When germs like bacteria and viruses enter a dog’s body, they can cause an infection. If the infection reaches the bloodstream, it can set off a chain reaction, resulting in a life-threatening condition called sepsis. Sepsis is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment at a veterinary hospital. Without timely care, sepsis can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and even death.
Read on to learn about the signs of sepsis in dogs, what causes this condition, and how it’s treated.
What Is Sepsis? Sepsis vs Infections
Let’s start with how an infection develops. There are different types of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Some microorganisms are beneficial, like bacteria that help us digest food and absorb nutrients, while others can lead to illness. Once these harmful microorganisms enter the body, they can multiply and cause an infection.
Mild infections can be self-limiting, meaning they can resolve on their own without medical intervention. Other infections may require treatment. For example, bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics, and fungal infections are treated with antifungal medications.
“Sepsis is a completely different situation,” says Dr. Amy Attas, VMD of New York-based practice City Pets. “It’s a life-threatening condition, and it occurs when the body’s response to an infection is overwhelmed.” Specifically, the body will release certain chemicals to help control the infection which can cause widespread inflammation.
What starts as a normal or mild infection can trigger a cascade of events throughout the body. This can lead to “organ damage, sometimes organ failure, and ultimately sepsis can cause death,” she says. “These patients need to be treated much more aggressively than a regular infection.”
What Are the Signs and Stages of Sepsis?
Sepsis is broken down into three stages: sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock. In stage one, “the infection has triggered a severe inflammatory response in the patient,” Dr. Attas explains. “These patients have either high temperature or low body temperature.” Since they’ve recently had an infection, they can be really sick along with showing signs like fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, or anorexia.
Other signs of sepsis are increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and changes in blood pressure. Dogs can have high or low blood pressure, the latter situation being much more serious, she adds. Their bloodwork might show that their white blood cell count is very high or low. A high count usually indicates that a patient has an infection or inflammation.
In stage two, severe sepsis, “the rapid heart rate and rapid respiratory rate continue despite medical intervention,” she says. “These animals become severely hypotensive.” This means their blood pressure is low and hard to control even after giving fluids and medication to raise a dog’s blood pressure.
Another sign of severe sepsis is decreased oxygenation in the blood and abnormal blood clotting such as when the blood takes longer to clot. “You can also see signs of jaundice, indicating that liver function is affected,” she adds.
The third and final stage is septic shock. These patients have very low blood pressure that isn’t responsive to treatment. Septic shock does result in multi-organ failure, she says. Signs include respiratory distress and decreased urine output, meaning their kidneys are failing.
What Are the Typical Sources of Infection?
Sepsis is more common with some types of injuries such as deep wounds and wounds in joints. Other common sources are pneumonia, bacterial or viral infections in the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract infections, and infections in the uterus. But it’s possible for any infection, especially when bacteria are involved, to develop into sepsis.
“A dog can get septic from chewing on a stick, cracking a tooth, and getting an infection in the tooth,” Dr. Attas says. “You might not notice that there is a problem, and if the infection goes untreated, the animal can get septic.” If a dog has advanced dental disease, bacteria in tartar can enter the bloodstream and cause sepsis.
However, this doesn’t mean that all wounds will become septic. Factors like the dog’s age, the presence of other health problems, and the location of the infection can influence whether the wound becomes septic. Take a joint injury, for example, which involves an enclosed area. “You can get a septic joint where there is a deep-seated infection,” she says.
Keep in mind that infections are common and treatable. Timely care increases your dog’s chances of recovering from an infection. “But sometimes you can do all of that, and still, the infection goes bad, and the patient turns septic,” she says.
How Do You Treat Sepsis?
If sepsis is suspected, the veterinarian will ask about your dog’s medical history including whether they’ve had any recent injuries. They’ll conduct bloodwork and urinalysis to help identify the source of the infection. Other tests may include x-rays or ultrasounds to aid in the diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.
Sepsis is a medical emergency that requires life-saving procedures. These dogs need to be hospitalized and treated with intravenous fluid and intravenous therapy to treat the infection, Dr. Attas says. Intravenous therapy can also help prevent their condition from progressing into septic shock, which is life-threatening.
Treatment typically consists of:
- Antibiotics: Broad-spectrum antibiotics are typically used to treat sepsis in dogs. Antibiotics are administered as soon as possible, often more than one type until culture results return.
- Fluids: Intravenous (IV) fluids are imperative and administered to maintain blood flow and prevent blood pressure from dropping.
- Vasopressors: Vasopressors are medications used to increase blood pressure when a dog is in septic shock. They treat low blood pressure by constricting a dog’s blood vessels.
- Surgery: If necessary, surgery may be performed to drain or remove infected tissue.
- Nutritional support: A feeding tube may be used to provide nutritional support. Prevention of hypoglycemia is imperative as it is a sign of septic shock.
Supplemental oxygen can also be beneficial. Besides medication, other measures need to be taken since sepsis can cause life-threatening issues. For example, in stage one, it’s important to bring their body temperature down to normal and control their blood pressure. “If the blood pressure is too low, then you’re not getting sufficient blood to certain organs,” she says. “And that’s what will cause organ damage and can lead to death.”
“So, the infection may not be ultimately what causes a patient to die,” she says. “It’s the body’s response to the infection that could cause subsequent problems or death.” Another consideration is the cost of treatment since it often requires days in an intensive care unit.
What’s the Prognosis for Sepsis?
Despite treatment, not all patients return to health, Dr. Attas says. It depends on factors like the dog’s age and the presence of other health issues like having kidney, liver, or heart problems. “An older dog might have a much harder time in the recovery process,” she says.
Some patients recover but have long-lasting deficits. For example, with hypotension, the blood may not be circulating properly to tissues and organs. As a result, dogs can develop acute kidney injury or be left with chronic kidney problems.
Hypotension can lead to similar problems in the gastrointestinal tract if a patient doesn’t have enough blood flow and oxygen. Another concern with sepsis is abnormal blood clotting. Patients in sepsis can develop something called disseminated intravascular coagulation, where they develop blood clots which can reduce blood flow and damage organs, she says. As this condition progresses, there can be bleeding beneath the skin or inside the body.
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