Puppy strangles (juvenile cellulitis) is a rare but potentially devastating disease in puppies under four months of age. It mostly affects the face, ears and salivary lymph nodes. Nobody knows what causes it but it's a problem of the immune system.
A puppy suffering from puppy strangles is a pitiful sight.
Physical signs include facial swelling, papules or pustules, enlarged lymph nodes behind the jaw, fever, poor appetite and lethargy. It has a sudden onset and one could initially confuse it with a reaction to an insect bite.
If not treated early and aggressively, it can result in permanent scarring, hair loss and it can be life-threatening.
Around the time JoJo was 6 weeks old, he seemed to have come down with both an ear infection and pink eye.
But shortly after he got abscesses around his face and neck and his lymph nodes swelled up. Antibiotics weren't working.
Biopsies revealed inflammation but no infection.
JoJo was diagnosed with Puppy Strangles.
JoJo was put on a long course of steroids. He needed higher than typical dose and intervention for his abscesses. His improvement was slow but he did turn around and eventually fully recovered.
While Puppy Strangles is a nasty and potentially fatal disease, it has a good prognosis with treatment.
Source article:
Puppy Strangles (Juvenile Cellulitis) – JoJo’s story
Further reading:
Puppy Strangles
Puppy Strangles — A Potentially Devastating Skin Disease
Juvenile Cellulitis in Dogs
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| This is Beau. You can read about his fight with Puppy Strangles here. |
A puppy suffering from puppy strangles is a pitiful sight.
Physical signs include facial swelling, papules or pustules, enlarged lymph nodes behind the jaw, fever, poor appetite and lethargy. It has a sudden onset and one could initially confuse it with a reaction to an insect bite.
If not treated early and aggressively, it can result in permanent scarring, hair loss and it can be life-threatening.
Around the time JoJo was 6 weeks old, he seemed to have come down with both an ear infection and pink eye.
But shortly after he got abscesses around his face and neck and his lymph nodes swelled up. Antibiotics weren't working.
Biopsies revealed inflammation but no infection.
JoJo was diagnosed with Puppy Strangles.
JoJo was put on a long course of steroids. He needed higher than typical dose and intervention for his abscesses. His improvement was slow but he did turn around and eventually fully recovered.
While Puppy Strangles is a nasty and potentially fatal disease, it has a good prognosis with treatment.
Source article:
Puppy Strangles (Juvenile Cellulitis) – JoJo’s story
Further reading:
Puppy Strangles
Puppy Strangles — A Potentially Devastating Skin Disease
Juvenile Cellulitis in Dogs
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