48.7 F
Thousand Oaks

Love Your Pet: Autoimmune Diseases in Pets

With the current news regarding possible autoimmune diseases related to the experimental shots offered for the COVID problem, many people have asked me about immune-mediated disease in dogs. Dogs do get autoimmune diseases that can affect many body systems, though these problems are pretty rare.

Autoimmune disease occurs when our normally beneficial immune system cells get a “programming error” and attack the body’s own cells and tissues. These aggressive immune cells can account for a variety of disorders.

Pets, like people, can get Lupus, which is the most common autoimmune problem in pets. Lupus is when the immune system overreacts and starts using antibodies to attack many organ systems, including the skin, heart, lungs, joints, nervous system and blood. The inflammation then causes damage to whatever system the body attacks. As you can imagine, this is painful for your pet. Lupus can cause discomfort and weakness of muscles or joints, ulcers or sores on the skin, recurrent kidney infections, a low red blood cell count, fever and other problems. There is no known cause of Lupus, but it is believed there may be a possible genetic predisposition to it.

The second most common autoimmune problem seen in pets is autoimmune hemolytic anemia. This is when the body attacks its own red blood cells. Pets with this affliction usually seem tired or dizzy, and their gums appear pale. Some pets actually have jaundice or yellow color to their gums and skin and may have a loss of appetite. The anemia will cause a lack of oxygen carried to the organs.

If a dog or cat has a blood parasite, this can cause the body to attack the red cells to try to rid the body of the parasite. This is similar to what may be taking place as a result of COVID shots. If you receive the shots and are exposed to the actual virus later, the body may not only fight off the attacking virus but may look elsewhere toward spike proteins already in your body. When a similar “vaccine” shot was given to ferrets, and the ferrets were then exposed to the disease, all the ferrets died.

A pet’s immune disease can also attack platelets in the blood. This is called immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. Platelets help the body clot properly. So when the platelets are attacked, this will cause bleeding problems. Signs can include bleeding gums or a bloody nose, tiredness, decreased appetite and panting. Some people even see their pets excrete dark urine from bleeding in the urinary system.

Some pets have inflammation in their intestines which can cause many gastrointestinal problems.

When an autoimmune disease is suspected in a pet, we usually run a general blood panel and urine analysis, but other specialized tests and even radiographs are sometimes useful to find other problems or to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatments for immune-mediated disease usually involve giving immunosuppressive drugs ranging from steroids to cancer drugs. Pets may also need supportive care such as intestinal protectants, analgesics for pain, appetite stimulants and other medications. With treatment, pets may go into remission but may later have another flare-up.

There is no known cause of autoimmune disease, but some suspect environmental toxins, genetics and even antibiotics and overvaccination. There is no preventative for autoimmune disease, but we try to keep our pets from toxins such as pesticides and give them a good diet and a low-stress environment. Giving inflammation-reducing supplements such as turmeric and ginger may help.

Luckily this is a rare problem in pets. If you have any concerns, please contact your local veterinarian.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related

Latest