Dog’s Deadliest Threat: Canine Distemper
We love animals, we care animals and we protect animals. But how deep we know about their diseases? Even though there are various diseases that effects animals, today we focus on especially dog’s worst enemy, canine distemper. Owners should be informed about it so that they can act on it. Owner awareness plays the critic role on noticing Canine Distemper at early stages.
As a viral disease, Canine distemper affects a wide variety of mammal families, including domestic and wild species of dogs, coyotes, foxes, pandas, wolves, ferrets, skunks, raccoons, and large cats, as well as pinnipeds, some primates, and a variety of other species. It is known for more than 250 years. Sharing a home or shelter with the dogs started to change cats’ nature as well. Even tough it was believed that cats are immune to this disease, there are new examples that can prove otherwise.
It is such a bad disease that it could effect central nervous system, digestive system and respiratory tract. It’s infectiousness as high as smallpox and measles in humans. It is listed second after rabies among dogs’ viral infections. On her doctorate thesis, Ela Esin, from Selcuk University advocates that the lack of breast milk is most important reason for distemper. She believes that dog breeding mills or backyard breeders are so ambitious that they sell these animals before they complete their earliest development with the breast milk. Other than that it’s known that distemper is highly infectious. Therefore dogs in the breeding mills and/or in the shelters should be checked regularly in order to prevent the disease to jump other dogs.
Puppies from 3–6 months old are particularly susceptible. It spreads through aerosol droplets and through contact with infected bodily fluids, including nasal and ocular secretions, feces, and urine, 6 to 22 days after exposure. It can also be spread by food and water contaminated with these fluids. The time between infection and disease is 14 to 18 days, although a fever can appear from 3 to 6 days after infection. The above signs, especially fever, respiratory signs, neurological signs, and thickened footpads, occurring in unvaccinated dogs strongly indicate canine distemper.
To prevent canine distemper, puppies should begin vaccination at 6–8 weeks of age and then continue getting the “booster shot” every 2–4 weeks until they are 16 weeks of age. Without the full series of shots, the vaccination does not provide protection against the virus. Since puppies are typically sold at the age of 8–10 weeks, they typically receive the first shot while still with their breeder, but the new owner often does not finish the series. These dogs are not protected against the virus, so are susceptible to canine distemper infection, continuing the downward spiral that leads to outbreaks throughout the world.
No specific treatment for the canine distemper is known. As with measles, the treatment is symptomatic and supportive. Care is geared towards treating fluid/electrolyte imbalances, neurological symptoms, and preventing any secondary bacterial infections. Examples include administering fluids, electrolyte solutions, analgesics, anticonvulsants, broad-spectrum antibiotics, antipyretics, parenteral nutrition, and nursing care.