An autoimmune disease is what so many people are scared of, because how does one even begin to explain the body affecting its body parts? Our canine friends also experience this sort of problem or should I simply use the word, disease.
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When your canine friend has an autoimmune disease, it can affect the blood, skin, joints, and even the entire body of the affected dog. Autoimmune disease happens when the immune system of the dog attacks the cell.
Normally, the immune system is built to defend against all forms of bacteria, germs, and viruses. When the body of the affected dog is unable to distinguish the cells that are good and bad, antibodies will attack all cells.
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Autoimmune diseases in dogs exist in different ways and show up in different forms, affecting different types of the body. Some common types are;
Pemphigus erythematosus has a strong effect on the face, especially with certain breeds.
Pemphigus vulgaris is a rare and severe type, which could lead to skin lesions, affecting different parts of the body, including the nose, lips, nose, and other skin areas.
The presence of Bullous pemphigoid separates the top layer of the skin from the middle layer.
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Pemphigus foliaceus targets skin cells, creating cracks, pustules, infection, fissures, and scaling.
Discoid lupus Erythematosus (DLE) is a benign type of lupus that affects the skin of only the face and nose.
Systematic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) affects multiple systems in the body of the animal, creating symptoms like anemia, kidney failure, seizures, and skin lesions.
Myasthenia gravis affects neuromuscular junctions, and this often results in weakness of the muscle that could manifest as difficulty with eating regurgitation, and limb weakness that gets worse with exercise.
Of course, autoimmune disorders can be categorized into many more categories than these mentioned ones, but let's just stop here for now, while we consider the symptoms to be watched out for.
Some symptoms happen as time goes on, while others can happen very suddenly.
Here are symptoms to watch out for in your canine friend, bruising, anemia, blood in the stool or urine, collapse, decreased appetite, fever, difficulty eating, enlarged lymph nodes, hair loss, lameness, pale gums, stiff muscles, skin ulcerations. Vomiting, sneezing, swelling of the abdomen or limbs, seizures, muscle atrophy, mouth ulcers, and muscle atrophy.
There is no special breed that should be affected by this disease, but it is frequently noticed among unspayed females. Contributing factors are genetics, the presence of cancer, and other environmental contributions like infections, medications, medical therapies, and UV light.
The only way to confirm the presence of an autoimmune disease in your canine friend is through diagnostic testing. Some of these tests can be performed by your usual vet, while others will have to be carried out at a specialized.
Since autoimmune diseases happen as a result of an over-reactive and inappropriate immune system. This problem is usually approached with medications called immunosuppressants. Steroids administered at high doses are usually the most prescribed drug and the most effective one with diverse side effects.
Many dogs who have an autoimmune disease, also have secondary infections, and antibiotics may be required. In addition to this, topical therapies like shampoos, conditioners, or ointments are prescribed in addition to oral medications, this will help to target localized lesions and decrease the dosage of oral medications.
The unfortunate thing about autoimmune diseases is that, they cannot be prevented, but a prompt diagnosis followed by immediate treatment is a life-saving option.
References
mtyonahanimalhospital.com/autoimmune-diseases
petmd.com/dog/conditions/immune
