Owners who have kept pets for a while should know that canine distemper is a particularly serious matter if their dog suffers from it. However, some new parents do not know what canine distemper is. Today I will tell you what canine distemper is. What!

What is canine distemper?

Canine distemper is a highly contagious and fatal infectious disease in dogs caused by canine distemper virus.

Early biphasic fever type has symptoms similar to colds, and is later characterized by bronchitis, sputum-stuck pneumonia, and gastroenteritis. In the later stages of the disease, neurological symptoms such as spasms and twitches may appear; in some cases, hyperkeratosis of the nose and horn pads may occur. It is highly contagious and the mortality rate can be as high as over 80%.

This disease can occur throughout the year, but is more common in winter and spring. The disease has a certain periodicity, with a pandemic occurring every three years. Dogs of different ages, genders and breeds can be infected, but underage puppies are the most susceptible.

Purebred dogs and police dogs are more susceptible than native-bred dogs, and have severe disease reactions and higher mortality rates.

The most important sources of infection for this disease are nasal and eye secretions and urine. It has been reported that dogs infected with canine distemper virus still excrete the virus in their urine 60-90 days later. Therefore, urine is a very dangerous source of infection. The main transmission route is direct contact between sick dogs and healthy dogs, or through air droplets. Respiratory tract infection.

Once canine distemper is found in dogs living in the same room, no matter how strict protective measures are taken, the dogs living in the same room cannot be prevented from being infected.

Symptoms of canine distemper:

The incubation period of canine distemper is 3-9 days, and the symptoms are diverse and related to the virulence, environmental conditions, age and immune status.

The first symptom of canine distemper is an increase in body temperature, which lasts for 1-3 days. Then it subsides, much like the symptoms of a cold. But the temperature rises again after a few days, and the duration is uncertain. Tearing, redness of the conjunctiva, and eye secretions from liquid to mucopurulent may be seen. The nose is dry and nasal fluid flows out. It starts out as serous nasal fluid and then turns into purulent nasal fluid.

At the beginning of the disease, there was a dry cough, which later turned into a wet cough and difficulty breathing. Vomiting, diarrhea, intussusception, and ultimately death from severe dehydration and weakness.

Neurological symptomatic canine distemper mostly appears about 10 days after the above symptoms. Clinically, neurological symptoms frequently occur in cases of footpad keratosis and nasal keratosis.

Because the canine distemper virus infects different parts of the central nervous system, symptoms vary. The virus damages the brain and manifests as epilepsy, circling, abnormal standing posture, unsteady gait, ataxia, paroxysmal twitching of masticatory muscles and limbs and other neurological symptoms. The prognosis of this type of neurological canine distemper is usually poor. .

Canine distemper virus can cause eye disease in some dogsDamage is clinically characterized by conjunctivitis and keratitis. Keratitis is mostly seen around 15 days after the onset of the disease. The cornea turns white. In severe cases, corneal ulcers, perforation, and blindness may occur.

The disease has a high mortality rate in puppies, with the mortality rate reaching 80 to 90%. Symptoms such as pneumonia, enteritis, and intussusception may occur secondaryly.

Clinically, once the characteristic canine distemper symptoms appear, the prognosis is very poor. Especially unvaccinated dogs. Despite clinical symptomatic treatment, the progression of the disease is difficult to control, and most patients die from neurological symptoms and failure. Dogs that partially recover generally have varying degrees of sequelae.

Prevention and control of canine distemper:

1. The prevention method of this disease is regular immunization with canine distemper vaccine.

The immunization schedule is: the first dose is given at 50 days of age; the second dose is given at 80 days of age; the third dose is given at 110 days of age. After three immunizations, you will be immunized once a year in the future. The six-combination vaccine, five-combination vaccine, and three-combination vaccine currently on the market can be immunized according to the above procedures.

2. Once canine distemper occurs, in order to prevent the spread of the epidemic, the sick dogs must be quickly and strictly isolated, and the hospital room and environment must be thoroughly disinfected with caustic soda, sodium hypochlorite, Lysol, etc.

Contact between sick dogs and healthy dogs is strictly prohibited. Presumed healthy dogs that have not yet developed symptoms and may be infected, as well as dogs threatened by the epidemic, should be immediately passively immunized with canine distemper hyperimmune serum or emergency preventive injections with pediatric measles vaccine until the epidemic situation stabilizes. Afterwards, the canine distemper vaccine is injected.

Treatment of canine distemper:

After the clinical symptoms appear, a large dose of canine distemper hyperimmune serum can be injected to control the development of the disease.

Giving a large dose of hyperimmune serum during the initial fever period of canine distemper can enhance the body's sufficient antibodies to prevent clinical symptoms and achieve the purpose of treatment. For canine distemper with obvious clinical symptoms and neurological symptoms in the middle and late stages of the disease, it is mostly difficult to cure even if the canine distemper hyperimmune serum is injected.

Symptomatic treatment:Methods such as sugar supplementation, fluid replenishment, reducing fever, preventing secondary infection, strengthening feeding and management, etc., have a certain therapeutic effect on this disease.

In fact, once a dog suffers from canine distemper, it is a very dangerous thing. Therefore, as their little owner, you must help them prevent it in advance, but don’t wait until it is too late to regret it after you are really infected with canine distemper~