What are the causes of Canine Distemper and how it can be cured or prevented?
Canine distemper is an infectious disease of dogs, which is prevalent worldwide.
Causes and Symptoms:
Canine Distemper is caused by a virus and is certainly one of the most dangerous diseases pertaining to dogs. The distemper virus is discharged in various secretions and excretions by an affected dog, especially during the acute stage of his illness. The virus contaminates the atmosphere, thus making distemper an airborne disease, which can be transferred among dogs even without actual body contact, which of course, facilitates transmission from acutely ill dogs. Even if some affected dogs survive, they are often left with a permanent twitching of a certain group of muscles or gradual paralysis. The nervous symptoms usually start after the initial symptoms set in. sometimes the paralysis may cause the dog to lose control over the bladder and bowels. Even at this stage, when the dog may not be able to stand properly, he often has a normal appetite. At this stage, however, recovery is very rare.
Symptoms start within two weeks of getting the infection either by contact with an infected animal or otherwise. Initially the dog is dull and listless and there is lack of appetite. Such symptoms of depression and lack of appetite could be due to some other diseases too, but if the dog also has a high fever of around 40 deg C or 104 deg F, the owner should suspect the possibility of distemper, and take the dog immediately to a veterinarian. These symptoms may detract on their own, with the fever returning to normal, only to recur after a few days. This fluctuating elevation of temperature followed by loss of appetite, watery eyes and nasal discharge later develops into a discharge thick with pups. A cough, loose, black, foul-smelling motions are other characteristics symptoms of this disease.
In the later stages the virus often attacks the nervous system.
Treatment and Prevention:
There is no specific treatment for the distemper virus infection. Symptomatic treatment with antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections and other drugs, along with fluid therapy as considered suitable by the veterinarian, from the best course of action along with good nursing, simple food and cleaning of the eyes and nose frequently.
For the prevention of this awful disease, vaccination is almost foolproof, provided a reliable vaccine is used and the course of injections is given as per recommendations of experts. The pup should be kept inside the house or in a totally enclosed yard before he is vaccinated. Booster injections should preferably be given every year after the initial course of vaccination.