Dog walkers beware! A virus from wild pigs can kill your four-legged pet
On walks with their four-eyed pets, not only the people of Prague should be more careful and watch their dog carefully. Aujeszky’s disease, which is also called pseudorabies, has appeared in wild pigs. It has similar symptoms: restlessness, irritability, distaste or salivation. “It’s a nasty disease that attacks the central nervous system and it is evidenced by insane itching. And it always ends with the death of the dog,” explains veterinarian Jana Vavroušková.
Dogs that are used for hunting are especially at risk, i.e. their master is a hunter and they participate in hunts together. The same was the case with the euthanized dog from Zbraslav. According to information from Pražské deník, he took part in a hunt for black game in the Karlovy Vary region, where he became infected.
A threat in Prague too?
Although it might seem that hunting in Prague is not the most common pastime, the opposite is true. Especially recently, when wild pigs are overpopulated, we often see warnings in Prague’s forests that they are closed, because there is a pig shooting going on here.
The aforementioned disease is transmitted through blood, meat, saliva, but also feces. Hunting dogs that participate in wild boar hunts and search for wounded animals are at greatest risk. “You come into contact with the blood of animals, that’s where transmission is easiest“, the veterinarian specifies.
But the other dogs are not completely safe either. In the woods, after the hunt, there may be blood or the remains of thrown out intestines, which the dog can eat, and it can also be attacked by the droppings of wild pigs. Therefore, extra caution is in order. In addition, it can also spread from one infected dog to another through droppings. Caution is in order even if you get wild boar meat for your dogs from a friend. Definitely don’t give it to them raw, but after boiling, any virus will disappear and the meat is safe. The incubation period is approximately three to six days and unfortunately there is no treatment. However, unlike common rabies, Aujeszky’s disease is not transmissible to humans.
Head nurse Zuzana Pokorná about the pigs Cyril and Štica. Daniel Vitous
Autumn weather in Prague
Author: Flash: TONDA TRAN