Canine Distemper

Dogs

Canine distemper ( also called hard pad disease) is a highly contagious and serious viral disease caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and, often, the nervous systems of puppies and dogs. The virus also infects wild canids (e.g. foxes, wolves, coyotes), raccoons, skunks, ferrets and large cats, as well as pinnipeds, some primates, and a variety of other species.

Puppies and dogs usually become infected through airborne exposure to the virus contained in respiratory secretions of an infected dog or wild animal. Outbreaks of distemper tend to be sporadic. Because canine distemper also affects wildlife populations, contact between wild and domestic canids may facilitate spread of the virus.

Common symptoms:

The first sign of distemper is eye discharge that may appear watery to pus-like. Subsequently, dogs develop fever, nasal discharge, coughing, lethargy, reduced appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. In later stages, the virus may attack the nervous system, bringing about seizures, twitching, or partial or complete paralysis. Occasionally, the virus may cause footpads to harden.

The viral infection can be accompanied by secondary bacterial infections and can present eventual serious neurological symptoms.

Morbidity and mortality may vary greatly among animal species, with up to 100% mortality in unvaccinated populations of ferrets.

Despite extensive vaccination in many regions, canine distemper remains a major disease of dogs, and was the leading cause of infectious disease death in dogs, prior to a vaccine becoming available.

Download and read Canine Distemper Brochure prepared by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Distemper is often fatal. Even if a dog does not die from the disease, canine distemper virus can cause irreparable damage to a dog’s nervous system.

Adopting a dog from an animal control facility or shelter will save a life.

Did You Know?

In North America alone, millions of dogs are killed each year simply because there are too many for the number of homes available.

Purchasing dogs from commercial sources ensures the continued death of other dogs waiting for homes in our animal control facilities or shelters.

Dog adopted from an animal control facility or shelter will not cost any more to feed and are unlikely to require any greater care than purebred dogs.

Adopting a dog from an animal control facility or shelter will save a life. Dogs from these sources will not cost any more to feed and are unlikely to require any greater care than purebred dogs and they will be equally as loving, lovable and compatible with your family.

If for some reason you are set on having a particular breed of dog, there are many active breed rescue groups which concentrate on finding homes for existing dogs of virtually any breed.

At many of the animal control facilities or shelters, a substantial percentage of the dogs available are purebreds.

Animal control facilities or shelters and many active breed rescue groups can provide you with options to find a dog you want which do not involve promoting the continuation of dog overpopulation.