1704506971
Bluetongue was diagnosed in a 3.5 year old dog. The pregnant dog (Rhodesian Ridgeback Cross) was seriously ill. The animal lived on a livestock farm with cattle and sheep, reports Wageningen UR.
The dog was lethargic, very emaciated and short of breath due to fluid in the lungs. Based on the symptoms, a veterinarian involved (who had read an article about a similar case in South Africa) reported suspected bluetongue to the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). Investigations by Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) revealed that the dog was infected with bluetongue virus type 3, the same variant that also circulates in cattle and sheep.
Very rare
Bluetongue in dogs is extremely rare. Only a few individual cases have been described in the scientific literature. Race doesn’t matter; In almost all cases, however, these are pregnant bitches.
Little is known about a possible route of infection for bluetongue disease in dogs. The animal lived on a cattle ranch and was free to roam, possibly eating afterbirth or licking bloody colostrum.
Company not yet infected
Remarkably, at the time the dog became seriously ill, the company was not yet known to the NVWA as being infected with bluetongue. Veterinarians from the NVWA and Royal DG visited the business and found no sick cattle or sheep. However, two cattle turned out to be bluetongue positive after PCR tests. According to Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, this proves that the bluetongue virus was present on the farm and represents an important finding as a possible virus source for dog infections. According to WBVR researcher Melle Holwerda, transmission of the virus via the blood meal of an infected mosquito cannot be ruled out as a route of transmission. In this specific case, however, the route of infection cannot be determined with certainty. The virus cannot spread further through a dog.
Caution is advised
However, caution is advised, especially with pregnant bitches who have access to the afterbirths of infected cattle and sheep, says Holwerda. He advises keeping dogs away from stables on farms and denying them access to the calving shed. This prevents dogs from coming into contact with the afterbirth or blood of an infected animal.
The dog’s condition was so bad that she had to be euthanized.
#Bluetongue #diagnosed #sick #dog #cattle #farm #Melkvee.nl