Canine Distemper: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
If you consider your dog is an important member of your family, you have to do whatever it takes to keep him safe from harm. Your beloved dog will be protected and healthy as much as you pay attention to some important safety considerations like veterinary care and vaccines to prevent the onset of serious diseases.
These days, the majority of dog diseases are prevented with vaccinations and it is always better to prevent a disease rather than treat it. Basically, vaccines supercharge your pet’s immune system to produce specific antibodies and protect him lifelong, from various infectious diseases like Lyme, leptospirosis, rabies, dog flu, distemper, etc.
Well, now we come to our main point of distemper, which is one of the infectious dog diseases, caused by a virus that directly attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of dogs, particularly puppies. This is why it is so important to dig deeper to know more about this disease.
How is the Dog Distemper Catch and Spread?
When the infected dogs shed the distemper virus in their urine, saliva, and respiratory secretions, these airborne virus particles then come into direct contact with body of a susceptible dog through the mouth or nose – just like the common cold in human. Then the virus passes through the lymphatic and circulatory systems to attack the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, eyes, skin as well as the nervous system of dog. The possible sites of transmission are open kennels, dog parks, boarding facilities and shelters. It may also spread via shared food and water bowls and equipments.
This nasty virus mostly catches unvaccinated dogs and young puppies about the age of 3 – 6 months. An infected pregnant dog can pass virus via the placenta to her unborn puppies. An infected dog or puppy can carry on spreading virus for many months. It is the reason why it is essential to fully vaccinate any dog you plan to breed.
It cannot infect human but can be spread to wild animals including ferrets, coyotes, skunks, foxes, raccoons or wolves. So, the only way to protect your dog or puppy is to keep them away from having contact with such wild animals that are not part of your home.
What are the Clinical Signs of Dog Distemper?
The clinical signs of distemper disease really depend on how the disease develops in dog’s body. Distemper primarily replicates in the lymphatic tissue of the respiratory tract prior to moving on to infect the rest of the dog’s lymphatic tissue, the respiratory tract and the central nervous system and even optic nerves. When dog comes with distemper, you typically notice all of the following signs:
- Eye and nasal discharge
- High fever – often comes and goes unnoticed
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Coughing or sneezing
- Loss of appetite
- Fatigue
- Breathing problem
- Seizures
- Extreme weakness or paralysis
- Muscle twitching
What is the Treatment of Dog Distemper?
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to treat the distemper infected dog. When you take your dog for treatment, your vet diagnoses distemper on basis of clinical signs, urine analysis and biochemical tests.
After the diagnosis, just supportive care is given to dog. This may include anti-nausea medication, medication to treat loss of appetite, IV fluids to treat dehydration, and other medication related to specific symptoms. This is accomplished with hospitalization. Ultimately, the recovery from this disease depends on immunity.
How To Prevent Dog Distemper?
The effective way to prevent such distemper is – Vaccines. It’s true. The dog distemper is preventable with the right vaccination that is usually called the distemper shot.
The first dose of the vaccinations is administered on puppy age of 6 weeks and then every three to four weeks until he is 16 to 20 weeks of age. And dogs should be repeated a year later. Afterward, remaining vaccination boosters are administered every third year for long lasting immunity. Most importantly, always be careful to keep him away from unvaccinated animal until he has received his vaccinations dose.
Final Consideration :
Prevention is just the best option to protect your dog from distemper. That’s why you have to promise to keep your dog’s vaccinations up to date. After all, as a dog parent, it is your duty to make sure your beloved dog remains in optimal health. Never underestimate symptoms or changes in his behavior, if you observe something odds, immediately get it checked out.
