Canine Distemper is a very serious, potentially fatal disease.
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| A dog with distemper, very weak, loss of appetite |
Infected animals shed canine distemper virus in all body secretions. Inhaling the virus is the primary source of exposure. The highest incidence of the disease occurs in unvaccinated puppies 6 to 12 weeks of age, at which time maternal antibodies fall below protective levels.
Distemper in Dogs
What is it?
Are you familiar with human beings contracting measles? In the furry world of dogs and other animals, a similar disease can be contracted as well – Canine Distemper (or distemper in dogs). This contagious disease often happens to unvaccinated puppies and unvaccinated dogs that are put at high risk of infection, caused by the Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), which may eventually lead to death of dogs if not efficiently treated.
What causes Canine Distemper?
CDV can spread like wildfire. It can easily be carried through the air! These infectious airborne viral particles may potentially be transmitted when other dogs are placed within the same vicinity and share the same air space. It doesn’t stop there. An infected dog’s urine or faeces, their water bowls and even their beddings leave traces of this virus. Any direct or indirect contact of these belongings could cause the virus to be spread. It affects the gastrointestinal, respiratory and central nervous systems.
This virus, however, is not unique to dogs. Other wildlife animals such as raccoons, foxes, skunks and ferrets are also carriers of the CDV, which may potentially transmit the virus to dogs as well.
As much as we, human beings, may be safe from this virus and have a way lower risk of contracting distemper, we could possibly end up carrying CDV unknowingly. To all helpful volunteers and stray feeders out there, beware! Despite that, we may still potentially spread this condition to other healthy dogs we go into contact with after handling an infected dog. A little more cautiousness from our end will definitely go a long way!
What are some of the signs / symptoms?
So how do you know if you’re dealing with an infected dog? There’re various symptoms you can look out for. Generally, there are 2 stages in CDV:
1st stage
The first signs of distemper appear six to nine days after exposure. Dogs infected with the distemper virus at this stage would usually have high fever (39.4°C to 40.5°C) and cold-like symptoms, which worsens into:
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| Testing for distemper includes a nasal and eye swab |
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| Nasal discharge is one of the signs |
- Eye/Nasal Discharge : Thick, yellow & Sticky
- Dry Cough
- Abdomen: Pus, blisters
- Vomiting & Diarrhoea
- Loss of Appetite
- Listlessness
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| Nasal and eye discharge |
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| Also includes hardening of the paw pads |
2nd stage (2-3 weeks after being infected)
- Encephalitis (Brain involving): slobbering, head-shaking, chewing movement of jaws.
- Epileptic-like seizures (Dog runs in circles, fall over and kicks feet wildly)
- Deterioration of mental abilities and motor skills
- Depression
- Distemper myoclonus: Brain involvement with muscle contractions. The jerking can affect parts of the body, but most common in the head. If the dog recovers, the jerking continues indefinitely-but becomes less severe with time.
In addition to all the symptoms stated above, the CDV also attacks the skin of an infected dog. Look out for thickened skin on its feet and nose. These, however are usually only visible about 15 days after being infected and are caused by different strains of the CDV.
How to treat the disease?
If you’ve noticed any of the symptoms, it’s best to seek professional help from a vet. They’ll be sure to advise you further through routine tests and taking a detailed complete history of the dog to rule out other diseases. The most accurate test for CDV however, may pose some dangers for the dog and will most likely not be the first action to be taken by the vet.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a known cure for Canine Distemper yet so it’s essential to closely monitor an infected dog’s medical progress through treatments that aid in suppressing the pain and relieving the symptoms as much as possible. Further treatments will also be offered to prevent potential new infections from occurring as the dog’s immune system will definitely weaken with any form of disease.
Some treatments include:
- Antibiotic treatment against secondary bacterial infections
- IV Fluids to replace fluids that were lost through diarrhoea / vomiting
- Anti-seizure medications
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| Plasma transfusion, those handling dog must be in protective gear |
How to prevent the disease?
And so the old saying goes, prevention is always better than cure. Thank goodness for vaccinations! It provides 100% protection. Puppies should always be vaccinated when they’re 8 weeks old as pups have a lower immunity and are more prone to catching on any diseases. That’s not all though, vaccination should still be periodically boosted over the years to ensure immunity. Schedule regular vet visits to ensure that the vaccination is up-to-date. Another important measure is to always keep your dog’s surroundings clean – routine cleaning is beneficial. CDV, although possible to be transmitted through water bowls etc. it is usually unable to survive long being out of the dog’s body. Heat, sunlight and most disinfectants (Bleach) will do the trick of killing the virus.
If you have other pets living together, be sure to isolate the potentially infected dog to prevent spreading of the virus.
A dog's chances for surviving canine distemper largely depends on the strength of the dog’s immune system. Recovery is entirely possible, although seizures and other fatal disturbances to the Central Nervous System may occur two to three months after recovery. Fully recovered dogs do not spread or carry the virus.
Dogs that recover from Canine Distemper may still show symptoms several years later after their recovery. These symptoms may even include other central nervous system disorders – in the brain or spinal cord.
