Page 918 - Clinical Small Animal Internal Medicine

856 Section 9 Infectious Disease

increase the index of suspicion for infection. Sepsis is the it is not effective in puppies that already show signs of
VetBooks.ir primary differential for neonates. CHV can be isolated infection. The efficacy and safety of antiviral drugs
requires further research. Currently, there are no
and grown from various tissues including liver, spleen,
kidneys, and lymph nodes taken from puppies that died
The antiviral drugs vidarabine and acyclovir have been
of systemic infection. Older animals showing signs of licensed medications for treatment of CHV in dogs.
reproductive, respiratory or ocular disease will typically described for treatment of neonatal puppies with CHV
shed the virus in oral or genital mucosa, which can be infection, but whether they are safe or effective has not
sampled. In cases of active viremia, whole blood in EDTA been well studied, toxicity is a significant concern.
can be used for virus isolation. Virus can also be detected There is no vaccination for CHV in the United States,
using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunofluores- but a vaccine is available in Europe.
cence assays, or electron microscopy. Serology will con-
firm presence of CHV antibodies, which indicates
exposure but not necessarily active infection. Prognosis

The disease is usually fatal in neonates whereas milder or
Therapy subclinical disease occurs in older animals with a com-
petent immune system and the ability to thermoregulate.
Treatment options for young puppies with signs of sys- Immunosuppression may cause recrudescence of latent
temic infection are limited. The progression of the dis- infection.
ease is rapid and usually fatal. Supportive care is
important. Intraperitoneal injection of 1–2 mL of pooled
immune sera from female dogs that have given birth to Public Health Implications
CHV‐infected litters has been suggested as a treatment
for neonatal puppies. External warming may restrict Like other herpesviruses, CHV is highly species specific
viral growth, and it has been suggested that it may help and does not infect humans.
prevent clinical signs in unaffected puppies. However,

Further Reading

Erles K, Dubovi EJ, Brooks HW, Brownlie J. Longitudinal Greene CE, Carmichael LE. Canine herpesvirus infection.
study of viruses associated with canine infectious In: Greene CE, ed. Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat,
respiratory disease. J Clin Microbiol 2004; 42: 4524–9. 4th edn. St Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier, 2012. 48–54.
Evermann JF, Ledbetter EC, Maes RK. Canine Ledbetter EC, Kim SG Dubovi EJ. Outbreak of ocular
reproductive, respiratory and ocular diseases due to disease associated with naturally acquired canine
canine herpesvirus. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim herpesvirus‐1 infection in a closed domestic dog colony.
Pract 2011; 41(6): 1097–120. Vet Ophthalmol 2009; 12: 242–7.