Distemper in Dogs

About Distemper
Canine distemper is a highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease that is seen in dogs worldwide. Though its incidence has diminished greatly due to vaccination, distemper cases and outbreaks are still seen sporadically.
Cause
Canine distemper is caused by the canine distemper virus. This virus can also infect several other species including ferrets and wild animals such as coyotes, foxes, wolves, skunks, and raccoons. Animals usually become infected by direct contact with virus particles from the secretions of other infected animals (generally via inhalation). Indirect transmission (i.e., carried on dishes or other objects) is not common because the virus does not survive for long in the environment. The virus can be shed by dogs for several weeks after recovery.
Risk Factors
Puppies under four months of age (before vaccinations are fully protective) and unvaccinated dogs are most at risk. Because canine distemper also occurs in wild animals, contact with wild animals may contribute to the spread of distemper to domestic dogs.
Signs and Symptoms of Distemper
Canine distemper causes symptoms in multiple body systems, including the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, and the brain and spinal cord. The appearance of symptoms and course of distemper can be variable, ranging from very mild illness to fatal disease. Any of the following can be seen:

• fever (often one episode a few days after infection that may not be noticed, followed by a second episode a few days later when the other symptoms begin to show up)


• discharge from the eyes and nose


• loss of appetite


• lethargy


• vomiting and diarrhea


• coughing


• labored breathing


• hardening of footpads and nose (distemper has sometimes been called hardpad disease)


• inflammation of various parts of the eye


• secondary bacterial infections


• neurological symptoms are variable

Neurological symptoms of distemper may not develop at all or develop later in the disease (sometimes even after several weeks). Neurological symptoms of distemper may include any of the following:

• muscle twitching


• weakness or paralysis


• seizures (of any part of the body, but seizures that look as if the dog is chewing gum are unique to distemper)


• uncoordinated movements


• increased sensitivity to touch or pain

Diagnosis of Distemper
Diagnosis is based primarily on the the history and clinical signs. Because signs are variable and may take time to appear, and secondary infections are common, diagnosis can be complicated. Additionally, other infections can produce similar signs to distemper. A variety of laboratory tests can help confirm the diagnosis (and some may be done to rule out other infections).
Treatment of Distemper
There is no treatment specific to the distemper virus, so treatment involves managing the various symptoms and secondary infections. Even with treatment, distemper can be fatal. Treatment depends on the symptoms shown, and may include fluids to combat dehydration, medication to reduce vomiting, antibiotics and other medications to treat pneumonia, antibiotics for secondary infections, and anticonvulsants to treat seizures. Neurological symptoms may get progressively worse and not respond to treatment, and even with recovery some neurological effects may persist.
Prevention of Distemper
Vaccination is effective at preventing distemper. Puppies are typically vaccinated starting at 6 weeks of age and at regular intervals (every 2-4 weeks) until they are 14-16 weeks old (as with other vaccines, presence of antibodies received from the mother can interfere with vaccines so a puppy is not considered fully protected until the final vaccine in the series has been given). Vaccination should be repeated a year later, then at regular intervals. Your vet will discuss an appropriate vaccination schedule for your dog based on your dog’s history and risk factors.
Until puppies have received all the vaccinations in the series (at 14-16 weeks) it is prudent to be careful about exposing them to unknown dogs (e.g., at dog parks) to avoid exposure to the virus as much as possible.

Vaccination for Parvo, Distemper, Hepatitis and Kennel Cough

Thanks to the vast majority of dog owners vaccinating their pets, vets see fewer cases of the major viral diseases in dogs in Australia than a decade ago.

Why do we need to vaccinate if the number of cases is low?

Although the number of cases are low, the viral agents that cause these diseases are still present. If people stop vaccinating their pets there will be a large population of un-protected pets just waiting for one of these highly contagious viruses to enter the neighborhood and cause an epidemic. These diseases are fatal and/or cause lots of suffering e.g. Distemper causes meningitis, Parvovirus causes bloody vomiting and diarrhoea.

Canine Parvovirus

Parvovirus is still common especially in lower income areas where people try to save money by not vaccinating. Parvovirus can also be common in many shelters, pounds and rescues as many unvaccinated dogs come through the doors every year. The virus spreads easily and can survive up to one year in contaminated soil – a dog has only to sniff where an infected dog went to the toilet one year ago to pick up the infection. It causes sudden vomiting and diarrhoea of watery blood, severe shock, acute abdominal pain and death. Treatment is prolonged, costly and not always successful. This makes vaccination a must.

Canine Distemper

Canine Distemper occurs only occasionally as it has almost been eradicated in Australia due to a very successful vaccination program. It is a highly contagious viral disease and symptoms vary but include fever, sneezing, nasal discharge, vomiting diarrhoea, loss of appetite and depression. Muscle tremors, fits and paralysis occurs in the later stages of the disease.

Canine Hepatitis

This is a very serious viral liver disease. Symptoms include high fever, depression, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea and acute abdominal pain.

Prevention of Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus

These days dogs receive annual booster to protect them from Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus as a bare minimum.

Kennel Cough

There a several “bugs” which cause Kennel Cough of which the worst are Bordetella and Parainfluenza. Dogs coming into contact with large number of other dogs e.g. boarding kennels, show dogs, are at the greatest risk of catching kennel cough and can develop a nasty throat and/or chest infection.

Prevention of Kennel Cough

Both Bordetalla and Parainfluenza are preventable by use of Vaccination. There are still a few other “bugs” which can cause a mild kennel cough.

About these ads