What Is Dog STD? What are the Symptoms and How Do I Prevent?
Dogs can acquire sexually transmitted diseases from mate partners that have them. Before allowing dogs to mate, it is best to check if they have STDs to prevent infections from transmitting to the other dog and to prevent miscarriage during pregnancy.
***Canine Brucellosis. This sexually transmitted disease is a bacterial infection ca...used by Brucella canis. This bacterium is transmitted through mating, urine, dead fetuses and through vaginal or seminal fluids. The bacterium can live in the vaginal and uterine tissue in bitches. A female dog may look healthy, but she can be a carrier. Male dogs may have uneven testicles. The bacterial infection can cause miscarriage and result to infertility in both male and female dogs. Humans should be extra cautious in handling dead fetuses and vaginal fluids since Brucella canis can be transmitted to humans.
***Canine Herpesvirus (CHV). This is a viral infection that can be spread through vaginal and penile secretions, and through nose discharges. It can infect the reproductive tract and unborn puppies can acquire them. Female dogs infected with this virus can have miscarriages, still births, and may never get pregnant again. CHV may also cause hemorrhages in the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, liver and kidneys of infected dogs.
***Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumors (CTVT). This sexually transmitted disease can result to wart-like tumors found in the vagina and penile areas of infected dogs. This can be spread through bodily fluids. Although this not life-threatening, the tumors can easily and rapidly spread in different areas of the body.
Do not breed infected dogs.
Testing the dogs if they have STDs prior to breeding can prevent STD from spreading. It is best to spay and neuter infected dogs to prevent accidental breeding.
Antibiotics. Antibiotics can be given to dogs infected with Brucella canis. The antibiotics can decrease bacterial count, but these cannot totally eliminate the bacterium.
**Vaccination. There is a vaccine for Canine Herpesvirus that can be given to bitches in heat and one to weeks after whelping.
**Disinfection and sanitation. Keeping the dog area clean can kill most viruses and bacteria. The virus causing CHV can easily be killed by disinfection and high temperatures.
**Injectable antibodies. Injectable antibodies can help puppies infected with CHV survive.
**Chemotherapy. This therapy is best in treating CTVT. Surgical removal of tumors may not work because of the location of some tumors.
**Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy may be used when chemotherapy did not work in treating CTVT.
