What's distemper and is it curable? I work at the SPCA & we see dogs (in sick bay) with it all the time.?

Question

The dogs at the SPCA with it get put down immediately , once we find out that they have it. I know it is often masked by kennel cough. My neighboors new dog just got it so I decided I should educate myself about it. I know a lot about the other diseases and viruses such as parvo and kennel cough(bordetella) but not about distemper, besides that there is a shot for it that can make your dog immune.

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

Please use paragraphs when you are typing out a very long question. That wall of text was difficult to read. There is nothing 'very serious' your son has caught from the dog. The worst that can happen is if you haven't taught your son to practise normal hygiene and ensured he washes his hands after handiling animals is that he ingested worms eggs. If he did get worms from the dog....and most species ofdog worms are not transferred to humans. If your son had a sore or wound on his hand he didn't get it from the dog. Clearly the shelter did deworm the dog which is why he pooped out all those worms. You should have taken the dog to your own vet for a complete health check within 24 hours of bringing it home. Your other dog did not catch worms from the shelter dog unless it ate the shelter dogs feces. If your dog has worms it's because you haven't been regularly deworming it. Also there is no way any vet would hospitalize a dog just for worms. They would deworm the dog and send him home with instructions for you to repeat the deworming in a few days. If your dog is hospitalized then it has other health issues. You've dramatized and exaggerated the whole issue.

Answer 3

The symptoms are TREATABLE, but it must run it's course like other viral infections. There is no cure.
Yes there is a shot. It has to be given before the disease occurs!!!! That is the problem!!! A lot of people think that vaccines are not a good idea, and do not get them. Then they let the dog have puppies and then the puppies have no immunity from the mother!!!!!!

Answer 4

Can Distemper Be Cured

Answer 5

distemper, parvo, and kennel cough all start out with same symptons, DISTEMPER is Highly contagious and can not be cured like parvo and kennel cough. make sure you diagnose correctly. and call the vet before taklin them in. and if you decide to turn them into the animal shelter, make sure you let the officers know.