![]() Seizures, blindness, behavior changes, mental depression and circling are seen with encephalitis that affects the forebrain, or cerebral encephalitis). Signs of encephalitis may worsen as the disease progresses. Symptoms of encephalitis will depend on the area of the brain that is affected. Regardless of the cause, encephalitis of any kind can be rapidly life threatening and should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. ![]() Further research into the causes and treatments for immune-mediated encephalitis is ongoing. If a Pug is identified as having the gene defect associated with encephalitis, he should not be used for breeding.Įncephalitis is less common in cats than it is in dogs, but with cats, the cause is more often infection-related. But the test can identify Pugs that are at an increased risk for developing encephalitis and could therefore be used to screen Pugs that are going to be used for breeding. ![]() A blood test can identify this gene defect, but it does not specifically identify when an individual dog has the disease. Recent research has actually linked gene defects to immune-mediated encephalitis in Pugs. The less common infectious causes of encephalitis include bacterial infections (aerobic and anaerobic), viruses (such as distemper, rabies, and parvovirus), fungal infections (such as aspergillosis, histoplasmosis, and blastomycosis), protozoa, tick-transmitted (rickettsia), complications of vaccines, foreign bodies, and parasitic infections (such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis). This primary inflammatory condition often involves all three of the brain, meninges and spinal cord. There are a few varieties of immune-mediated encephalitis in dogs, but granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis (GME) is the most commonly diagnosed form. With encephalitis, a dog’s immune system will attack the brain and the membrane that surrounds it, also known as the meninges. When an autoimmune disease occurs, the process is reversed–the dog’s immune system will lose the ability to tell the difference between the outside bodies and itself, and will actually mount inflammatory attacks against itself. In normal, healthy dogs, the immune system recognizes harmful bodies and protects itself against them. Unfortunately, what triggers immune-mediated encephalitis in dogs is poorly understood, but there is evidence to suggest that encephalitis is due to autoimmune disease. In dogs, non-infectious causes are much more common. There are two broad categories of what causes encephalitis in dogs: those caused by infection and those that are non-infectious (often referred to as immune-mediated, or idiopathic). Encephalitis can be caused by a number of different factors. While encephalitis literally means inflammation of the brain, it actually is not a specific disease itself. It can affect dogs of any age, but young adult or middle-aged dogs have the highest occurrence. What dogs get encephalitis?Įncephalitis most often occurs in dogs of the following breeds: Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Pug, and German Short-Hair Pointer. But generally, since inflammatory disease mostly affects the brain, encephalitis is often used as a blanket term for inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. If all are involved, the disease is called meningoencephalomyelitis. Along with encephalitis, there is myelitis, which is inflammation of the spinal cord, and meningitis, or inflammation of the meninges, which is the fibrous membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Inflammatory disease in the brain and spinal cord, or central nervous system, is one of the most common causes of neurological disease in dogs. Encephalitis can occur on its own, but is commonly associated with other neurological diseases. This brain inflammation occurs when a dog’s immune system attacks its own brain. What is Encephalitis?Įncephalitis is classified as inflammation of the brain. It instantly makes you think the worst: that whatever he just said means you have limited time left with your beloved companionīut when it comes to a condition like encephalitis, there is precedent for cautious optimism. ![]() Hearing a big word from your veterinarian is a scary experience, especially when you have no idea what it means.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |