How to tell if you have a cold or canine plague

It is winter, and if your dog is not properly kept warm, it is easy for him to catch a cold. However, when dogs cough and have runny noses in winter, it is not necessarily just a cold. Some fatal infectious diseases, such as canine distemper, have symptoms that are very similar to colds. Therefore, owners must not take it lightly if they find that their dog has a cough or runny nose, and should carefully observe whether the dog is accompanied by other symptoms.
It is very common for dogs to catch colds in winter. This may be related to cold winds in winter, sleeping outdoors in cold seasons, being exposed to rain, and not drying after bathing. The main symptoms of a cold in dogs include lack of energy, loss of appetite, watery eyes, cough and runny nose. In addition, if your dog gets the flu caused by a virus, in addition to the symptoms of a cold, he will also have a high fever.

Canine distemper, a deadly infectious disease, is often confused with colds because they are very similar.
Let’s first introduce this disease to you. It sounds like a common disease, but why is it fatal?
Canine distemper, also known as canine distemper or canine distemper, is a serious, contagious viral disease for which there is no cure. It affects dogs’ respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems, and is closely related to the measles virus that attacks humans. Canine distemper virus is extremely contagious and fatal and can be transmitted to other dogs through saliva, urine and feces. The mortality rate of adult dogs from this disease is more than 50%, and the mortality rate of puppies is even higher, up to more than 80%.
Because in the early stages of canine distemper, dogs will also have symptoms such as elevated body temperature, sneezing, tears, and runny nose. Sometimes, due to lack of experience or unclear judgment, it is easy to treat these serious infectious diseases as a common cold. This leads to misdiagnosis, which can lead to serious consequences of the death of the dog.
However, there are actually some differences between dogs catching a cold and being infected with the canine distemper virus. When infected with the canine distemper virus, their eyes and nose will often secrete white or yellow thick secretions, and their central nervous system will also develop. Neurological symptoms such as seizures, behavioral changes, weakness and lack of coordination of movements, etc. Unfortunately, canine distemper cannot be completely cured at present, and owners can only focus on reducing symptoms to control various symptoms and subsequent infections. In this regard, it is best for owners to help their dogs take preventive measures.

In addition to canine distemper, there are other diseases that can easily be confused with colds.

In addition to symptoms similar to colds such as runny nose, sneezing and fever, dogs may have bronchitis or tracheal collapse if they are accompanied by a severe short or dry cough. Tracheal collapse often occurs in certain small dogs, such as Chihuahuas, and is a birth defect.
If you have symptoms such as severe coughing, red and swollen tonsils, and purulent nasal discharge, you may be suffering from the highly contagious canine parainfluenza. If you find that your dog’s mouth and nose have a foul odor, no fever, the sinuses are swollen and painful, and in severe cases there will be green thick nasal mucus, this may be sinusitis. In addition, the dog’s nasal mucosa is red and swollen, and the nasal mucus is purulent or bloodshot, but there is no fever. This may be rhinitis.
The early symptoms of some serious illnesses are often not obvious, or they may be very similar to common ailments. Many seriously ill dogs are like this and miss the best opportunity for treatment. Therefore, when a dog’s body appears abnormal, the owner must carefully observe whether there is anything wrong with it. The best choice is of course to take the dog to the hospital for examination in time~

The early symptoms of canine distemper are similar to those of a cold, causing dogs to have dry coughs, runny noses, and sneezing. However, dogs infected with canine distemper will cough, have thick secretions from their eyes and nose, vomit, diarrhea, lethargy, and relapse. etc. Canine distemper test paper can be used for clinical diagnosis. If the dog just has a common cold, the pet owner can refer to the following experiences and take some appropriate methods to help it recover as soon as possible.

Take timely measures to keep warm

After it is determined that the dog has a cold, the pet owner should take corresponding measures to keep it warm in time to prevent it from continuing to catch cold and aggravate the cold or the cold will not be cured for a long time.
In this regard, if it is cold weather, you can put warm clothes on the dog, or put a blanket or hot water bottle on the place where it rests. In hot weather, you need to adjust the room temperature appropriately and keep your dog in a dry and ventilated room. During this period, be careful not to bathe or vaccinate the dog, but make it drink plenty of warm water.

Strengthen nutritional supplements

Dogs during a cold will be weaker and their resistance will decrease. Therefore, pet owners need to enhance nutrition for their dogs, such as giving them some light, nutritious and delicious food, such as chicken soup, fish soup, meat porridge, etc.
In addition, you can also consider feeding pet nutritional supplements such as Suqusen to your dog to help the dog promptly replenish the nutrients needed by the body during a cold, so that it has enough nutrition and physical strength to fight against germs. If necessary for a cold, you can also take amoxicillin powder for dogs such as Meow Amo, which can help dogs reduce the occurrence of cold symptoms.

Check if you have a fever and seek medical treatment promptly

When humans encounter a cold, they are often prone to fever or even fever, and the same is true for dogs. Therefore, pet owners should pay attention to using a pet thermometer or mercury thermometer to help the dog measure its temperature. Once it is found that its body temperature exceeds 39.5°C, it is recommended to take it to a professional pet hospital for anti-fever injections in time. If necessary, it may even require infusion to lower the temperature. Use medications under the guidance of a veterinarian and take good care of your dog.