Distemper

Distemper, acute and dangerous disease of dogs, analogous to influenza in human beings. In general, it attacks animals between the ages of two months and one year, although it can occur in older dogs. The disease frequently ends in death; even if the victim recovers, chorea, a disease marked by uncontrollable muscular twitching, and other nervous diseases often follow.

The primary cause of distemper is a filterable virus, but often the disease is complicated by secondary bacterial infections. Distemper is extremely contagious, and it is believed that the infecting virus is transmitted by airborne water droplets that are inhaled. The first symptoms of the disease are a rise in temperature, shivering, sneezing, lassitude, and discharges from the mouth and nose. As the attack continues pneumonia, convulsions, chorea, and paralysis may occur. The course of distemper is usually about four weeks, if the animal lives that long, and in later stages the victim may be extremely weak. The sick dog should be kept warm, dry, and quiet and should be fed small amounts of such easily digested foods as milk, raw egg yolks, and beef broth. During convalescence, overeating and overexercise should be avoided. No known medication will cure distemper, but serums and antibiotics administered by a veterinarian offer protection against secondary infections.

To prevent attacks of distemper, the American Veterinary Medical Association recommends annual vaccination of all young dogs except pregnant females. Multiple doses of attenuated live virus vaccine are believed to be more effective than passive immunizing agents of killed virus. In 1954 several new strains of distemper virus were discovered; authorities now believe that the vaccines should be modified periodically to include the viral types currently infecting dogs. A young puppy may be given temporary immunity by an injection of serum from a highly immune animal; but this type of injection must be repeated at regular intervals.