What is canine distemper (CD)?

Canine distemper, AKA distemper disease in dogs, is something that every pet parent needs to be aware of. Basically, it’s a contagious disease that originates from a toxic virus, similar to measles. What’s important to note is that distemper isn’t just limited to dogs– it can also spread to other mammals such as big cats, raccoons, etc.

So, how do dogs get canine distemper?

Distemper is dangerous primarily because it can be passed just through air. Puppies and dogs can spread the disease simply through coughing or sneezing. Even something like sharing a water bowl can cause the virus to spread. Distemper can also be transmitted through sexual and bodily interactions amongst dogs. Another important fact to note is that while Distemper cannot infect humans, it can still be carried by them and spread to other dogs. So, if you’ve been with an infected dog, please do not come in contact with another dog till you have disinfected yourself.

What you need to know about canine distemper:

It has a high fatality rate amongst stray dogs as well as pet dogs.

It is very common, make sure you never miss a distemper vaccination, as it is the first line of defence.

If you suspect a dog to have this disease, you should reach out to a vet immediately.

A medical test is the only authentic method to know if your dog has distemper.

Keep your dogs isolated if they are diagnosed with the disease.

What type of dogs are more at risk?

Statistically speaking, puppies are more prone to canine distemper than other dogs. The main reason for this is that they are not vaccinated at that age. Stray dogs that have not received their shots are also at risk. It should also be noted that female dogs with distemper can easily pass it on to their unborn puppies.

What are the symptoms?

Canine distemper is from the Morbillivirus class of viruses and has no known cure as of the time of writing this blog. The infection takes around 4 weeks to completely infect a dog, as is explained below:

Week 1: Symptoms will start to appear as a common cold as the virus attacks the dog’s tonsils and lymph nodes. It then replicates itself for around a week.

Week 2: The virus then attacks the respiratory, urogenital, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems.

The tell-tale signs of distemper are:

High fever (≥103.5 ° F, or 39.7° C)

Reddened eyes

Watery discharge from the nose and eyes.

The dog is lethargic, reduces or stops eating, and becomes anorexic.

Constant coughing, vomiting, or diarrhoea

Nasal discharge

Weeks 3-4: This is when the virus starts attacking the nervous system. The dog may experience fits, seizures, paralysis, and hysteria during this phase. Death may result in two to five weeks after the initial infection. If the dog survives this stage on its own immunity, you may notice the ‘distemper twitch’.

How can we prevent distemper?

The best preventive measure against distemper is vaccinating the dog. You can find the vaccination details as under:

Dose 0: If the dog is under 40 days old, you need to give it a vaccination called ‘PuppyDP’.

Dose 1: For puppies more than 40 days old, they need to get the 1st dose of the DLHPPi (7-in-1 / 8-in-1/ 9-in-1) vaccine. This is regardless of whether they’ve had the ‘PuppyDP’ dose.

Dose 2: The 2nd dose of DLHPPi is to be administered 1 month after ‘Dose 1′

Dose 3: The 3rd dose of DLHPPi is to be administered 1 month after ‘Dose 2′

After ‘Dose 2’, you’ll need to administer 1 booster dose each year

If the virus attacks bacterial infections of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, a high dosage of antibiotics will be needed to counteract it.

What is the process for diagnosis, and how can you treat it?

The first thing to do is take your dog to the vet. They will run a diagnostic test using a Distemper test kit. If your dog has distemper, the vet will probably prescribe isolation and a line of treatment (2 to 3 times a day). Please do not miss any treatments, because they are your only hope.

The following treatments and combinations are commonly used for distemper. However, please only follow the ones prescribed by your vet.

Administration of CanGlobe C

Immediate administration of an experimental ‘distemper serum

Blood Transfusion from a Distemper survivor

Homeopathic treatment

A dog’s chances of surviving Distemper will depend on the strain of the virus and the strength of the dog’s immune system. Fully recovered dogs do not spread or carry the virus.

We hope this was helpful for you to understand the seriousness of this disease. Stay tuned for more helpful tips on FurrCrew!