Many families who have pets give them away or send them to a friend’s house after a woman becomes pregnant, why is this? It turns out that pets carry a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect pregnant women. Once a pregnant woman is infected with Toxoplasma gondii, it may infect the fetus and cause congenital malformations and mental retardation in the fetus. Toxoplasma gondii: Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that lives in nucleated cells and can reproduce asexually indefinitely in the human body, fissioning once every 4.85 hours. The total amount of Toxoplasma gondii in the body exceeds 20% of the body weight and can kill a person. For pregnant women, if congenital infection occurs in the first trimester, about 40% of the fetuses may have severe damage, miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal disease, or be born with eye, brain or liver lesions or malformations such as retinal chorioretinitis, cataracts, intracerebral calcification, hydrocephalus, microcephaly, mental retardation, jaundice and hepatosplenomegaly. If infected with Toxoplasma gondii, the clinical symptoms are as follows: 1. Healthy adult dogs do not develop the disease even if infected with Toxoplasma gondii, and most of them are asymptomatic and invisible. 2. Infection is more common and severe in puppies and young dogs, and there are fatal cases in adult dogs. 3. Secretions, pale mucous membranes, respiratory difficulties, and even (WeChat search: the world of dogs more exciting) violent hemorrhagic diarrhea. A few sick dogs have violent vomiting, followed by paralysis and other neurological signs.4. Pregnant bitches have miscarriages or premature births, and the resulting litters often show symptoms such as loose stools, respiratory distress and dyskinesia.Blood tests; 5. In the acute phase, red and white blood cells decrease and neutrophils increase. Neutropenia and mononucleosis are less common. Chronic cases have increased total leukocyte count, mainly neutrophilic leukocytosis, and thrombocytopenia, but no bleeding tendency. Treatment In dogs with acute cases of infection, sulfadiazine (SD) at 70 mg per kg of body weight or methotrexate (TMP) at 14 mg per kg of body weight, administered orally twice daily for 3-4 days, is available. Since sulfadiazine is less soluble and more likely to precipitate crystals in the urine, it should be given internally with an equal amount of sodium bicarbonate and increased water intake. Prevention 1. It is usually best not to give dogs raw meat, do not put the bowl they serve food in with other things. 2. Because if you eat infected rats or birds outside, or eat food contaminated with feces, you are also susceptible to toxoplasmosis. 3. Dogs’ feces and food dishes are best cleaned up once a day and cleaned up, and you should wash your hands carefully after touching animal excrement. 4. Pregnant women should avoid contact with dogs and their feces during pregnancy. 5. Owners who are preparing for pregnancy are best tested for toxoplasmosis before pregnancy, and once toxoplasmosis is found in the body, it must be cleared before pregnancy. Be sure to clear it before you get pregnant. Note that in general, ordinary deworming medication is not very effective against Toxoplasma gondii, and it is better to treat with injections. After treatment, antibodies will be produced and the dog will not get toxoplasmosis again.
