Cn nayone help urgently please. A friend of mine is supposed to be collecting a puppy early next week and has just be advised that two of the litter have strangles. she has other dogs at home, one of whom is possibly in pup (early stages), can anyone help with more information on this topci as we have never heard of it in dogs before (horses, yes, but not dogs) and are just wondering about being catching etc, any further problems, she is hoping to breed from this puppy in time after all health checks.
Any help is required urgently please.
thanks.

Try this link here

I have had pups with puppy strangles. It is a horrible condition - very painful for the pups who come out in abcesses over their lips, eyes, groin etc. Treatment is also quite aggressive (steroids) but the good news it that with the right treatment they recover completely (possibly with hair loss in effected areas). My vet assured me at the time it was not contagious - and although two pups from the litter ended up with it one started with it at 7 weeks, the other after he had gone to his new home at about 12 weeks. It is thought to be immune related.
Because of this I would be concerned about breeding on from the puppy (if she is getting one of those affected).
Good luck.
Janet

It is also considered that it could be passed on to future puppies if ANY of these puppies are bred from regardless of the fact that some puppies are not exhibiting symptoms. Also the dam should not be bred from again and I would not use the sire either.

As to recovery, the puppy bred by a friend who had it later won a Field Trial! Not something I would have ever dreamed seeing him at the time!

Regards, John

> Also the dam should not be bred from again and I would not use the sire either.

Certainly not together. Having dealt with several dogs with serious autoimmune disease, personally I wouldn't breed from any dog where a close relative showed an immune mediated condition. But my vet's advice at the time was that the pups themselves shouldn't be bred from but that siblings should be OK. One sibling was bred (by someone else) to a complete outcross (an import) and as far as I know so far no problems with the resulting litter (now about 4 years). But I don't think it is a risk worth taking. Interestingly my bitch (dam of the strangles pups) later developed thyroid disease (another immune related condition) - she thyroid tested clear before she was mated (at about 3 years) but clearly something was amiss. There are other relatives with other autoimmune conditions - I am now avoiding all these lines and am having to import to start again.
Janet

"But my vet's advice at the time was that the pups themselves shouldn't be bred from but that siblings should be OK"

Should be ok?! Very scientific. I take it he was offering to treat any resulting puppies whom where affected free of charge then. No? Didn't think so some how :rolleyes: I think you are right about the AID related problems too.

I think to be fair there is still much debate about whether there is a genetic component to this condition. I happen to be cautious about all immune mediated conditions and since the most likely cause is immune related I would suspect a genetic link. But that isn't scientific either! I think the vet was basically saying they didn't know. The owner of the bitch puppy (unaffected) knew about the affected puppies and chose to breed from her (she is a nice bitch with 2 RCCs and good hips etc). She has shown no immune problems (she is now 7) and none among her progeny. But my choice would be not to breed from any related lines (not only because of this but because of other more serious immune conditions). Unfortunately that closes off the vast majority of UK bred dogs in my breed! So I can understand (though not agree) with those who do.

Janet