The animal scratches constantly and goes into fits with respiratory and digestive problems. There is no known cure for it.

Although there have been cases all over Spain, the latest case involved nine dogs from the same hunter’s pack in Baza.

The owner of the dogs, José Antonio Azor, explained how he had had to watch them die and said it’s the worse disease for your dog to die from.

So, what disease is it? Quoting from the World Organisation for Animal Health:

Aujeszky’s disease, also known as pseudorabies, is caused by Suid herpesvirus 1 (SHV-1), a member of the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae and the family Herpesviridae.

The virus infects the central nervous system and other organs, such as the respiratory tract, of a variety of mammals (such as dogs, cats, cattle, sheep, rabbits, foxes, minks, etc.) except humans and the tailless apes.

It is associated primarily with pigs, the natural host, which remain latently infected. The pig is the only species able to survive a productive infection and therefore, serves as the reservoir host. Young piglets are highly susceptible with mortality rates reaching 100% during the first 2 weeks of life.

Aujeszky’s disease is highly contagious. The infection is commonly considered to be transmitted among swine through nose-to-nose contact, because the virus is mostly present in nasal and oral areas. This notion, however, is contradicted by results from epidemiological studies, according to which the decisive spread within herds occurs by air currents over many meters. Correspondingly, the risk of airborne transmission of highly virulent virus strains from acutely infected herds to other swine herds has been found to be very high.

Getting back to infected dogs, besides the four in the Baza area, five other dogs have died in Lanjarón in the Alpujarra.

Finally, Ginés Guevara Torres, who is the spokesman for the Colegio Oficial de Veterinarios de Granada, said that domesticated pigs can be vaccinated but this step is impractical for wild boars as it has to be innoculated and cannot be taken orally. He further said that although the disease does affect cats and rats, as well, it is not dangerous for human.

(News/Noticias: Baza/Lanjaron, Altiplano/Alpujarra, Granada, Andalucia)