Canine Meningitis
All About Canine Meningitis
Canine meningitis is a serious disease that affects your dog’s central nervous and causes inflammation around his brain and spinal cord. Veterinarians say dogs often suffer inflammation around both the brain and spinal cord at the same time, although it’s also not uncommon for a dog to only suffer one or the other. They say the first noticeable symptoms usually come from inflammation around the spinal cord. This means treatment may be delayed if the dog only suffers inflammation around the brain. Canine meningitis can be deadly, but it’s very treatable if you recognize the symptoms early and get help for your dog immediately.
There are several different types of canine meningitis. The most common kind of canine meningitis is steroid responsive meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is more difficult to treat, but thankfully it is rather rare in dogs.
Meningitis is usually caused by a virus or bacterial infection. Your dog may have canine meningitis if she has a high fever and reacts severely to your touch. Meningitis also causes back spasms, stiff legs, and a decreased appetite. Some dogs also suffer a very stick neck, and in some cases the dog may not be able to move his neck at all. He may even hold it to one side with his chin tilted upward toward his back. Symptoms of advanced stages of canine meningitis include depression, blindness, roaming paralysis, seizures, confusion, and agitation. Dogs with extremely advanced cases of canine meningitis may also lose control of their legs. They may be unable to walk or even coordinate their leg movements in any way. Dogs in the extremely advanced stages of meningitis may also not be able to stand straight or may have a tendency to fall over to one side.
Usually the first steps in determining if a dog is suffering from meningitis are blood or urine tests. These tests will help the veterinarian rule out other possible causes for the dog’s symptoms. In some cases the veterinarian may also order a CT scan, although this is usually only ordered if there are indications some other problem may be involved. If the vet determines that the dog has bacterial meningitis, he may order other tests in order to pinpoint what kind of bacteria is causing the infection. This can help him prescribe the appropriate medications to wipe it out.
Treatment for canine meningitis usually starts with a prescription steroid medication from the veterinarian. If the dog does not respond to this treatment, then the vet may move on to more aggressive medications. In some cases, antibiotics may be prescribed to fight the bacterial form of canine meningitis. The vet may also prescribe other medications to treat some of the symptoms temporarily until the infection that’s causing the meningitis dies. It’s not uncommon for a dog to have a relapse of meningitis after the infection was thought to be cleared up. Veterinarians say often treatment may last a long time, especially if the dog suffered a very serious case of canine meningitis.