Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Jun 25

What is distemper in puppies?

Distemper in puppies is totally avoidable with vaccination, however many dog owners do not see this as something to concern themselves with.

Basically, when a puppy is weaned and definitely by 9 months of age, their maternal immunity ceases to be effective and they are susceptible to any viruses or diseases that come their way - unless they have been vaccinated obviously.

Needless to say that at this time they have an increased chance of getting distemper, and it is likely as they will be socialising with other dogs in their first year and will be very excited about the whole thing - they will probably eat all sorts of things they are not supposed to as well - possibly ingesting parasites, and other infectious agents.

Puppies will show the same distemper symptoms as dogs show, and will possibly be setting themselves up for some disabilities in their old age. They can also get one well known ‘classic sign’ while still young - and they are known as ‘distemper rings’.

Basically a distemper attack in a young puppy (under 6 months of age) can affect the growth of enamel (the hard protective outer-casing) on all it’s teeth . What this results in is a permanent sign of the infection visible as damage to the enamel, or missing enamel (exposing the sensitive dentine layer) on it’s permanent adult teeth.

So, the puppy will have weaker teeth as a youngster, so a higher risk of oral disease, tooth decay and broken teeth (which can affect overall nutrition and coat quality as well as internal organ damage). Do not buy a puppy with these signs on it’s teeth.

Distemper in puppies is therefore a ruined life. This disease is not fatal, but it is disabling, and there is no need for any dog to have to suffer for the sake of a single vaccination.

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posted by admin on Jun 21

Can my kitten get distemper?

Kittens (and cats) do not get distemper - only dogs and mammals related to dogs such as foxes and racoons can become infected with distemper and spread it to other dogs or dog-related mammals.

So there’s no need to worry about how often does a kitten get a distemper shot or symptoms of distemper in kittens, as there is no such shot - kittens don’t get distemper, and distemper in cats is unheard of!

So, go worry about something else….

posted by admin on Jun 19

What are the distemper vaccine side effects?

Unfortunately, as with every vaccine in the modern world, there can be side effects. There is no way of knowing whether an individual animal with react to a given vaccine, so if the chances of coming into contact with a life-threatening disease or serious virus are high, a vet will always recommend the vaccine.  On the other hand you could well say that the side effects of the vaccine was to extend the life of your pet.

Although distemper will not normally cause the death of your pet, if they become infected - they can be left with some serious and permanent disabilities when older.

If it’s a toss up between your dog getting either distemper or the vaccine side effects, you would be wise to choose the vaccine. Not only should the vaccine keep your dog safe, it should also protect the local dog population of where you live. The more dogs that contract distemper, the more likely it is to mutate and become more aggressive.

Don’t forget though that although individual vaccines work on only on individual animals, if a high enough percentage of animals are NOT vaccinated (as little as 15% in some diseases) then the disease could evolve to become resistant to some available vaccines.

Some people are saying that ’so-and-so disease is not so common anymore’ so you don’t need to vaccinate for it, but of course the fact is that you don’t see these diseases anymore BECAUSE people vaccinate their pets. It just obviously didn’t occur to these people to think it through.

Take the example of Polio: Do you worry about Polio anymore? No, we were all immunised as youngsters, but if we stopped vaccinating kids these days - you can be sure that it will come back!

If you don’t vaccinate your pet for fear of side effects, then not only is your pet vulnerable to that disease which you didn’t vaccinate it for, but it is also helping the disease to get a foothold in the population due to mutations and become drug resistant making hundreds or thousands of animals vulnerable in the future.

Think of the current problem we have with tuberculosis in humans - so many people did not get or couldn’t afford treatment for it or abused the medicines for it in the past 20/30 years, that there are now strains of the virus that cannnot be treated at all; the same is happening with penecillins.

Always follow the vaccination guidelines given by your vet or veterinary body of your country, and always follow the instructions correctly for any medications or treatments for your pets given to you by your veterinarians - if it doubt ask again.

There are people who swear by ‘natural treatments’ for some diseases, or ‘preventative herbs’, etc, but is it worth the risk? You wouldn’t apply a bandage to an uninjured leg, or use head lice treatment on your feet, so why would you treat a highly contagious and fatal viral infection in your dog with herbs or human medicine? Why would you give your pet one tablet instead of the 2 your vet advised? Why would you give your pet a tablet on an empty stomach when it specified to give with food - as without the digestive juices produced during eating, the tablet will not release its active ingredients and will no doubt pass out of your pet without having done what you had paid for it to do!!!!!

No wonder that it seems like your vet charges you a fortune for treatment - it’s because medicines they prescribe for your pet don’t work if you don’t administer it properly. And if it doesn’t work, you have to go back and they have to prescribe you more of something else or something stronger. Which will cost you even more money!

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posted by admin on Jun 16

There is no cure for distemper.

Vaccination is the only way to prevent your dog getting this virus, but once it has contracted the disease there are treatments available.

Vaccination occurs with a live vaccine - but in a very mild non contagious form - allowing the virus to multiply in that animal only and to stimulate a mild response, making that animal resistant to the real virus if it should ever attack.

Puppies can be safely vaccinated from around 9 weeks of age, with the primary vaccination programme completed at your vets by around 12 weeks. It can of course be given to any dog at any point in time if it’s vaccination history is unknown or any annual boosters were missed.

Treatments:

There is no specific therapy for CDV so treatment remains symptomatic - basically your vet can only treat what you see in each animal on an individual basis.

They may recommend broad spectrum antibiotics - for the bacterial infections which should help limit infections in affected animals.

They may offer:

Intravenous fluid therapy - to compensate for the water and electrolyte losses in a sick or physically disable animal.

Anti-emetics (anti-sickness) and anti-diarrhoeal drugs - to control the feelings created by uncontrolled movement and feeding issues.

Anti-convulsants - to treat any nervous signs (including seizures and twitching)

Treatment close to the time of infection may be short lived and could be the only treatment you need. However treatment for old age or advanced distemper will be ongoing from identification or diagnosis until your pet dies, as all distemper symptoms and disabilities will be permanent.

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posted by admin on Jun 13

What are the distemper symptoms seen in dogs?

The distemper virus has an incubation period of about 7-21 days before you will even see any distemper symptoms in your pet. Sometimes you don’t even really notice them.

Any distemper symptoms you will see should fall into one of the 3 categories listed below, but there can be a progression though all three stages of the disease, so your pet will show the different distemper symptoms shown in each example:

Mild Distemper:

This is rarely diagnosed, as there is a rapid recovery before you notice there was anything wrong in the first place. It is sometimes seen, by a particularly observant owner, as a period of depression (change in behavior), anorexia (refusal to eat or eating very little) and mild and short lived pyrexia (a raised temperature).

Acute Distemper:

Within 7 days of exposure to the distemper virus, the dog will become depressed, anorexic and pyrexic as above, but for longer and this will usually be much more noticeable than mild distemper. Within 48 hours of the pyrexia, the temperature will return to normal, but may rise again in susceptible dogs such as those with known illnesses including immunosuppression or those with a secondary bacterial infection.

Other noticeable distemper symptoms for the acute form can include:

Tonsillitis or pharyngitis (infections of the area at the back of the mouth) usually with a dry cough

Conjunctivitis (infection of the eye)

Rhinitis (irritated nasal passages), usually with a discharge

Pneumonia (inflammation of the lung tissue)

Vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and general loss of body condition

Hyperkeratosis (hardening and thickening) of the nose and foot pads, and increased pain in these areas

Mortality can be high, but is recoverable if the distemper symptoms above are spotted early and treated promptly.

If acute disease develops in a dog that is less than 6 months old, it may permanently damage the enamel on their adult teeth as a result, leaving noticeable damage which is sometimes referred to as ‘distemper rings’.

Nervous Disease Distemper:

Approximately 50% of all dogs with acute distemper go on to develop nervous signs. The type and severity of which vary with each individual animal, as will the symptoms.

In some instances, nervous disease distemper will occur without showing any of the acute symptoms above and some time after the original infection and can have many forms.

Onset of nervous disease distemper symptoms is not fatal, but is not a good sign for the animal in general. It is likely that it will now be affected by it’s symptoms for the rest of it’s life due to the viral effect on the brain and nervous system. Nervous disease distemper symptoms can include:

• Head tilt
• Blindness
• Seizures
• Circling and pacing behavior
• Ataxia - unbalanced walking or gait
• Dysmetria - unequal movements of the limbs
• Hypermetria - a high stepping gait
• Nystagmus - random flicking of the eyeballs
• Chorea (rapid muscle movements) or twitching associated with any group of muscles
• General weakness of the body
• Paresis (muscle weakness)
• Occasional paralysis (loss of function) of the hind-limbs
• Faecal and/or urinal incontinence (loss of control)

There are also cases where the signs of nervous disease are not noticed until years after the initial distemper infection and symptoms. This is only identified in more elderly animals when coordination is lost and behaviour changes are noticed. This is often tagged as ‘Old Dog Encephalitis’ (ODE) and is actually a diagnosable degenerative brain disorder.

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posted by admin on Jun 10

Feline distemper symptoms…..

Distemper in cats does not exist - basically cats do not get distemper. So there is no need to worry about the distemper symptoms in cats, or the treatment of distemper in cats.

Cats and kittens do not get distemper - only dogs and mammals related to dogs such as foxes and raccoons can become infected with distemper and spread it to other dogs or dog-related mammals.

Your cat is safe from this one…..

posted by admin on Jun 3

Can steam cleaning stop the distemper virus?

Any precautionary measures taken can help to reduce the likelihood of dogs contracting distemper - as with any other disease or infection - and steam cleaming can be a part of the prevention process.

Distemper is passed on when the virus is shed in the urine, faeces, vomit, drool from an infected animal, as well as in the discharge from the nose and eyes. As a result, it is assumed that inhalation is the most likely route of infection so reducing this form of transmission is essential in distemper control.

However, steam cleaning alone cannot ’stop’ the distemper virus - as only the vaccination and a really healthy immune system response can prevent your dog becoming infected with distemper if it actually comes into contact with the virus.

There are however, many of ways to limit the chances of your dogs coming into contact with the virus, including but not exclusive of the following - which of course will help to prevent a huge number of other illness as well:

Concerning the dogs themselves:

• Get you dog vaccinated at the earliest opportunity and keeping up-to-date with boosters.
• Limit the contact of puppies with dogs or other puppies from different sources prior to vaccination.
• Do not purchase or sell your puppy from mixed litter groups from different sources.
• Do not keep puppies from different litters and locations together in kennels or pet shops.
• Do not mix unvaccinated dogs from different locations in kennels or large enclosures.

Concerning their environments:

• Steam clean any large outdoor or indoor areas used by different dogs.
• Use lime/bleach/anti-bacterial/anti-viral pet-safe products around kennels and yards and clean regularly.
• Never put another animal into an uncleaned kennel or run previously used by another dog.
• Quarantine new/unknown animals from existing animals until it’s health or vaccination record is complete to your satisfaction.
• Make sure all animals are wormed and treated for parasites as this can affect their ability to fight off the virus.
• Isolate any sick animals from the healthy individuals to reduce contamination.
• Secure your yard or garden from stray dogs, foxes, racoons, etc to limit their contact with your pets.

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posted by admin on May 28

Can you get canine distemper in raccoons and is there such a thing as skunk distemper?

There are many species of animal that can carry and become affected by distemper, including raccoons, skunks, foxes, badgers, mink and ferrets, and as with dogs it has high morbidity rates and variable mortality rates depending on the animal involved.

If you find that any of these mammals (all within the ‘dog’ family) are frequently using your yard as a pass-through or home, then you must protect your dog with the vaccine. You will never be able to make sure that your pet didn’t come into contact with the urine or faeces of an infected animal on your land or in local woods accidentally inhaling the infected virus - so you shouldn’t take the risk.

As wild animals will soil anywhere they go, and particularly with scent marking, there will be a high risk of your dog catching the virus if any of the wild animals became infected and then wandered onto your land or into nearby woods.

If you find or notice dead or sick animals around your property and your dog is not vaccinated than it may be advisable to either vaccinate him then, or to take the wild animal to a local vet for testing and react on their findings - however, as there is currently no cure for distemper, your dog may have to live with the consequences of your decision.

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