Help! My Puppy Has Puppy Strangles!

Frequent readers of our blogs will know we aid pet owners with the vast majority of health complaints in their beloved furry family members. One of the health complaints we see in puppies is ‘Puppy Strangles’. Being a life threatening disease, owners of puppies suffering with this are right to be concerned! Read on to find out more about Puppy Strangles, what it is, how it is caused, diagnosed and treated, and how we can support healing naturally.

Puppy Strangles is a rare skin disease affecting puppies, often referred to as Juvenile Cellulitis, lymphadenitis, or sterile granulomatous dermatitis. The disease can be life-threatening if left untreated, so acting fast and seeking veterinary care is essential. While Puppy Strangles has been seen in dogs of up to 4 years of age, it is most commonly seen in puppies of 6 months and under.

Symptoms and Causes

There are a variety of symptoms associated with Puppy Strangles. Some symptoms you may see in a puppy with this condition are:

• Sudden facial swelling: the swelling you may expect to see will show rapidly, and can usually be seen first around the muzzle and eyelids. Eventually, the lip area, and the underside of the chin may be affected in a similar way.
• Lesions on the skin: in some cases, lesions may also form on the skin, primarily around the face, but also seen in some cases around the paws, anus and vulva.
• Swollen lymph nodes: the lymph nodes located under the chin and in the neck will swell, looking like small, soft lumps. This is one of the biggest signs of Puppy Strangles.
• Reduced appetite: as your puppy will be significantly unwell, their appetite may reduce.
• Lethargy and fatigue: your puppy’s immune system will be heavily impacted, and will be taking a huge amount of energy, resulting in lethargy and fatigue.
• Lameness: due to the inflammation in the body, and lack of available energy, your puppy may show signs of lameness.
• Fever: the body temperature will rise due to inflammation.
• Behavioural changes: many puppies display low mood behaviours when severely unwell.

When looking at causes of Puppy Strangles, there are a few avenues under exploration, but the overall cause is largely unknown at present, and it is deemed ‘idiopathic’, meaning the cause is unknown, and it happens spontaneously.

There are some suggestions that this condition has aspects of an autoimmune disease, whereby the dog’s immune system malfunctions and causes the body to attack it’s own skin.

There is also a chance that the disease has hereditary predispositions, meaning the risk is passed from generation to generation. There may also be breed predispositions for puppy strangles, as the breeds most commonly affected appear to be dachshunds (all sizes and coat types), Gordon Setters, and Golden Retrievers.

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Diagnosis

Diagnosing puppy strangles can be a complex task. There are various methods used, some vets will use multiple methods, some will use one or two. The diagnosis methods include:

• Physical examination: as the visible symptoms for Puppy Strangles are so noticeable, the first part of diagnosis is a physical examination of the skin. the vet will look at the puppy’s overall condition and look for lesions etc.
• Checking the puppy’s medical history: the age, breed, and family history of the puppy will be analysed.
• Skin biopsies: samples of skin from affected areas may be taken. A full laboratory report will be written regarding the biopsies after analyses under a microscope. This is the most conclusive form of diagnostics for Puppy Strangles.
• Skin lesion cytology: in some cases a small sample of tissues from a skin lesion will be taken and analysed under a microscope to rule out infection in these areas.
• Skin scrapes: the veterinarian may take scrapings of the top layer of skin, and take a look at these under a microscope. This will enable them to rule out possible mites or fungal infections which can present similarly to Puppy Strangles.
• Hair plucking analysis: much like skin scrapes, examining plucked hairs under a microscope will rule out parasitic or fungal burdens.
• Blood panels: a full blood panel will often be run, which will show any potential discrepancies which could form a different diagnosis, and to check the white blood cell count of the individual. A classic symptom of Puppy Strangles is an elevated white blood cell count.

In cases where a veterinarian suspects a secondary infection in an individual, they may also perform fungal or bacterial cultures to rule out further infection.

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Conventional Treatment

As Puppy Strangles is immune mediated, the immune system needs to be suppressed to treat the disease. If the immune system is not suppressed, the body will continue to attack itself, causing the condition to worsen, and the puppy’s life to be at risk. An immunosuppressive drug (usually a corticosteroid such as prednisone) will be administered to your puppy, daily over the course of a few weeks in order to combat the disease. After the initial few weeks, the dose will be gradually tapered as your dog will need to gently wean off it.

Due to the risk of infection in skin lesion sites I those with Puppy Strangles, it is common for antibiotics to also be prescribed by your veterinarian as a precaution.

Anti-inflammatory medication may also be prescribed to reduce inflammation in the body, caused by the disease.

It is imperative that you follow your veterinarian’s advice, but you may wish to use complementary support alongside treatment.

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A Natural Approach to Puppy Strangles

As always, our approach is often supported by veterinary care, so we tend to look at this as a complementary approach as opposed to alternative.

Side effects of short-term use of the aforementioned drug protocol can include increased appetite, thirst and urination, as well as reduced gut microbiota diversity and microbiome health, and increased lethargy. Complementary support can go some way to reducing these side effects. Here are some of our considerations:

• Feed fresh: hydration is incredibly important for dogs on steroids due to increased thirst and urination. Feeding fresh foods allows the dog to get a large amount of their required moisture intake through food, which is ultimately best for kidney function. dry foods are extremely drying on the body. Fresh food also contains the most high quality, bioavailable form of macro and micronutrients which is essential for health and wellness, especially when recovering from disease.
• Portion control: as the drugs associated with treatment for Puppy Strangles can cause increased appetite, it is important to carefully control your pet’s portion sizing to reduce the risk of becoming overweight!
• Gut work: 70-80% of the immune system lays in the gut, so it is important to keep the gut in tip top condition. As antibiotic usage may also be required in puppies with Puppy Strangles, the gut microbiome may suffer. Offering gut support through the use of gut healing mucilage herbs, and high quality probiotics to help the gut microbiome flourish can aid immune function, and improve general gut health. Our supplement, Gut Guardian, is perfect for those needing work on their gut health, and those suffering with disease, or taking medications. You can read more about the link between gut health and auto-immune disease here.

• Rest: to enable the body to recover, your pet needs to rest! Your dog may be unusually lethargic during treatment so allowing them to rest is paramount in their recovery.
• Topical soothing for lesions: those suffering with skin lesions associated with Puppy Strangles may benefit from topical soothing in these areas. Lesions will be sore and uncomfortable; you can soothe them with steeped and cooled chamomile tea, offer a warm compress to the areas 2 to 3 times daily, or apply a vitamin E oil to the affected areas. Gently remove crusted areas with warm water, but do not pop any pustules.
• Omega 3: with it’s powerful anti-inflammatory properties, omega 3 is an essential addition to the diet. It is very important to include multiple sources of omega 3 in the diet to ensure a broad spectrum of fatty acids are incorporated. Reducing inflammation in the body of those with Puppy Strangles is essential!
• Vitamin A: this essential micronutrient is involved in sin health and immune function. Make sure there is plenty of Vitamin A in your pet’s diet to assist the gut’s role in the immune system, and help tackle the skin problems your pet is facing.
• Vitamin E: with it’s powerful anti-oxidant properties, Vitamin E can be applied topically in the form of oil, and should also be included in the diet through dietary sources high in Vitamin E. Antioxidants play a huge role in skin health as they reduce oxidation, allowing for skin sells to flourish.
• Curcumin: much like Vitamin E, curcumin is a potent antioxidant, and much like omega 3, it is also a great anti-inflammatory nutraceutical; two qualities required at this time! Curcumin is the active compound in turmeric, but is most bioavailable given in it’s liposomal form.

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Findings Here

If your puppy shows common signs and symptoms of Puppy Strangles, ensure you seek veterinary attention immediately. If your veterinarian has diagnosed Puppy Strangles in your pet, and you feel you could benefit from natural support through nutrition and supplementation while your pet is undergoing treatment, our team would love to hear from you! Please do not hesitate to book a consultation with us to gain support for your puppy!


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