Canine Distemper

Definition
This disease is very contagious and it affects many other animals apart from dogs (foxes, coyotes, wolves, etc.).

Different Symptoms

• Mild disease or subclinic: it is associated with fever, transitory anorexia and mild conjunctivitis.
• Severe multi-systemic disease: there generally is fever, ocular and nasal secretions; there can be depression, anorexia, vomiting and diarrhea (and dehydration). In the beginning there will be dry coughing which will later turned to human coughing.
• Neurological signals: between 1 and 3 weeks after the beginning of the disease, you will notice these signals. They are progressive and variable. There might be convulsions, stumbled walking or in circles, lack of coordination, nervous tics, etc.
• Other symptoms include: ocular problems, abortions, perinatal mortality.

Treatment
You have to conduct a symptomatic treatment (according to the symptoms that show up) administering wide spectrum antibiotics, serum therapy, mucolytic agents, and anticonvulsive medicine, etc.

You have to bear in mind that nervous tics are untreatable and irreversible (sometimes from restive and incompatible with an adequate quality of life) and can often leave permanent sequels after the disease has been cured.

Prevention
Also in this disease, as you have seen due to the seriousness and animated mortality, the establishment of a good vaccination plan, environmental control and elimination of all the factors that can deprive the animal of immunity are the base to avoid this pathology in the puppy.