5 Facts About Aujeszky's Disease

Does your dog eat raw pork as part of a BARF diet? Or run off-leash through wild boar territory in the forest? Then you should know about Aujeszky's disease. In dogs it is always fatal, with death usually occurring within 48 hours. There is no treatment. The only protection is prevention.

What is Aujeszky's disease?

The Hungarian veterinarian Aladár Aujeszky first described the virus in 1902. In the 1930s, researchers identified the pig as the natural host and carrier. The disease occurs worldwide and is notifiable in domestic pigs: in wild boar it is neither notifiable nor reportable.

The virus attacks the central nervous system and the organs of mammals such as dogs, cats, cattle, sheep and rabbits. In these dead-end hosts, the infection is always fatal. Pigs recover after infection but remain contagious for life. Piglets under four weeks old usually do not survive the disease either.

Routes of transmission

Dogs mainly become infected through:

• Eating raw pork (from domestic pigs or wild boar)
• Contact with infected pigs
• Sniffing wild boar carcasses in the forest

Germany has been officially SuHV-1-free since 2003: but only for domestic pigs. Wild boar still pose a risk of infection. In 2011, the first positive diagnoses in wild boar were confirmed in Lower Saxony.

Symptoms

The symptoms closely resemble rabies, which is why the disease is also called pseudorabies. Unlike true rabies, affected dogs show no aggression and are not afraid of water. Instead:

• Severe itching (especially around the head and neck)
• Restlessness and agitation
• Increased drooling
• Neurological deficits
• Death within 24 to 48 hours

Prevention

Since there is no treatment, prevention is crucial:

• Don't feed raw pork: not even from the supermarket
• Keep your dog on a leash in the forest and in areas with wild boar
• Prevent contact with wild boar carcasses
• Cook pork thoroughly (at least 70 °C core temperature)

Why is there no treatment?

After infection, SuHV-1 spreads along the nerves to the brain within a few hours. Once neurological symptoms appear, the damage to the central nervous system is irreversible. There are no antiviral drugs for this herpesvirus. There is no vaccine for dogs either: the available pig vaccines are not approved for other species and are ineffective. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, a vet can only end the suffering through euthanasia. The diagnosis is often only made post mortem through laboratory analysis of the brain.

Early symptoms such as restlessness, trembling or loss of appetite are often misread by owners as an upset stomach or stress. This narrows the already tiny window of time even further. If a dog has eaten raw pork and suddenly develops severe itching or fever within 2 to 9 days, you should see a vet immediately.

Difference from rabies

Both diseases affect the nervous system and lead to drooling, restlessness and rapid death. The risk of confusing them is real. Three features help to tell them apart: dogs with pseudorabies scratch themselves to the point of self-mutilation (the so-called "mad itch"), show no aggression toward people, and die significantly faster (24 to 48 hours instead of several days). The rabies vaccine does not protect against Aujeszky's disease, because a completely different virus is responsible: SuHV-1 (herpes) rather than the lyssavirus (rhabdovirus).

Note for BARF feeders

If you feed your dog raw, you must cut pork from the menu entirely. This also applies to pig organs, bones and cartilage. Freezing does not reliably kill SuHV-1: the virus survives for several weeks at -20 °C. Only heating to at least 70 °C for 30 minutes destroys it safely. Even pork from the supermarket could theoretically be contaminated if the cold chain was broken or if cross-contamination from wild boar meat occurred. Safe alternatives for BARF rations are beef, lamb, poultry, horse or game (except wild boar). A poisoning from spoiled meat causes gastrointestinal symptoms: SuHV-1, by contrast, causes neurological deficits without vomiting or diarrhea.

Conclusion

Germany has been SuHV-1-free in domestic pigs since 2003: the risk from wild boar remains. Two rules of behavior are enough as protection: no raw pork, and a leash in the forest. Since the disease cannot be treated, prevention is all that counts.

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