Distemper in Dog

The Distemper is Viral disease that attacks dogs that are generally under one year old; and especially puppies between three and six months old, although older dogs can also get this disease. Most dogs get infected probably because they have inhaled the distemper virus, being the tonsils and bronchial lymphatic glands the first in suffering from the viral activity. The virus rapidly passes to the blood flow in one or two days. The symptoms vary depending on certain factors. It could be a "mild infection" when a healthy puppy all of a sudden becomes unwilling and is not hungry, and evidences low temperature without showing the characteristic catarrhals of distemper. In the "generalized infection" you will observe nasal and conjunctival flow, intermittent coughs and vomits. As the respiratory and digestive process advances, the animal loses appetite and saddens. Diarrhea appears containing streaks of blood. The dog starts having a high fever of up to 40°C although this high fever appears generally a week after the initial fever has started. The localized symptoms in the respiratory and digestive tract take some weeks to manifest. In "progressive cases", the classic symptoms of the disease can be made evident after four weeks of the initial contagion. The nasal and conjunctival flow becomes more and more pus-infected, dirtying the nasal openings. The presence of the virus on the skin is made evident in the hypercheratosis of the paw pads which produce a lot of pain and obligate the dog to limp. The breeding manifestations vary from a dry and soft intermittent cough, accompanied by a serious flow, to cough outbreaks wind animal gets excited or does any physical exercise. In the latter case he also suffers from exuding pneumonia and increased respiratory frequency, evidencing extreme depression. In a nervous breakdown, the symptoms can appear after the fourth week and on, and the intensity depends on where the encephalon and spinal cord are affected. There can be set in periodic convulsions that can leave paralyzing consequences, especially in the back legs, with varied intensity and or death due to respiratory paralysis. Because distemper is such a dangerous disease amongst puppies and young dogs, is extremely important that you vaccinate the puppy when he is eight weeks old, repeating the vaccination, along with other important vaccines that will help him in his growth, in the following weeks. Of course, all this must be done following direct advice from your vet. The diseases that puppies and young dogs get are almost always important and delicate.