Managing canine herpes

Herpes is an extremely common canine virus – most social dogs who meet and greet other dogs will get infected.

• High mortality in unborn and newborns 
  • resorption of the embryos
  • abortion of the fetuses
  • Stillbirth
  • death of puppies within a few weeks of life

• Pregnant dog should be isolated from other dogs 
  • for the last three weeks of pregnancy
  • and the first three weeks after birth
  • Transmission- dog shedding virus- saliva, 

Prevention for dogs in a colony:

• Since Herpes is very prevalent, kennel all broods either before or during their estrus with the brood that had herpes.
•  Do not expose pregnant broods to the brood that had herpes. 
•  Exposure of your broods at a time when not pregnant will help them develop a protective antibody titer.  Some methods expose bitches while in for evaluation (for 1 month, though a shorter timeframe could be acceptable)
• The danger to neonatal puppies is when a bitch that has no protective titer is infected with herpes virus, either when her puppies are neonates or when she is pregnant.  
• Implementing this procedure has significantly reduced or eliminated herpes fatalities at the trial school/s.