How Meningitis can Affect our Adorable Pets.

12 months ago

I have always mentioned that some of the sicknesses and diseases that affect humans have their way around the lives of our pets as well, although the symptoms may not be the same of course, our dear pets can also get affected. In today's learning experience, we will be talking about meningitis and the strong effect it could have on our dear pets once they are affected.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane which has the brain and the spinal cord covered. The outer portion of the membrane is known as the meninges, so we can describe meningitis as the inflammation of the meninges, several factors can trigger meningitis, it could either be infectious or non-infectious.

credit

Meningitis is a less common form of infection of organs, and this is because the nervous system has some protective barriers around it. However, when these proactive barriers become weak and injured, then infections can spread to the central nervous system.

The infection is a possibility due to the presence of bites, migrating foreign materials, bite wounds, and other traumatic injuries that appear close to the spine or the head. Brain abscesses could also come from direct infections or through blood poisoning.

Infectious meningitis can happen at any age and with any breed of dogs while the non-infectious forms can be categorized into several other forms. Steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA), necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME), granulomatous meningoencephalitis (GME), necrotizing leukoencephalitis (NLE), greyhound meningoencephalitis.

Infectious meningitis occurs due to several infections including; bacterial, viral, protozoal, and fungal, these infections may find their way to the central nervous system through the sinuses, the vertebrae, the inner ear, or traumatic injuries like bite wounds, in some cases as well, these infections may get to the central nervous system through the bloodstream.

credit

Neck pain, fever, rigidity, and painful muscle spasms are usual signs of meningitis. Dogs could also have these signs without any sign of brain or spinal cord dysfunction, but in the case of widespread meningoencephalitis, things like blindness, partial paralysis, face or limb paralysis, seizures, loss of consciousness, and coma could come up.

When the problem is a result of the immune system disorder, it can be treated with corticosteroids or other forms of medications that will alter the immune system. In the case where the infection is caused by rickettsia, protozoa, and some bacteria, they can be treated with adequate antibiotics.

Fungal infections on the other hand can be treated with some prescribed antifungal drugs. Supportive care includes; fluids, anticonvulsant drugs, pain relief, nutritional supplements, physical therapy, and fluids. Recovery options depend on how severe the infection is, and how much damage the infection has done to the animal's body.

Meningitis can be diagnosed by a certified veterinarian through physical examinations, and the observation of physical signs and symptoms. This will be followed by complete baseline laboratory tests, complete blood cell count (CBC), urinalysis, and serum biochemistry profile.
If the bloodwork of the test turns out normal, then an additional test will most likely be recommended, in most cases the pet may be referred to a neurologist for further testing.

The most important diagnostic test is the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) of the brain, this procedure is carried out under general anesthetic. Because, there is no perfect explanation for how these diseases are inherited, preventing them through breeding programs could turn out difficult, as a method of prevention, affected dogs at their first degree relative shouldn't be bred at all.

Pet owners need to also pay attention to cuts and injuries from their pets and report to a vet as soon as possible, following addition prescriptions from these experts is also highly crucial.
There is no need for pet owners to worry about catching meningitis from their pets because it is not a zoonotic disease.