The Canine Distemper Disease And How To Prevent It

Every pet owner wants to make sure that their pet doesn't get any diseases. The same holds true for pets that get Canine Distemper, which is a problem for puppies everywhere in the world. While it also appears in adults, it's more dangerous when puppies get it and it can prove fatal.

Sometime humans can get a sub clinical CDV infection, though if you had a vaccination for measles you will be protected against CDV as well.

Transmission of Dog Distemper

This disease can be contracted when they come in contact with nasal fluid or bodily secretions from animals that are infected with this disease. In most cases it will happen through breathing air particles coming from animals that are infected.

Preventing Canine Distemper

Every dog breed can get Canine Distemper, but those with the highest risk are puppies with immune systems that haven't reached maturity and old dogs that didn't get vaccines. CDV doesn't have a cure unfortunately, so the only way to protect your dog is preventing it. The vaccine has been around for decades and the number of cases decreased significantly since then, so the death numbers decreased as well. Before the vaccine came out, Canine Distemper was reported as the biggest cause of death in dogs that were domestic.

If you want your dog to be protected you should go to a vet to vaccinate him. If it doesn't have the proper vaccine, you should be careful where you go with the dog. The CDV is transmitted by air so when you take them to dog areas, parks, grooming premises or parks, they risk getting sick even if they don't come into direct contact with sick dogs. The dog should be kept away from wild animals, as the CDV also appears in Foxes, Ferrets and Minks.

Since they're especially at risk of getting CDV, puppies can get the vaccine when they're at least 6 weeks old and they should be getting a new vaccine every month or so, until they get to 16 months old. Before they get the vaccine they shouldn't be around dogs or places where they might get sick.

The vet can help you with more information on taking care of your pet.

Finding if dogs have Distemper

Once they show up, infections will replicate in the lymph nodes, though you will not notice anything for the next few days. Some of the symptoms you will observe are a nose that is runny, an appetite loss, eyes that are watery, coughing, diarrhea, sore throat, labored breathing and vomiting.

Treating it

Canine Distemper can't actually be cured, but there are treatments that control the severity or the spread of the symptoms.

The environment where the dog is kept should be a nursing one and the dog should feel comfortable and secure.

Check for dehydration

In order to control the vomiting, nausea, pneumonia, diarrhea, spasms or twitching, the vet will give the dog drugs and antibiotics.

Recovery

After the dog recovers, they can still be infectious, so they should be kept in quarantine for half a month, to make sure they don't infect or contaminate other dogs.

Vaccination and prevention is the best method

If the dog responds well to the treatment you're giving him, you should resist letting him out of the house, as the ground and the cold air can make his respiratory problems worse.

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