A common sight around most Tico towns, many dogs are well know members of their communities. Roaming through streets and beaches, they enjoy a degree of freedom in their interactions with their human and animal amigos that would make their cousins up north envious. Thanks to vaccination programs, rabies – is the only high-risk disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans – has been eradicated in domestic animals in Costa Rica.
Adopting a dog is both worthy and rewarding. Sterilizing and vaccinating your dog is one way you can guarantee the health and happiness of your own four-legged friend.
Caring for you Puppy
Costa Rica’s tropical lowlands provide the greatest living conditions to an amazing variety of microorganisms, some of which can represent potential life threatening diseases for our dogs and cats.
Dog Life
Canine Distemper is a deadly virus that affects our puppies at about two months of age, and they will continue to be susceptible to it throughout their lives. It begins with a mild respiratory infection that many people confuse with the common cold, but later develops into a tragic neurological disease with but one outcome: death.
Canine Parvovirus is another virus that attacks puppies at a similar age as Distemper. This virus lives off the internal walls of the digestive system, destroying the endothelium (the innermost layer of tissue) and causing a foul smelling and bloody diarrhea. This condition quickly dehydrates and emaciates the animal, leading to a very painful death.
Both diseases are highly contagious and can kill entire litters of puppies in a few days. Because they are viral diseases they cannot be treated. Fortunately we have a very important weapon against this disease and others: prevention. By putting your puppy in an adequate vaccination program, this and many other diseases can be successfully avoided, so that you will only ever have to read about them in magazine articles!
