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Name
Distemper Virus, Canine
Short Description
Canine distemper virus
Affected Animals: Distemper effects dogs, ferrets, skunks, raccoons, and foxes.
Overview:
Impossible to cure and sometimes fatal, canine
distemper is a serious viral illness that attacks a dog's body on
all fronts. The disease may harden the paws and nose, damage the
teeth, make breathing difficult and diminish the appetite. Even more
disturbingly, canine distemper affects a dog's nervous system, often
resulting in seizures and paralysis. Dogs who do not die from this
disease usually suffer later in life from recurring neurological
problems, such as nervous twitches and seizures.
The virus is highly contagious. It is passed typically by
aerosolization, in which droplets containing the virus are expelled
into the air through the infected animal's breath and nasal
secretions. Fortunately, there is a vaccine. Until the virus is
completely eradicated, however, supportive care is the only relief
available to the animals that contract it.
Clinical Signs: Anorexia; depression; listlessness; fever; upper
respiratory tract infections; a thick, yellow discharge from the
nose and eyes; coughing; dyspnea; vomiting; and diarrhea.
Hyperkeratosis of the nose and pads of the paws can occur. In young
dogs, enamel hypoplasia of the teeth is seen in neonatal infections.
Neurological disease can occur and often includes seizures,
paraparesis or tetraparesis, hyperesthesia, myoclonus, and death.
Symptoms: Decreased appetite and weight loss; depression;
listlessness; fever; upper respiratory tract infections; a thick,
yellow discharge coming from the nose and eyes; coughing; difficulty
breathing; vomiting; and diarrhea. Hardening of the nose and pads of
the paws can occur, and with younger dogs, damage to the teeth may
result. Neurological disease signifies the most serious stage of the
illness: seizures, paralysis of two or four legs, and involuntary
twitching of the muscles are common nervous system disorders
resulting from distemper. The disease can be deadly.
Description: Canine distemper is a highly
infectious virus that is clinically known as a Morbillivirus in the
Paramyxoviridae family. It is closely related to the measles virus.
When an animal with the disease coughs, sneezes or expels any
respiratory secretions, the virus is distributed as droplets into
the air.
When another dog in the area comes into contact with the droplets,
usually by breathing, the distemper immediately invades the
respiratory tract. From here, it then passes along to the lymph
nodes and other organs of the body, including the spleen, stomach,
small intestine, and liver.
After eight or nine days of infection, the virus will have attacked
the central nervous system. At this point, if the dog's immune
system is able to kill the majority of the virus, then the dog will
not become sick. If the dog's immune system fails to fight off the
virus, then the distemper will be able to spread throughout the
body, making the dog ill.
Diagnosis:Diagnosis commonly is made on
suspicion, based on the clinical signs and vaccination status of the
dog. An unvaccinated dog that comes into contact with an animal
carrying canine distemper is likely to develop the virus since the
disease is so infectious.
However, scientifically concluding the presence of canine distemper
is difficult and takes time as well as complex diagnostic tests. One
test, called serology, detects antibodies made by the dog's body to
fight the virus. The accuracy of this test is questionable, though,
because true exposure cannot be distinguished from vaccine exposure.
This is because the distemper vaccine causes the dog's immune system
to produce antibodies to the distemper virus, just as natural
exposure does.
Another option for the veterinarian is to take a sample of
cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, and
then submit this fluid to a laboratory to determine the presence of
antibodies to the virus. Occasionally, in special blood smears and
tests of certain tissues, the viral antigen or viral material may be
detected. Diagnosis also can be made after an animal dies or is
euthanized and tissue samples are studied for evidence of the virus.
Prognosis: The prospect of survival depends on the dog's
immune system and its individual ability to kill the virus.
Generally, 50 percent of dogs that contract the virus will develop
the clinical signs and symptoms associated with distemper, but the
illness can range from mild clinical signs to death. Death may occur
from one or two weeks to three months following infection.
Transmission or Cause: Transmission commonly occurs in unvaccinated dogs
that come into contact with infected animals. Canine distemper virus
is spread most frequently by contact with respiratory tract
secretions from an infected animal. Other potential sources of
infection include contact with infected body tissues and secretions
such as urine. Pregnant dogs that contract the virus can infect
their unborn puppies.
Treatment: There is no cure for canine distemper virus.
Therapy consists of supportive care only: intravenous fluid therapy
can alleviate dehydration, and antibiotics can be beneficial in
preventing bacterial infection, which is secondary to the virus.
Once an animal develops neurological symptoms of the disease, such
as seizures or paralysis, its chances of surviving are slim and its
quality of life is bound to become progressively worse. Thus, these
animals are usually "put to sleep," or euthanized, in order to
ensure a humane death.
Prevention: The key to prevention is to vaccinate puppies
properly when they are between six and 16 weeks old. Keep puppies
that have not had all their vaccinations away from unvaccinated and
wild animals. The use of appropriate disinfectants such as
quaternary ammonium disinfectants is effective in killing the canine
distemper virus in kennels, hospitals, or other potentially infected
areas; sanitation is very important in preventing the spread of any
infectious disease. The owner should consult with a veterinarian
about the best vaccination schedule for an individual dog.
