Mad Itch (Pseudorabies) in Dogs

Dogs can be hosts for Aujesky’s disease, but will survive, at most, two to three days after infection. A canine who has been infected with the pseudorabies virus will show the following signs.

• Fever

• Respiratory distress

• Seizures

• Intense itching (pruritis), hence the name ‘Mad Itch’

• Central nervous system signs like erratic behavior, circling and eventual paralysis

• Physical sensitivity of the skin (hyperesthesia)

• Sudden death

The evident signs in dogs may mimic the rabies virus.

Types

The primary site of the replication of the virus is the tonsillar, pharyngeal, and nasal tissues. The spread can then invade tissues of the lymph nodes, brain, and spleen to name just a few. As the virus invades the body, it is replicating the entire time.

Transmission of this virus from swine to canines is rare in North America due to the intense efforts to eradicate the disease. Mainly, pseudorabies is transmitted from nose to nose contact between pigs, essentially because the virus is very evident in nasal secretions.

• Contaminated drinking water and feed buckets will contribute to the spread
• Viral infection in swine is seen after two to five days post infection
• The virus can be identified in milk, urine, nasal secretions, and tonsillar tissue of pigs
• People can carry the virus on their footwear, skin, or clothing after contact with pigs
• In the right conditions, the virus can survive for a few days in the grass, soil, shelled corn, and feces
• It is an aerosolized virus meaning it can be passed through droplets in the air that can persist up to seven hours
• Inhalation of the virus is possible

If your pet is exhibiting signs for pseudorabies, immediate veterinary care is essential. Though there is no cure, you do not want to see your pet suffer unnecessarily.  Be as proactive as you can in relaying important information to the veterinary team, such as past medical history, illnesses of late, and for certain, let the veterinarian know if your dog has been in contact with any pigs, commercial or feral, or whether he has visited a farm recently.

The veterinarian will consider other illnesses similar to pseudorabies. These could be a reaction to a drug, toxicity to a substance, canine distemper encephalitis, or rabies.  A blood test to look for antibodies against the virus could be done, as well as tests to  identify the virus in the tissues of your pet, such as nasal or tonsillar. However, studies show that dogs will succumb to the virus before antibodies are evident. Therefore, these diagnostic tools may be able to give a positive diagnosis, but this is not for certain.