Dogs catch colds, especially in the cold and dry seasons, but do dogs really catch colds? In fact, the symptoms of fake colds are very similar to those of real colds. The symptoms of fake colds are likely to be a sign of other diseases of dogs, so it is crucial to understand the symptoms of real colds of dogs. What are the symptoms of a true cold?
There are two types of cases where dogs suffer from real colds, one is colds and the other is influenza.
◆ Colds
How to distinguish between true and false colds
Colds often occur in early spring, late autumn and when the climate suddenly changes, and the cause is mostly due to the sudden stimulation of the dog by cold air.
For example, if you are wet from rain or sleep in the cold winter, you will be hit by the wind when sleeping in spring and autumn, you will blow air conditioner in summer, take a bath when the temperature changes, and your owner does not dry your hair in time, etc., it will cause the dog to catch a cold due to cold.
After catching a cold, the dog will feel depressed, lose appetite, and sometimes even go on a hunger strike.
If you open your dog's eyes, you will also find that its conjunctiva is flushed, and your eyes will always be "filled with tears". If a cold is severe, there will also be symptoms such as pus-like nasal discharge, rapid breathing, increased body temperature, vomiting and diarrhea, and tremor all over the body. If not treated in time, it may cause complications such as bronchitis and respiratory infections.
◆Influenza
As the name suggests, influenza is caused by influenza viruses. It is often infected by other dogs carrying the virus while playing outside. Like human flu, the flu infection rate in dogs is also very high. Generally, as long as you come into contact with feces or odors from a sick dog, you may be infected and the disease occurs rapidly and severely.
In addition to having obvious symptoms of colds, influenza will also have fever to about 40℃, and the dog's throat will occasionally make dry roars. The condition usually lasts for 1 to 3 weeks. If not treated in time, it will often cause conjunctivitis, enteritis and other diseases.
How to treat a true cold?
To treat a dog's cold, the first thing to do is to keep the dog in a warm and sheltered environment. The principle of treatment is to relieve heat and analgesic pain, dispel wind and dispel cold.
If you don't want to trouble the doctor, you can give your dog orally acetamin and other drugs, taking 0.5 to 1 g each time. To prevent secondary infection, you can also purchase some antibiotics or sulfonamide drugs. Be careful not to be too large. For conservative reasons, you can reduce the dosage in half as indicated in the instructions.
If the dog is seriously ill, the dog should be sent to a pet hospital for treatment. It can be mixed with intravenous injections such as 250 ml of 5% glucose saline and 2 to 4 ml of gentamicin. After the condition improves, then switch to drug treatment. In addition, give the dog more water and keep a quiet environment so that the dog can rest well.
What are the symptoms of a false cold?
The early symptoms of many infectious diseases in dogs are very similar to those of colds. For example, the canine distemper and minor diseases mentioned above will have symptoms such as rising body temperature, sneezing, tears, and runny nose. It is easy for people to mistakenly believe that the dog has a cold, which delays the condition and misses the best time to diagnose and treat.
But after careful observation, you will find that most of these infectious diseases are accompanied by special symptoms. For example, when a dog suffers from canine distemper, the body temperature will fluctuate and fall, showing a trend of two-way heat, and there will be a lot of eye boredom; in the early stage of suffering from minor diseases, the dog will have bloodshot vomiting and diarrhea will be colored and thin, which are all symptoms that influenza does not have.