Tetanus in Dogs

Tetanus in Dogs

Few known poisons are quite deadly as they are produced by lockjaw germs. Before discussing the peculiarities of the bacterium which causes tetanus, let us consider some of the symptoms.

SYMPTOMS: Growing in a sealed-over wound, forming a minute pocket, yet giving off their deadly toxin, these bacteria produce stiffness in the dog, due to muscle contraction, which is generally diagnostic. The gait is stiff, the head tends to be extended too far in front, the tail is held out stiffly behind, and the ears are hard and cocked, not hanging pendulously as they should in the case of a lap-cared dog.

All the reflexes are sharpened. Any noise causes a quicker response than is normal. The facial expressions show anxiety. Occasionally dog owners may suspect their dogs of being rabid.

Locking of the jaw muscles is not a universal feature. Some dogs have only parts of their bodies affected and their jaws not at all. But once the jaw muscles have contracted so that the dog can neither cat nor drink, he is helpless without radical treatment.

METHOD OF INFECTION: When a dog becomes infected with spores of the bacterium Clostridium tetani, it does not necessarily mean it will have a lockjaw. The germs are exceedingly common over the earth’s surface and often grow outside of dog bodies. They are found in soil, around manure piles, and also in many unsuspected places as well. An interesting fact about them is that they grow when oxygen is excluded from their environment. They do not grow in an open wound to which air has access. But with other bacteria in a deep wound, they thrive. The other types of bacteria exhaust the oxygen supply and reside in the environment propitiously.

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT: Prevention consists in having every dog with a puncture or bullet wound given antitoxin and the wound cleaned. In treatment, very large doses of antitoxin are injected and the source of infection is thoroughly disinfected. Antitoxin is a chemical antidote for the toxin. When used in large enough amounts, it “knockout” the toxin, as bacteriologists say.

Supportive treatment of relaxing the muscles with drugs that the veterinarian can give is helpful. Then, too, if the dog’s jaws are affected, it must be fed by vein or rectum until the jaw muscles are sufficiently relaxed to allow it to eat.

The treatment of tetanus requires extreme patience, but it is often rewarded by the joy which comes in watching a dog recover when there had appeared to be little hope.

Dogs are quite resistant to tetanus. Unlike humans and horses, dogs are quite resistant to the toxin. Only in very rare cases, the bacteria can attack dogs that have serious wounds or teething puppies. Tetanus is a bacteria-causing disease and the bacteria generally reside in soil or the intestines of animals. It is a fatal disease and it directly affects the nervous system of the animal. If you find your dog is a victim of the disease, take it to a good vet clinic for proper treatment.

See more: Tonsillitis in Dogs