WARNING:
vaccinations against "canine distemper" can trigger this latent
disease
- Veterinarians tell that only 1 to 0,1 % of diseased dogs
survive
- Be extremely careful vaccinating a dog from a canine distemper
region
- Inform your veterinarian if you had contact with, or suspect this
disease in your vicinity
- Are we using the right vaccin?
www.vetinfo.com/ddistemper.html
If bitches are fully vaccinated they
will pass on passive immunity to their puppies through the first
milk (colostrum) and this protection falls off after 8 weeks, so
the puppies should be vaccinated from that time. Measles vaccine
can be used to give cross-protection to distemper, and this is
given to provide some immunity to young puppies (from about 6 weeks
to 12 weeks of age) that have been exposed to the disease even
though maternal antibodies may be present.
www.provet.co.uk/Petfacts/healthtips/caninedistemper
Canine
distemper
Overview
Canine distemper is a contagious, incurable, often fatal,
multisystemic viral disease that affects the respiratory,
gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems. Distemper is caused
by the canine distemper virus (CDV).
Incidence
Canine distemper occurs worldwide, and once was the leading cause
of death in unvaccinated puppies. Widespread vaccination
programs have dramatically
reduced its incidence.
CDV occurs among domestic dogs and many other carnivores, including
raccoons, skunks, and foxes. CDV is fairly common in wildlife. The
development of a vaccine in the early 1960s led to a dramatic
reduction in the number of infected domestic dogs. It tends to
occur now only as sporadic outbreaks.
Young puppies
between 3 and 6 months old
are most susceptible to infection and disease and are more likely
to die than infected adults. Nonimmunized
older dogs are also highly
susceptible to infection and disease. Nonimmunized dogs that have
contact with other nonimmunized dogs or with wild carnivores have a
greater risk of developing canine distemper.
Transmission
Infected dogs shed the virus through bodily secretions and
excretions, especially respiratory secretions. The
primary
mode of transmission is airborne viral
particles that dogs breathe in. Dogs in recovery may continue to
shed the virus for several weeks after symptoms disappear, but they
no longer shed the virus once they are fully
recovered.
It is possible for humans to contract an asymptomatic (subclinical)
CDV infection. Anyone who’s been immunized against measles (a
related virus) is protected against CDV as
well.
Symptoms
Macrophages
(cells that ingest foreign disease-carrying organisms, like viruses
and bacteria) carry the inhaled virus to nearby lymph nodes where
it begins replicating (reproducing). It spreads
rapidly through the
lymphatic tissue and infects all the lymphoid organs within 2 to 5
days. By days six to nine, the virus spreads to the blood
(viremia). It then spreads to the surface epithelium (cell lining)
of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and central
nervous systems, where it begins doing the damage that causes the
symptoms.
Early symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, and mild eye
inflammation that may only last a day or two. Symptoms become more
serious and noticeable as the disease
progresses.
The initial
symptom is
fever
(103ºF to 106ºF), which
usually peaks 3 to 6 days after infection. The fever often goes
unnoticed and may peak again a few days later. Dogs may experience
eye and nose discharge, depression, and loss of appetite
(anorexia). After the fever, symptoms vary considerably, depending
on the strain of the virus and the dog’s
immunity.
Many dogs experience gastrointestinal
and respiratory
symptoms, such
as:
•
Conjunctivitis (discharge from the eye)
• Diarrhea
• Fever (usually present but unnoticed)
• Pneumonia (cough, labored breathing)
• Rhinitis (runny nose)
• Vomiting
These symptoms are often exacerbated by
secondary bacterial infections. Dogs almost always develop
encephalomyelitis (an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord),
the symptoms of which are variable and progressive. Most dogs that
die from distemper, die from neurological complications such as the
following:
•
Ataxia (muscle incoordination)
• Depression
• Hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli, such as
pain or touch)
• Myoclonus (muscle twitching or
spasm), which can become disabling
• Paralysis
• Paresis (partial or incomplete paralysis)
• Progressive deterioration of mental abilities
• Progressive deterioration of motor skills
• Seizures that can affect any part of the body (One type of
seizure that affects the head, and is unique to distemper, is
sometimes referred to as a “chewing gum fit” because the dog
appears to be chewing gum.)
Many dogs
experience symptoms of the eye:
• Inflammation of the
eye (either
keratoconjunctivitis, inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva,
or chorioretinitis, inflammation of the choroid and retina)
• Lesions on the
retina (the
innermost layer of the eye)
• Optic neuritis
(inflammation of the optic
nerve which leads to blindness)
Two relatively minor conditions that
often become chronic, even in dogs that recover are:
• Enamel hypoplasia
(unenameled teeth that erode quickly in puppies whose permanent
teeth haven’t erupted yet - the virus kills all the cells that make
teeth enamel)
• Hyperkeratosis (hardening of the foot pads and nose)
In utero
infection
of fetuses is rare,
but can happen. This can lead to spontaneous abortion, persistent
infection in newborn puppies, or the birth of normal looking
puppies that rapidly develop symptoms and die within 4 to 6
weeks.
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Overview
Transmission
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Prognosis