Common health problem called Distemper
25 Jul 2009
Another common health problem is Distemper. Distemper is the “greatest single disease threat to the dog world. Among puppies, the death rate from distemper often reaches 80 percent. The virus is spread through secretions in saliva, respiratory passages, urine, and feces and by inhalation of airborne droplets from sneezes and coughs. Dogs with strong immune systems can show little or no symptoms of the disease. In other dogs, the illness is mild. However, dogs with compromised immune symptoms, the disease and its secondary infections can be serious or even fatal.
Symptoms:
Distemper in its early stages may be misdiagnosed, because it begins as an upper respiratory infection resembling a cold., a fever of 103-105 degrees (normal for a dog is 100-102.5), loss of appetite, listlessness, and a watery discharge from eyes and nose. But keep in mind dogs do not get colds like we do, so if these symptoms arise with your puppy, call the vet’s clinic right away. After few days, the discharge will turn yellow and becomes thick and sticky and your pup will have a dry cough, and he/she may have diarrhea and vomiting. Within the first two weeks of the disease, the symptoms can fluctuate. Some dogs shake off the disease after this stage, but others progress into pneumonia and neurological involvement.
Treatment will consists of fluids to prevent dehydration, antibiotics to treat or prevent secondary infection, drugs to stop diarrhea and vomiting. Most vets recommend a course of vaccinations for puppies to build immunity because their mother’s antibodies will have diminish in the puppy’s body. Keep your puppy healthy and make sure you stay on top of all his vaccinations, you never know what he will come in contact with, it’s better to be prepared ahead of time.
