This can include shelters, unregulated breeding operations, and public parks. Canine distemper has many signs because the disease affects several systems of the body.
Early-stage of infection , affecting the respiratory tract:. There is no cure for distemper itself. Your veterinarian will probably admit your pet to the hospital for isolation and treat your dog's signs.
For example:. Once the disease has affected the neurological system, it is even more difficult to treat. Your veterinarian can give medications to help control seizures. It is possible for dogs to recover once they have entered this stage of distemper, but there are usually long-term effects. Once your veterinarian decides that your dog is stable enough to go home, it is important to watch your dog's appetite and how much it drinks and continue to give all medications.
Keep your pet in a clean and warm environment to prevent a relapse. Prevention of distemper is through vaccination. The basic vaccine for dogs is "the distemper shot", which protects against distemper, parvovirus, and other diseases. Nursing puppies receive antibodies from their mother that help them fight infection. This begins to dwindle when the puppy is 6 to 12 weeks of age, at which point you must get it vaccinated.
Adult dogs are more likely to survive infection than puppies. The disease tends to be fatal in puppies, as they are more susceptible to viral diseases. Distemper can cause long-lasting seizures and chronic severe pneumonia that is very painful and difficult to manage, even with medical supportive care.
The disease can shed in dogs for up to six months, which makes isolation difficult and increases the likelihood for infectious spread. Many dogs that actively shed the virus show clinical signs of neurologic, respiratory, and GI disease. A few dogs may not show any clinical signs, but they can still continue to shed the virus for up to six months. Positive cases of canine distemper virus require isolation from all other animals during the viral shedding period, along with hospitalization.
The most common treatments are:. Respiratory support for severe pneumonia. Many dogs have trouble breathing, pain during expiration and inhaling, and chronic coughing. Some of these symptoms can be life-threatening and may require oxygen therapy, anti-viral medications, antibiotics, and hospitalization. Gastrointestinal support for severe diarrhea and vomiting , which can lead to dehydration. Canine distemper virus can weaken the immune system, causing secondary bacterial infections, septicemia, disseminated intravascular coagulation DIC , and in some cases, death.
Many cases require intravenous fluid therapy to prevent dehydration , anti-vomiting medications, antibiotics, probiotics, intravenous nutritional support, and gastrointestinal protectants. Neurological support for chronic seizures.
Canine distemper is a contagious and serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of puppies and dogs. The virus can also be found in wildlife such as foxes, wolves, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, mink and ferrets and has been reported in lions, tigers, leopards and other wild cats as well as seals.
Puppies and dogs most often become infected through airborne exposure through sneezing or coughing to the virus from an infected dog or wild animal. The virus can also be transmitted by shared food and water bowls and equipment. Infected dogs can shed the virus for months, and mother dogs can pass the virus through the placenta to their puppies. Because canine distemper also impacts wildlife populations, contact between wild animals and domestic dogs can facilitate the spread of the virus.
Canine distemper outbreaks in local raccoon populations can signal increased risk for pet dogs in the area. All dogs are at risk but puppies younger than four months old and dogs that have not been vaccinated against canine distemper are at increased risk of acquiring the disease. Initially, infected dogs will develop watery to pus-like discharge from their eyes.
They then develop fever, nasal discharge, coughing, lethargy, reduced appetite, and vomiting. Distemper is often fatal, and dogs that survive usually have permanent, irreparable nervous system damage.
Veterinarians diagnose canine distemper through clinical appearance and laboratory testing. There is no cure for canine distemper infection.
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