Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) in Dogs

Written By hannah hollinger
Published: 04/23/2016Updated: 01/14/2022
Veterinary reviewed by Michele K.
Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) in Dogs - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost

What is Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis)?

Campylobacteriosis is an infectious disease that causes severe diarrhea in dogs as well as in people. Campylobacter jejuni bacteria is the cause of this disease, which is found in the intestinal tracts of animals all over the world. The most common way for your dog to become infected with campylobacteriosis is through unpasteurized milk, chicken that is not fully cooked or any other food that has been contaminated with the bacteria during its preparation. Your dog can actually be a carrier of campylobacter infection without showing any symptoms or signs at all, but can pass the infection on to other animals and people. Campylobacteriosis infection is a common cause of diarrhea in people.

Dogs can become dehydrated quickly with severe diarrhea.  Because of this, it is essential to get medical help for your dog as soon as you possibly can. Other complications can be dangerous to your dog if suffering from the campylobacteriosis infection, such as intussusception, which is a condition that causes one part of the bowel to slide into the other. This happens more often in puppies when they have extreme diarrhea that causes the intestinal walls to press into each other and results in an obstruction that can be fatal without immediate treatment.

The bacterial infection, campylobacteriosis, is caused by the Campylobacter jejuni bacteria that is common in animals and people everywhere in their digestive tract. These spiral shaped bacterium can cause diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, fever, and dehydration among other things. The illness is most commonly transmitted by poultry that is not completely cooked and can be a life-threatening emergency in the very young or very old.

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Symptoms of Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) in Dogs

The symptoms of campylobacteriosis can be similar to many other illnesses so the infection may go unnoticed unless a complication arises. Some complications such as dehydration, intussusception, gall bladder swelling (cholecystitis), and bacterial infection in the blood (bacteremia) cause individual symptoms of their own.

Campylobacteriosis

  • Abdominal pain
  • High body temperature
  • Diarrhea
  • Bloody stools
  • Vomiting
  • Excessive sleepiness
  • Lack of appetite
  • Weight loss

Dehydration

  • Loose and wrinkled skin
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Weakness
  • Sleepiness
  • Excessive urination
  • Panting
  • Depression
  • Drooling
  • Dry gums
  • Weak pulse
  • Sunken eyes
  • Collapse

Intussusception

  • Vomiting
  • Bloody stools
  • Loss of appetite
  • Shock
  • Death

Gall Bladder Swelling (cholecystitis)

  • Loss of appetite
  • Lethargy
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal pain
  • Jaundice (yellow eyes and gums)
  • Hypothermia (low body temperature)
  • Weak and rapid pulse
  • Swelling in abdomen

Bacterial Infection of the Blood (bacteremia)

  • Chills
  • Fever
  • Lethargy
  • Depression
  • Rapid heart rate

Causes of Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) in Dogs

Puppies under six months of age living in crowded and unsanitary conditions are most at risk for campylobacter infection. Those with illness or other conditions such as parvovirus, Giardia, Salmonella, or any other parasitic infection are also at a higher risk of contracting campylobacter infection.

Diagnosis of Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) in Dogs

The diagnosis for campylobacteriosis is pretty simple (a fecal swab and stool sample), but your veterinarian will still need to know your dog’s complete history as well as any recent illnesses or injuries your dog has had recently. The veterinarian will need to check your dog’s body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, energy level, abdomen, and spleen while waiting for the results to get finished. Some of the important information your veterinarian will need to know is the symptoms, exposure to other dogs (i.e. parks, doggie day care), if he has eaten any foreign substances or trash, changes in food, and if you have done any traveling with your dog.

To see if there are any underlying illnesses or disease, a number of tests may also be performed, such as complete blood count (CBC), electrolyte panel, urinalysis, bacterial culture, fungal swab, blood glucose, kidney, liver, and pancreatic function tests, digital radiographs (x-rays), ultrasound, and possibly an endoscopy to see the intestinal tract.

Treatment of Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) in Dogs

The first thing your veterinarian will do, possibly even before running any diagnostic tests, is IV fluid therapy to replenish the fluid levels if your dog is dehydrated. If the condition is severe, the veterinarian may hospitalize him to get control of the diarrhea and keep your dog hydrated. The most dangerous side effect for most dogs with campylobacteriosis is dehydration, so it is essential to keep your dog hydrated, which may take continuous IV fluids until the medicine starts working. The most common medication used for campylobacteriosis is an antibiotic such as azithromycin or erythromycin for about three weeks.

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Recovery of Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) in Dogs

During treatment, your veterinarian will want you to watch for any worsening of the symptoms and contact them if your dog has any recurrent diarrhea. Some medications can cause diarrhea in certain dogs and your dog cannot handle any more of that, so you need to let your veterinarian know if this happens.

As long as you catch the illness early enough, and get it treated right away, your dog’s chances of recovery are good. Be sure to watch your dog for signs of any complications such as dehydration, intussusception, gall bladder swelling (cholecystitis), and bacterial infection in the blood (bacteremia).

Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) Average Cost

From 45 quotes ranging from $250 - $2,000

Average Cost

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Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals

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Mixed small/medium

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Cisco

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9 Years

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0 found this helpful

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My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
My male mixed dog Cisco weights between 23 to 25 lbs. He started diarrhea the first part of February and also lost his eyesight around that time. Vet said the two were not related, said he has colitis and gave him a steroid and vitamin B shot along with antibiotics. Seemed like it was working the first few days and diarrhea become worse. Vet changed the medication to Baytril with a probotic, didn't help the Flagyl was added still had diarrhea. Stool culture came back saying Campylobactor Jejuni and prescribed Chloramphenicol which I started this morning. I haven't a clue how he got this infection. I am giving him 3 pills per day. He is going on 10 years old. Vet told me he has SARDS, I would like to know if Campylobactor can affect the eyes. Thank you and Sincerely, Shirley Pickerell Louisville, KY 40214

March 6, 2018

0 Recommendations

Typically Campylobacter jejuni will cause gastrointestinal symptoms, I do not know of a connection with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) or any other condition which would affect the eyes in a similar way. Administer the prescribed treatment of chloramphenicol to Cisco and monitor for improvement; if there is no improvement return to your Veterinarian for another consultation. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM www.msdvetmanual.com/digestive-system/enteric-campylobacteriosis/overview-of-enteric-campylobacteriosis

March 6, 2018

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Labrador Retriever

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Si

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5 Months

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2 found this helpful

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2 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Colitis
My pup was diagnosed with campylobacta fetus at 9 weeks of age, symptoms started after I had had him less than one week. He was treated then tested one week after finishing the course, no campy isolated. 3 months on, he has again tested +ve but the campylobacter speciation has not detected any of the pathogenic strains they can test for. We have been treating him with Metronidazole while waiting for the results,he has vastly improved. As he was obviously clear after the first course of treatment, I don't know how he has it again. If he is a carrier, surely he wouldn't have had a negative result? Neither of my other 2 dogs show symptoms nor any humans in the household.

Jan. 25, 2018

2 Recommendations

Campylobacter is a bacterial which can be found in many different places and many healthy dogs may have Campylobacter residing in their gastrointestinal tract without any incident; some scientific articles show that around 30% of dogs were found to have an underlying Campylobacter infection when swabbed rectally. If the culture testing doesn’t show a pathogenic strain, I wouldn’t be too concerned but it would be something to keep an eye on. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM

Jan. 26, 2018

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Bacterial Infection (Campylobacteriosis) Average Cost

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