# PUPPY STRANGLES please read the knowledge could help you save a life.



## First timer (Nov 2, 2010)

I haven't been on here for a while and i had no intention of posting but I feel I have to as it may help someone recognise the symptoms and save a life.
I have been asked by quite a few for an update on my litter of puppies so here goes...

Most have their new homes now and are thriving happy and healthy, I have only 2 here with me now. The one I am keeping myself as you know and a very poorly little boy.

It all started when he reached nearly 8 weeks old. He woke on the Monday morning and had a slight limp. It was very very slight but I kept an eye on it thinking that during one of the boisterous play times the pups had together, he may have bruised it or something. By Wednesday morning his limp was very apparent and I began to get very concerned. I took him to an emergency vet that evening and a sprain was diagnosed. He was given an anti inflammatory injection and a pain killer.

He did not improve even though I gave him warm cage rest for the next couple of days.
Friday night he seemed very distressed. He began crying out in pain and I noticed a clearish yellow fluid coming out of his ears. His eyes looked very heavy ( dark rings around them ) and he was reluctant to stand because he kept falling and stumbling.

I stayed up with him all night gently bathing the fluid from his ears and he seemed so poorly in himself however was still eating and drinking. Saturday morning came and I again took him to the vet who diagnosed a middle ear infection. The vet was unable to look deep inside his ears because of the inflammation and fluid but diagnosed him due to his inability to stand or walk.

He was given an anti biotic injection and the same to administer at home.

By Sunday afternoon he was refusing to eat or drink and I felt helpless. I stayed up with him all through Sunday night feeding him glucose via a syringe to keep his strength up. I made another appointment to visit the vet on the Monday and again after the puppy was examined was advised to continue with the anti biotics for the next 5 days.

Come Monday night he was screaming in pain. He could not be touched without screaming in agony. I noticed the dark circles around his eyes were now sore and ulcerated and when he shook his head ( the times he manged to lift it ... fluid gushed out and it sounded like his head was full of water )I rang the emergency vet again who advised me to continue with the anti biotics and also give him pain killers, then advised me he may be hungry since I was only managing to get tiny amounts of food into him by hand and I was told to blend food and syringe it into him so that he would rest. I did this through Monday night and he seemed to settle a little for short periods of time.

On Tuesday he seemed to sleep quite a bit but then began screaming in pain again in the evening. By now he was gravely ill and I knew it. His eyes were barely able to open and when I tried to comfort him I found huge lumps all over his body ( approx the size of a 50p ). They were all down his back, on his tummy and 1 on his neck. They were literally swelling in size while I held him!

I was terrified he would die so stayed up all night googling his symptoms and found "PUPPY STRANGLES" ( nick name due to glands swelling and slowly strangling puppies ) or puppy head gland disease. Real name ...Juvenile Pyoderma or Juvenile Cellulitis.

I had never heard of this before ( apparently it is mostly associated with horses and often kills them but is also now found in dogs ) I read a lot about it since there seems to be conflicting advice and then I mailed a couple of specialists. They advised that there is very little that can be found about the illness...its not contagious isn't specific to any particular breed ( although some breeds seem to suffer more than others ), is not hereditary, can affect one of more of a litter and just "springs up" every now and again. It apparently once treated never recurs and can be life threatening.They do not know the cause whatsoever only that something makes the puppy's immune system begin attacking itself, the lumps are abscesses forming and these abscesses in glands can strangle the puppy. The ONLY cure is high doses of steroids and anti biotics for secondary infection. The abscesses will open ( some explode) and will have to be cleaned constantly.

I printed the emails and took them to my vet immediately on that Wednesday morning. He agreed with the diagnosis however was very upset that I had self diagnosed and administered the much needed steroid injections daily thereafter alongside the anti biotics. Two days after beginning treatment he is getting back to the puppy he was. Its been a long hard road and I know that there will be many trying days in the months to come as he is treated and recovers. Yesterday only one abscess had opened on his back, today there are 5 opening. He does also have some new ones forming and one has again flared up on his eye rim ...which had all but healed. They are still scabbed and sore but since this illness can scar for life ( especially around the mouth ) I consider him a very lucky pup. We caught it before his face swelled and before it claimed his life.

Please please advise anyone who has any of these symptoms in a puppy between the age of 4 weeks to 4 months ( has been seen in puppies at 2 weeks old and mistaken for FPS ) to mention this to their vet. It can also occur in adult dogs in some cases although rare and can resemble mange on the face and around eyes.

My vet has only seen 3 cases in his whole practising life ( approx 40 years ) and 1 out of the 3 died. ( the vet we saw the times before diagnosis had not came across it before ) Most puppies go undiagnosed and are put to sleep or pass away.

Some recover after a period of time without treatment ( the rare lucky ones ) yet are horrifically scarred for life.

Pictures below show the illness as it took hold:

TOP LEFT... ( a week before the illness started, he is healthy and beautiful ) TOP RIGHT... ( you can see the abscesses that have burst around his eyes ) BOTTOM LEFT... ( burst abscesses in one of his ears and the same forming on his muzzle ) BOTTOM RIGHT... ( as he was before the correct treatment was administered, extremely ill )









As he was and a couple of days after beginning the steroid and anti biotic treatment....on his way to a slow recovery.










I hope this helps others x


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## celicababe1986 (Jun 22, 2009)

How terrible :-(

Never seen it in dogs, but have seen it in horses, not nice :frown:


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## Old Shep (Oct 17, 2010)

How awful! I too have only heard of it in horses (where it is highly infectious and can spread thoughout a whole yard).

The poor wee soul - the pictures really brought a lump to my throat. He's lucky he has such a committed and sensible owner. Well done you! :thumbup:

Thanks for your account of this awful disease. By sharing your account of your experiences, you may have saved more puppies in the future.

I hope I shall never have to face this.


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## claire & the gang (Nov 18, 2010)

Aww bless him poor little thing

Well done you for researching & finding the problem or it could have ended up so much worse. Hope he continues to get better:thumbsup:


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## missyme (May 28, 2008)

aww bless him he's lucky to have you to look after him x


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## dagny0823 (Oct 20, 2009)

Bless his little paws, the poor angel. I'm so glad you did your homework and caught this before it claimed it. Poo on the vet for being mad at you for "self-diagnosing". It doesn't sound like he was going much further in his own diagnosis that to leave the pup suffering.


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## Brylo (Dec 25, 2016)

I am currently going through the same problem. I collected my little boston terrier on the 23rd December, by the 28th we had contacted the breeder as he had developed a lump at his microchip point. By the 30th he's gone to the vet who said it was inflammation and nothing to worry about. On the 1st Jan he stopped using his back legs and was whimpering and sleeping loads. He was taken to hospital where he was kept in on antibiotics and pain relief. His eyes crusted over and his ears crusted. He was referred to a top specialist who said t was nothing neurological and that he had a severe infection due to his microchip. Surgery was performed on the 6th to remove the chip, he then did not improve with the wound from the surgery weeping and weeping. This then developed into an abscess on his shoulder which burst and wept and he is still developing more lumps as we speak.

The vet believes he has developed strangles as a secondary infection to his microchip and he has to remain in hospital for a few more days until the steriod treatment starts to kick in fully. It's heart breaking, at only 10 weeks old to go through all of this has been extremely difficult and I would not wish this on anyone


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## Cara-mia Grossi (Feb 19, 2017)

Hello Byro,

Our puppy Jack i s 11 weeks old and has just been diagnosed with strangles.

I wanted to share our story as there was very little on the internet i could find to help or reassure us.

Jack went to the vets for his final injections on Saturday and whilst there they noted his ears needed a good clean out as they were clogged with dark brown gunky wax. We were given some tablets for him to take until our next check up. 

On Tuesday morning we woke up at 5.30 and Jack's eyes were pink and puffy. By 9am they were so swollen and red that he could barely open them. They had started to get gunky like he had conjunctivitis. We took him straight to the vets who diagnosed an allergic reaction. Jack stayed at the vets for the day to keep an eye on him. When i picked him up he looked much the same. We were given antibiotics and told to gentle wipe his gunky eyes to keep them as clean as possible.

Wednesday morning Jack was worse. His eyes were swollen more and he had started to lose interest in playing and eating. Up until this point he had been our fun loving little boy! We went back to the vets and they gave more antibiotics but through an injection along with a painkiller.

We came home and he seemed much better. He was playing and finally on the mend!

By Thursday morning he had taken a turn for the worse. His eyes were so swollen and gunky that they had sealed themselves shut. Jack refused to let us clean them and wouldnt eat or drink. Eventually around 8 AM we got his eyes to open and coaxed him to have some breakfast. He slept all morning and by 10am had a high fever. His nose was red and dry, his eyes bleeding and his penis swollen and red with a small amount on blood on the tip. I immediately took him to the vets who said they hadnt seen anything like this in their 15 years of practice. He had a high temperature and his lympth glands were swollen.

Jack went onto a drip and had a catheter put in to help him wee. We had to leave him for two days. He was given steroids injections and monitored closely.

The vet diagnosed puppy strangles and is liaising with a dermatologist to help Jack recover.

We were allowed to pick him up in Saturday afternoon. He is on eye drops, steroids and antibiotics twice a day and a special meal of chicken rice and peas with lots of milk and water to make it easy to swallow. Its a struggle to get him to take enough liquid, he isnt interested in water at all!

The steroids have meant that toilet training has gone out the window, he is weeing a lot more than normal, hence we are trying to coax him to drink more.

Its now Sunday, his eyes are open but still sore and itchy. We clean them several times a day. The sores around his mouth are no longer painful to touch.

Whilst it took several days to diagnose we are SO lucky to have the vet we do she has been fantastic. Were so happy we took out insurance too!!

Jack is a long way off from being better but we are hopeful that he is on the mend. He's very shivery today so keeping him warm and giving lots of cuddles. He is definitely feeling sorry for himself and isnt his usual playful self.

I can only empathise. Ive never seen anything so awful and have everything crossed for you. Ive attached photos of thr progression as i struggled to find anything on the internet as poorly looking as my puppy and that made me more anxious! And a normal photo to stop yoy can see the difference.

I wouldnt normally join a forum and write a story, but there is so little information on puppy strangles, particularly home care afterwards that i wanted to share our experience to try to help someone else.


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## Brylo (Dec 25, 2016)

Hi Cara,

What a terrible time that was!!

He is ok now, he is still on the steroids but these are slowly tapering.

When he returned from hospital he was a mess, it was heartbreaking. Lumps everywhere, scars and wounds everywhere.

We had to administer ear drops twice a day, eye drops twice a day, anti biotics twice a day, a tablet to wean him off morphine, a syringe of antacid stuff, and steroids. No baths, just constant cleansing of wounds and infection.

It was a big gamble to decide to go on the steriods as they would surpress his immune system however we noticed a HUGE improvement within a matter of days.

He's now very well although as you say toilet training has had to start again and he still isn't allowed his second injections so unfortunately no walkies just yet.

Puppy strangles is a hard one to diagnose so I have no anger towards the vet for not picking it up earlier, hopefully through sharing stories like ours we can raise awareness and get other pups diagnosed sooner. Likewise I too have added photos so anyone else can see as it does seem that each pup can have slight variations of symptoms making it harder for people to understand. The last one he is well now 

It's a scary time for any owner but at least it is treatable with an extremely good success rate.



Cara-mia Grossi said:


> Hello Byro,
> 
> Our puppy Jack i s 11 weeks old and has just been diagnosed with strangles.
> 
> ...


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## Skiddles (Feb 23, 2017)

Our 12 week old puppy looks like he has all the symptoms and signs and it's day 4 with antibiotics and no drastic improvement. His head sounds like it's full of water and he shakes his head and cries. The sores and scabs around his muzzle are all starting to bleed and his energy level goes up and down. He is still eating when I coax him and drinking. It's heartbreaking to see such a vibrant puppy suffer. He had massive swelling in his face two days ago and that has subsided other than around his lips. Do you think I should push for the steroids? I have a 3rd vet appt this week later today and don't want to hear them tell me let's wait and see how he does. He's suffering so badly and I don't know how to help him.


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## Brylo (Dec 25, 2016)

Be careful, steroids can lower the immune system and make an infection worse. Have you suggested this to the vet? What have they said?

It's worth mentioning if nothing else.


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## SantaMaria (Apr 29, 2017)

Cara-mia Grossi said:


> Hello Byro,
> 
> Our puppy Jack i s 11 weeks old and has just been diagnosed with strangles.
> 
> ...


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## Cara-mia Grossi (Feb 19, 2017)

Hello santa maria,

Your puppy is adorable! Already looks like she is on the mend!

Jack is now 21 weeks old and back to looking completely normal and healthy.

It probably took a full two months for him to recover and the scabs to fall off. jack had them all over his eyes, nose and mouth but we left them and brush them out of his fur when they fell off. We were worried too that they would never fall away but they did in time and his fur all grew back being so young.

I would leave the scabs and give it time, but then i'm no professional!!! I've attached a pic of Jack so you can see his recovery.

I'm so glad to hear your puppy is on the mend!


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