify the disease.

The owner can independently treat the pet with anti-worm medications. If the dog refuses to take them, the person can resort to a little deception and mix them with the dog’s favorite treat. Treatment for fleas is carried out with special drops applied to the withers.

The owner must understand that only a veterinarian will accurately determine the disease. The owner is obliged to take care of the pet and bring the animal to a specialized clinic.

Rabies, or hydrophobia, - a viral, infectious disease, the causative agent of which is contained in large quantities in the saliva and brain of animals killed by rabies. The rabies virus can enter the body only through damaged skin or mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and eyes (rabies can be contracted by skinning a sick animal). Most often, people and animals become infected when bitten by a rabid animal. Dogs infected with rabies die after a latent period of illness lasting from 6 days to several months. There are no effective treatments for rabid animals.

Bites from unknown and stray dogs are especially dangerous because the rabies virus appears in their saliva 12-15 days before the onset of the disease.

At the beginning of the disease, the dog becomes either unusually affectionate or sullen, does not obey the owner’s commands, does not respond to his call, hides in dark places, barks for no reason, clicks his teeth as if catching flies, has a restless, absent-minded look, he refuses regular food, then he begins to greedily bite and swallow various inedible objects (straw, rags, wood chips, etc.). As the disease progresses, at the stage of excitement, the dog becomes angry and runs away from the house (usually the head is bowed, the tail is lowered). The bark of a mad dog is hoarse, turning into a howl; it attacks people and animals, biting them. Towards the end of the disease, the rabid dog becomes paralyzed. First, the jaw drops, saliva flows from the mouth, and then the butt is taken away, and after 2-3 days the animal dies. Pain associated with spasms in the throat prevents her from drinking water and forces her to scratch her throat with her paws. Much less common is the so-called “silent form” of the disease, in which paralysis occurs quickly and the dog is unable to bite and bark.

There are measures to combat rabies: 1) destruction of stray dogs, as well as dogs and cats bitten by rabid animals; 2) keeping dogs (if there is a suspicion that they have been bitten by rabid animals) in quarantine for at least 6 months; H) preventive vaccination against rabies.

If your dog gets rabies, you must inform your veterinarian or the police. The dog must be immediately isolated, locked in a separate room so that it does not run away. If this is not possible, the dog is destroyed and its head is preserved for research. Dogs that have bitten animals for no reason are isolated for 2 weeks. If during this time the dog does not get sick, isolation is stopped.

A person bitten by a dog should immediately undergo preventive vaccinations.

It is useful to squeeze out the blood from the bitten area and smear it with iodine or cauterize it with a hot iron.

False rabies or Aujeszky's disease , is an acute disease of dogs, cats, all farm animals, birds and wild animals. The causative agent is a virus that infects the brain. The main source of infection is rats and mice. Dogs and other animals suffering from false rabies begin to drool, itching, seizures, muscle tics, and paralysis (primarily the hindquarters). False rabies in dogs is very acute and severe, ending in death on the 2-3rd day. A vaccine and serum are used against this disease in dogs.

Canine distemper (distemper) - An acute infectious disease widespread throughout the world. Foxes, wolves, minks, etc. also suffer from canine plague. A person does not get sick from this plague, but can be a carrier of the causative agent for a long time, the latent period of which lasts 5-7 days, sometimes up to 1 month. The virus is contained in all secretions of the body of the patient and the virus carrier.

Puppies aged 2-3 months are especially susceptible to plague. up to a year. Dogs older than one year that have had the plague are more resistant to it. Cases of recurrent distemper in dogs are rare. When the disease occurs, the body temperature in dogs rises to 40 degrees or higher, the appetite is poor, the nose is hot and dry, the tongue is often coated, the fur is disheveled, the eyes are inflamed (during the disease, a mucous or purulent discharge is released, often sticking the eyelids together). In most cases, after 2-3 days, painful phenomena from the intestines, respiratory organs or nervous system develop. When the intestines are damaged, vomiting and constipation are observed, followed by diarrhea, often mixed with blood. When the lungs are affected, the animal sneezes, coughs, and purulent discharge appears from the nose, often so abundant that it sticks together the nostrils and makes breathing difficult. When the nervous system is damaged, convulsions and paralysis appear.

For successful treatment of distemper (distemper), it is necessary to create good hygienic conditions, the food must be varied, highly nutritious and easily digestible, medications can be given only as prescribed by a veterinarian. For complications of plague, sulfa drugs, penicillin and serum are used. With a benign course of the plague, recovery occurs on the 12-15th day, after which the dog must be protected from colds.

Canine typhus proceeds as an acute inflammation of the stomach and intestines, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the gums, lips and lower surface of the tongue and their necrosis begin. This disease in dogs is characterized by bad breath. Dogs sick with typhus become lethargic, refuse food, quickly become exhausted and, with increasing weakness, die on the 7-10th day, and in severe cases - on the 4th.

There are no specific means of preventing or treating the disease. It is necessary to enrich feed with vitamins.

Leptospirosis (infectious jaundice) - a protozoal disease of farm animals, birds, dogs, cats, rodents and many wild fur-bearing animals. Humans are also susceptible to leptospirosis. The disease of dogs with leptospirosis occurs mainly in an acute (4-12 days) or fulminant (24 hours) form. Mortality reaches 80-100%. The latent period of illness is from 2 to 12 days. The causative agent of this disease in dogs tolerates low temperatures well and at -20 ° C overwinters in the ice of reservoirs, and dies after 2 hours when exposed to direct sunlight.

The infection in nature is spread by sick and recovered animals, especially rodents and dogs, through urine. In young dogs, the disease is severe, with high fever and pronounced jaundice. In adult dogs, the temperature does not rise high and after 1-2 days it returns to normal or drops below normal. This disease in dogs is characterized by sudden profuse vomiting, short-term constipation followed by severe bloody diarrhea, and the appearance (sometimes) of ulcers on the oral mucosa.

Dogs should only be treated as directed by a veterinarian. The use of anti-leptospirosis serum is effective.

Prevention - keeping the premises and enclosures for dogs, dog care items and feeding equipment clean, as well as regular disinfection. The soil in the enclosure is disinfected with 5% carbolic acid. Puppies are dewormed twice at around 20 days and 2 - 2.5 months of age. Subsequently, deworming is carried out when worms are detected, using santonin, kamala, chenopodia oil, tetrachlorethylene (18-24 hours before administering the medicine - a fasting diet, after administration - a warm enema or a laxative). Per 1 kg of weight, 0.015-0.025 g of santonin, 0.1 g of tetrachlorethylene (in elastic gelatin capsules that are placed on the root of the dog’s tongue), a mixture of chenopodia (0.05-0.5 g) and castor (2 g) oils are required.

Signs of the disease: poor appetite, diarrhea with mucus (sometimes with blood), vomiting is often observed, animals are poorly nourished, are retarded in growth and development, and often die. The definition of this disease in dogs is the detection of uncinarium eggs in the feces.

Treatment and prevention are the same as for toxocariasis.

Prevention of the disease is not to allow dogs to drink water from puddles.

Dog scabies - a contagious disease of dogs caused by small scabies mites, visible only under a microscope. In the area of the external auditory canal, scabies are caused by ear mites. With ear scabies, the dog shakes its head and scratches its ears with its paws. If the tick has penetrated deep inside the ear, the dog makes circular movements with its head and nervous attacks occur. The scabies mite (itching), once on the dog’s body, bores through the skin, penetrates into its thickness and makes numerous passages in it, causing severe itching, forcing sick dogs to constantly gnaw and scratch the affected area, which irritates the skin even more (the itching intensifies in warm weather year and at night). Scabies mites reproduce very quickly. One pair for 1-1.5 months. gives a number of generations with a total number of 1.5 million copies. Pruritic scabies in dogs can spread to other animals and humans. With pruritic scabies, abundant dandruff appears on the face, paws, tail, and belly, and blisters appear on the skin, which then burst, their contents pour out and dry out, forming crusts, the fur sticks together and falls out, the skin becomes thick and folded.

Scabies never goes away on its own. The disease must be treated. All affected areas of the sick dog’s body are generously moistened with a saturated hyposulfite solution, rubbed into the skin with a cotton swab and allowed to dry until a white coating of salt appears. Then a 6% solution of hydrochloric acid is rubbed into the affected areas of the skin soaked in hyposulfite. If the dog's entire body is affected, the treatment procedure is carried out in 2 steps: first, only the back half of the body is treated, the next day - the front half (if the dog is treated with hyposulfite and acid all at once, it may die). The treated dog is placed in a new kennel with fresh bedding, and the old kennel is fried with a blowtorch.

Literature: Yu.A.Gerasimov, Gamekeeper's Handbook, 1988. Diseases of dogs, p.139. (Rabies, distemper and other dog diseases)

Among the entire list of possible dog diseases, the least pleasant are those that are transmitted at the genetic level. To preserve the breed. For blood purity and elimination, it is very important to identify the disease at an early stage, conduct a DNA test, and then take into account the presence of genes when breeding. For King Charles Spaniels, the breed's disease is Episodic Falling Syndrome (EFS from its English name).
Description of the disease

It is very difficult to accurately describe the disease and its set of symptoms. They can be different for each dog and are not typical for any other disease. According to one authoritative doctor, this is something unlike anything else. Diagnosing a disease is always quite difficult, but the importance of making a correct diagnosis is very important, therefore, at the slightest suspicion, it is recommended to conduct a full examination.
The disease is caused by muscle contractions that are quite frequent and involuntary, so that for some time, due to a cramp, the dog may be completely immobilized, shortness of breath may appear, or the pet may become so tired after a severe attack that it decides to go to bed. Seizures can be caused by severe frustration and sadness of the dog, or excessive physical exertion. As they grow and age, they occur more frequently; in severe cases, the dog can be immobilized forever. The reasons that provoked them are also becoming increasingly difficult to identify.

Symptoms:

It is difficult to separate out the symptoms of the disease. They may resemble back injuries. Liver problems and other diseases. They appear in puppyhood, from 5 to 12 months, but sometimes later. It can occur in dogs of any color or gender, and is often accompanied by curly hair or “dry eye.” In parallel, there may be “fly catching syndrome”.

A characteristic set of features:

Freezing of the dog for a while;
- movement in one direction sideways with the head down;
- in a position lying on the side, the forelimbs may be pulled up, their spasm;
- numbness and ablation of the hind or forelimbs;
- hare running;
- arching the back and rigidly fixing it for a while.

Other similar "actions" in dogs can also be a sign of illness. Moreover, during the symptom, the dog is most often conscious and reacts to others. The severity of the attack is determined by its duration.

Dog treatment
It is not possible to cure a dog; you can simply prevent and alleviate the symptoms of the disease, give them a rest after them, or distract the dog with games so that it does not focus its attention on them. For diagnosis, the cheapest test is DNA. The syndrome occurs in 19% of dogs, so the disease must be taken seriously.

Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease that is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures (epileptic seizures, convulsions).

Epileptic disease in domestic animals was first described in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Seizures of epilepsy in dogs are most often sudden, temporary, abnormal seizures (convulsions, crises) of a motor, sensory or mental nature, arising due to a temporary disruption in the functioning of the brain or part of it. The seizure can begin suddenly, lasting from a few seconds to several minutes, in a conscious or unconscious state, with a recovery period of 24 hours after status epilepticus (frequent and prolonged seizures).

Classification by origin:

Primary (true)— there is no neurological deficit, the animal is quite healthy between seizures.
Idiopathic(of unknown origin - genetic disease).
Symptomatic(of known origin, e.g. tumors, scars, trauma, brain infections).
Jet spasms- due to metabolic disorders (lack of vitamin B1), liver pathology (portosystemic shunts) or poisoning (lead, strychnine).

The following attacks of epilepsy are distinguished:

Generalized- occurring with loss of consciousness and tonic-clonic motor activity (involuntary stretching of the limbs);
Focal (partial crises)- facial muscle tics, nystagmus (constant movement of the eyeball), head shaking, hallucinations, howling, movement in a circle, fear.
Focal with secondary generalization. Status epilepticus - frequent and prolonged seizures, the animal does not regain consciousness after each seizure.
Cluster seizures- long-term, but the animal regains consciousness between seizures.

Signs of epileptic seizures

The main symptoms of epilepsy in dogs are:

changes in muscle tone or involuntary movements,
drooling, involuntary urination and defecation,
loss of consciousness and orientation in space, movement in circles or repetitive movements
changes in behavior (the dog chases its tail, catches non-existent flies, bites its side),
aggression is possible.

General principles of diagnosis and treatment

The diagnosis is made based on the description (breed, gender, age), anamnesis, clinical examination, neurological examination, fundus examination, since diseases of an inflammatory nature cause pathology of the optic nerves and, accordingly, changes in the fundus. Additional diagnostic tests are used: laboratory tests (complete blood count, biochemistry, urine, feces, thyroid hormones, cerebrospinal fluid to exclude inflammation of the brain (for example, viral encephalitis), blood serology for viruses to exclude canine distemper, x-ray of the skull to exclude a tumor of the skull bones or generalized defects of the skull bones in dwarf breeds of dogs. To establish the cause of the crisis, it is of great importance EEG diagnostics .

The criteria for diagnosing epilepsy are repeated spontaneous seizures and characteristic changes in the EEG study. Without an EEG it is impossible to diagnose this disease.

Treatment of epilepsy in dogs begins with the administration of one anticonvulsant drug. The goal of treatment is to prevent the development of seizures without causing acute or chronic side effects of antiepileptic drugs, so it is important that a veterinary neurologist selects the drug, the dosage and periodically adjusts it.

So, what to do if your dog has epilepsy? Animals that have had only one seizure require careful clinical and neurological evaluation. If an animal has a grand mal seizure or several seizures in a row, then you need to urgently contact and examine the animal directly at the veterinary clinic.

The MEDVET EC employs highly qualified neurologists. You can contact us at any time and our specialists will help your pet.

The long-awaited summer has arrived, and now you can go on an overnight hike to admire the stars, sing songs to the accompaniment of a guitar, swim in warm lakes, seas or rivers. It's not just people who get active this time of year. All creatures that have long awakened from hibernation are restless now. They run, jump, constantly carry something in their paws, teeth or beaks, in order to be prepared for the moment when the last autumn yellow leaf of this season falls from the branch, but you won’t have to worry about the scarce food, because before everything prepared, and like people who take pickles from cellars in winter, the animals will pull similar supplies from the bins... But now life is in full swing. During the day, most representatives of the animal fauna calmly sleep in the shade. But those who like to relax as savages know firsthand that at night everything changes: fields and meadows turn into living carpets, and in the forests, as if evil spirits really wake up and scare travelers. In fact, the inhabitants of these places simply recoiled from their daytime sleep. Especially now, you can see firsthand how strong instincts can be, which we practically do not notice during the rest of the calendar year. Following the prey, which hides under the cover of night or hides in the greenery of lush vegetation, predators take to the hunting path.

Have you ever watched your dog on a real hunt? Most likely yes, but they didn’t attach any importance to it. But our four-legged friends are hunters who are excellent at tracking, pursuing and attacking their victims. Nature has endowed them with a keen sense of smell, sensitive hearing, and sharp claws and teeth so that their prey does not escape from pursuit. Your pet is quietly snoring, lying in his favorite place, but as soon as an annoying fly flies over his ear, the dog transforms. The muscles under the shiny fur are like stone, the eyes are burning, the ears are like locators, catching every rustle, the tail like a pipe. All nature is like a well-coordinated precise mechanism, set in motion by one of the most ancient instincts - to catch its prey. The dog froze and would not move until he realized that the victim was too close. Then a click of fangs - and the annoying fly disappeared into the mouth of your cute animal.

Many owners prohibit their animals from catching insects for a variety of reasons. Some people consider such ideas to be cruel, others are annoyed by the chattering of teeth, and those who worry about their pets are also justified, fearing that they might grab such prey that could cause retaliatory harm. The latter applies to wasps, bees and other insects that can sting the offender, and the reaction to their poison can result in serious problems for the dog’s health. But still, if you are the owner of a dog, you must accept the fact that the animal needs to show its hunting skills. Your little friend is completely healthy, nature itself created him that way.

But it should be noted that not always and not everyone exhibits these skills. Most often, representatives of hunting breeds (shorthaired pointers, Labradors, beagles, setters, etc.) rush to chase beetles, flies and other insects, since dog breeders deliberately improved the corresponding qualities of these dogs, so they are realized as best they can on insects. Less often you will see a Newfoundland or English Mastiff skipping after a butterfly. Although everything is possible, especially at a young age. Puppies love active games, in which they catch up with everyone who is smaller in size, and even attract special attention with their buzzing. Adult dogs are less mobile and drive away annoying flies by lazily wagging their tails, or even show no reaction at all.

It also happens that a dog mainly catches a certain type of insect, but does not pay attention to others. Perhaps then the diet lacks some essential elements contained in specific bugs. If the animal does not react to flies, mosquitoes, ground beetles, crickets, etc., but eats, for example, snails with a smacking sound, then most likely the diet should be enriched with protein.

Whatever the reasons why our smaller brothers do not turn from pretty household members into terrifying predators, it is very interesting and useful to watch them. How can one not admire the perfect weapon into which the couch potato who had just been peacefully dozing was transformed? Look at him dangerous and strong, and feel safe that he is nearby, so dexterous, strong and ready to protect from all misfortunes in the world, including cockroaches and annoying flies.

In general, if we summarize, we can draw the following simple conclusions about the reasons for the behavior of our little brothers described above:

the dog is a hunter, and he needs to realize this instinct. Being in the human world, dogs learned to behave in a similar way. Sometimes they are even more humane than us, and sometimes they show aggression, but what should we do with the call of our ancestors? Of course, catch those who provoke. So it turns out that your well-mannered and trained pets, seeing or hearing some moth rapidly flying into the distance, rush after it, trying to catch it.
We also note once again that insects contain a huge amount of protein, which is so necessary for the proper formation of the body, especially young animals, and the chitinous shells of various beetles contain the fiber so necessary for the formation of fibrous and connective tissues. Perhaps the animal is compensating for the lack of some elements necessary for its body (but let’s not forget about those insects that can harm your pet with their bites, and therefore we still monitor the situation, and if something happens, we prepare to provide first aid).
and, finally, one cannot help but note the fact that dogs can be extremely curious and are interested in everything around them. And it doesn’t matter what attracted attention, be it a rustling bag or a furry bumblebee flying somewhere in the line of sight. The animal does not understand at all who is in front of it, it simply explores, smells and tastes the objects that interest it, and sometimes these objects turn out to be other representatives of the animal world, including insects.