Canine wasting disease has no cure and is a serious threat that dog and kennel owners should prepare for. If a dog begins to lose its appetite, veterinary treatment should be sought immediately. The first signs of this disease are externally subtle, but the internal implications are already brutal.
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History
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Until 2000, canine chronic wasting disease was only associated with dogs imported from southern Europe and South America. In late 1999, an outbreak at a New York foxhound kennel made the disease a domestic issue.
Parasite Problem
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Canine wasting disease is also known as visceral leishmaniasis. In humans, it is known as black fever. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites that attack the liver, spleen and bone marrow after a victim is bitten by an infected sandfly.
Symptoms
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Loss of appetite followed by weight loss are the most obvious and earliest symptoms dogs show with this disease. Advanced symptoms include, but are not limited to, muscle atrophy, seizures, vomiting, nose bleeds, swollen lymph nodes, increased urination, skin lesions and, eventually, kidney failure.
Treatment/Vaccinations
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Experts with the Centers for Disease Control recommend any infected canine be euthanized. Researchers at Iowa State University's Department of Pathology and North Carolina State University's Veterinary School of Medicine are working with CDC scientists to develop vaccines for the half-dozen strains of canine leishmaniasis currently identified. Some dog owners have opted to take diseased dogs there to participate in studies.
Significance
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For reasons unknown to researchers, the foxhound and the Neapolitan mastiff are more susceptible to this disease than other breeds. Canine wasting disease is the fifth-leading cause of non-accidental death in all dogs.
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