Canine herpes

[borzoimom]

I heard a rumor they have a vaccine for this. I have yet to find it and my vet says she has not heard of it yet- has anyone heard and if so what is the vaccine called?
Canine herpes is harmless in adults and only deadly in a pregnant female at 30 to 45 days into pregnancy and it usually kills the litter. The female could be exposed to it whenever- sniffing urine etc from an infected dog. It takes 30 days to get immunity and during that time if pregnant it kills the pups.
Adults totally harmless as the immune system processes it quickly but there is no titer test because of this-
its not a risk to a healthy adult dog
its not a risk to a puppy
its ONLY a a risk to a pregnant female and why the titers and vaccines have not been marketed yet.
If they dont have a vaccine for it, then they should have a titer test for it to find out if the female has already been exposed to it, ie can not get it again.
Does anyone know if the rumors are true? There is a vaccine for this given in off months when the female would not have pups.

[FairyDogMother]

Never even heard of this in dogs??? weird. But then maybe it's because I don't breed so I wouldn't have explored such possibilites and never had time to once I'd taken in a pregnant rescue Mom?

[borzoimom]

Originally Posted by FairyDogMother

Never even heard of this in dogs??? weird. But then maybe it's because I don't breed so I wouldn't have explored such possibilites and never had time to once I'd taken in a pregnant rescue Mom?

The problem is this.. In this condition an adult dog is exposed by sniffing the urine of a dog that is going through the immune process, and gets it. The normal dog immune system its nothing more than a 'blip" on the radar.... BUT - if a female that is pregnant runs into this 30 days end of pregnancy ( give or take a day) which her immune system is fighting it, it transfers to the pups and they suddenly die. Usually 3 days after birth. The only time this effects any dog is if a pregnant dog gets in contact with a dog . Here is where it gets complicated- I never did show if I had a pregnant female at home, but most of my litters I started in the parvo days- anyway- ... lets say a female is pregnant- take another dog to a show- they sniff the urine of a dog going through the antibodies and pick it up- it can take up to 10 days after the dog returns home to give it to the female. ie- they loose the litter-....
People all over the country are loosing litters but this is the position the vets take- it only effects pregnant females- ... ie why should we make a test for only those that are breeding? HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLO - PEOPLE go to dog shows- the person next to you could have a pregnant dog at home.... When I have a pregnant dog at home, not a dog leaves my house.
What I dont understand is I know it only effects pregnant dogs ( uh and their pups they carry) but does anyone know of a titer test as once exposed to this the female can not get it again and immune to it.
edit///**** ie if the world of showing is to produce the best for breeding stock, shouldn't it be required to have this test. A positive means the dog was exposed ( ie fine as once done in immune system- that is it), if negative that means the dog has not been exposed yet to this. Its harmless in adults. Not even a blip- but would not you feel better going to a show with your dog, that sniffs the ground, picks this up gets it- and brings it home and you have a pregnant female at home.
See I never showed when I had a pregnant dog at home but that was because when I started it was the " parvo age" and we were paranoid. But this is just as preventable.
HOWEVER the vet labs have not come up with a test ( although rumored they did- and why I am asking) that would test if the dog was exposed or not already.
Lets say I was going to breed femka.. ( lol.. just follow me here as a spayed 10 bitch but you know what I mean),... Prior to that I had this test to find out if she already had this and protected as once they get it once- thats it... Can you see the tool that would be? If nothing else one less thing to worry about.....

[Cearbhaill]

Isn't the vaccine only available in Europe?
http://uk.merial.com/data_sheet/eurican_herpes_205.asp

http://revmedvet.com/artdes-us.php?id=1475

http://www.affieloverbreedclubs.co.uk/herpes.htm

[bdrcol22]

I know first hand how horrible it can be to a pregnant bitch. Herpes is what killed all but one of the puppies in Liz's litter. She had a normal pregnancy, and we did not know that there was a problem until she delivered dead puppy after dead puppy. We had fetal heart tones 4 days before birth. We think it hit her hardest in the last 48, as we think the pups that were dead were dead for about 36 hours. Fortunately, Liz and the surviving pup (which is Devlin) did fine, but it was a horrible experience.
I wish I had something that I could have done to prevent it.. But I was showing other dogs, and teaching classes, and working at a vets at the time.. It is impossible to put myself in a bubble.

[shadowfacedanes]

Originally Posted by borzoimom

its not a risk to a puppy
its ONLY a a risk to a pregnant female

Not true. At least not according to what I've been reading about it thus far.

Puppies can become infected several ways. The virus can cross the placenta and infect them while they are still within the uterus, or they may become exposed from vaginal secretions during birth. The virus can also become airborne from nasal secretions of the mother, so once born, the pup can actually inhale the virus while breathing. Puppies can easily spread the virus from one to another. Lastly, the virus can be transmitted by eating infected materials.

Once exposed, it generally takes about a week for symptoms to appear. With this in mind, you can easily see why 1 to 3 week old puppies are at the highest risk.

I found this interesting to read as well. I can't think of more than a few times I've heard a vet I've worked for mention CHV as a potential diagnosis when dealing with sick pups. Then again, I've worked for old fashioned vets who were more than a little behind in the times.

Canine herpes virus is one of the leading causes of death in newborn puppies. Once the above signs develop, death often follows in 48 hours. The disease spreads rapidly through the litter as infected puppies are highly contagious. We suspect many cases of herpes are wrongly diagnosed as disorders such as parvovirus and coronavirus. Autopsies of deceased puppies by a veterinary pathologist will reveal the characteristic herpes lesions

For more reading on the subject, I found this quite educational.

ETA: Danielle, I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with it. But I'm glad to hear Devlin made it.

[bdrcol22]

Originally Posted by shadowfacedanes

.

ETA: Danielle, I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with it. But I'm glad to hear Devlin made it.

On a side note... I have been doing lots of research on cryptorichid (retained testicle) puppies, since Devlin was one. I do not buy that it is completely genetic. I have a very strong feeling that a combination of the dying puppies that were in uterus with him and the antibiotics that I put Liz on post delivery caused his. His father had never produced one before him.

[Aescleah]

o herpes is a horrible disease the pups were lucky they died in the womb i have heard horrible stories one thing i have heard that has helped is heat lamps over a new litter can keep the virus in check and can save lives

Ashley

[Cearbhaill]

Originally Posted by Aescleah

o herpes is a horrible disease the pups were lucky they died in the womb i have heard horrible stories one thing i have heard that has helped is heat lamps over a new litter can keep the virus in check and can save lives

Don't they die because they are unable to mount an increased temperature response by themselves the first 2-3 weeks? Keeping the temps up in the whelping box was always standard back in my day.

[mara]

That's a great article SFD. I've never heard of Canine Herpes before....how horrible.