Cases of the highly contagious, often fatal, disease of distemper is occuring earlier than usual in the valley. As a result, the Arizona Humane Society has issued a community-wide health alert to pet owners within Arizona. Extra caution is urged as earlier than usual cases have also emerged as far away as Florida, Ohio and Georgia. While increased occurrences of distemper typically arise in the spring due to an increase in the number of litters of puppies, signs of the disease are appearing much earlier.
Evidence exists to suggest that two new strains of distemper have made their way to the US from Europe, putting elderly dogs at risk as well as the young. While the typical incubation period for distemper is 1-2 weeks, the two new strains may have even longer incubation periods. Distemper was once thought of as a disease that primarily affected puppies who have not had all of their “puppy” shots; however, there is evidence of older pets with unconfirmed vaccination histories becoming infected with the distemper virus.
Distemper is a whole body viral disease shed in bodily secretions of infected animals through inhalation. Once inhaled, the virus moves to the lymph nodes where it begins reproducing. The virus then spreads to the blood and the cell lining of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital and central nervous system of infected animals. It is extremely contagious and often fatal.
Symptoms vary from dog to dog, but often include: discharge from eyes/nose, coughing, lethargy, lack of appetite, callusing of nose/foot pads, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures. AHS urges people who see these symptoms in pets isolate their dogs from other animals and see a veterinarian immediately.
AHS emphasizes that while they vaccinate all animals upon intake into its shelter, it is imperative that the community is diligent in doing the same. They urge owners to update their pet’s vaccinations as directed by their veterinarian.
Exercise caution in communal areas such as dog parks, events, or other public events with unknown animals. Unvaccinated dogs are at the highest risk for contracting the disease. Currently, there is no specific treatment or cure for the distemper virus nor is there a fool-proof test to confirm or deny the diagnosis. In the event your pet is diagnosed with the distemper virus, a thorough cleaning of your home with disinfectant is necessary.
AHS is taking every precautionary measure available to ensure the health of the animals in our care and in our community. In addition, AHS is working closely with their vaccination representatives as new information becomes available while also working in conjunction with Oklahoma State University regarding a research study so they can gain additional information on the deadly virus.
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