Canine distemper is a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease seen in domestic dogs, ferrets, skunks, raccoons, and similar animals. Domestic dogs and ferrets are particularly susceptible to the disease. Domestic cats can also be infected by the virus but are generally asymptomatic, meaning they can carry the virus without showing any signs of illness.

Canine distemper is a multisystemic disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems. The disease is caused by the Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), which belongs to the Morbillivirus genus in the Paramyxoviridae family. Unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated dogs, particularly puppies, are at high risk. Despite vaccinations, this infection, which is one of the major viral diseases of dogs, is still observed in our country and many other parts of the world and causes significant mortality in shelters where dogs are housed in groups.

How is Distemper Transmitted?

Distemper is primarily transmitted through respiratory secretions (such as coughing and sneezing), but other bodily fluids like urine, vomit, and feces can also contain the virus. Contact with an infected animal is the most common way the disease spreads, but shared food bowls and contaminated materials, surfaces, and equipment also pose a risk.

Dogs, ferrets, and wild animals can be sources of this virus even if they appear healthy. Recovering dogs can remain infectious for up to four months or longer.

What are the Clinical Signs of Distemper?

As with all infectious diseases, clinical signs can vary. The primary clinical signs include diarrhea, vomiting, thick yellow discharge from the eyes and nose, coughing, head tilt, and neurological symptoms like paralysis. As the disease progresses, seizures become more frequent and severe. Involuntary urination and defecation are also common symptoms. The infection may occur without showing any symptoms. The course of the disease can be as short as 10 days, but neurological symptoms may not appear for weeks or even months. Dogs that recover from the disease often have permanent neurological muscle twitching and recurrent seizures.

How Can I Prevent My Dog from Getting Infected?

The best way to prevent canine distemper is to vaccinate your dog, starting at six to eight weeks of age, with revaccination every three to four weeks until they are 16–20 weeks old. This vaccine is recommended for dogs aged four to six weeks and older. Dogs older than 16 weeks should receive two doses of the vaccine three to four weeks apart, followed by a revaccination one year later. After this, revaccination every three years is recommended. Dogs that have recovered from a natural infection have lifelong immunity against CDV.

The virus is short-lived at room temperature and can be inactivated by heat and many common disinfectants. Routine cleaning and disinfection, as well as avoiding contact between infected dogs, help prevent the spread of CDV.

Ensuring proper biosecurity between puppies and other animals and isolating sick animals is very important.

This blog post has been verified by Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Yunus Emre AŞICI.

SOURCES

Carvalho OV, Botelho CV, Ferreira CG, Scherer PO, Soares-Martins JA, Almeida MR, Silva Júnior A. Immunopathogenic and neurological mechanisms of canine distemper virus. Adv Virol. 2012;2012:163860. doi: 10.1155/2012/163860. Epub 2012 Nov 4. PMID: 23193403; PMCID: PMC3501799.

Rendon-Marin, S., da Fontoura Budaszewski, R., Canal, CW ve diğerleri. Köpek distemper virüsünün tropizmi ve moleküler patogenezi. Virol J 16 , 30 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-019-1136-6