Canine Distemper

Canine distemper is a dangerous disease causing death of puppies from 2 - 6 months old. Adult dogs are rarely infected ( rare but not without occuring ). Because there are no specific drugs for treatment of this disease we have to treat the symptoms of this disease in dogs, some of the dogs after being successful treated have neurologic sequelae such as standing astride, shivering when traveling.

1. Symptoms
- Most of dogs that have just had the disease exhibit no clinical signs. Therefore when dogs were detected to get the disease, the disease is often in acute form with high temperature from 39- 42^oC, infected dogs manifest inflamatory mucous membranes, swollen eyes, ocular discharge and continuous rheum.

Ocular discharge and rheum in an infected dog

- The infected Dog has acute purulent pneumonia with dyspnea, wheezing, moaning. The dog may have gastrointestinal inflammation so exhibits continuous vomiting, bloody and mucus diarrhea. Because of inflammatory bowel syndrome, the dog may have exhaustion, dehydration, losing electrolytes and die very quickly
-Neurologic signs are also common such as ataxia, convulsion, rolled up eyes, salivation On the face, abdomen and axillae pustular dermatitis may be seen. The pustules then burst dry and crust over 1. Onset of the disease the clinical manifestations of an infected dog include anorexia or loss of appetite only drinking water, then high ferver ( từ 40 – 40.5^oC within 24 – 48h )
- At the stage of fever the eyes are red
2.In the middle stage of the disease
- After fever in the first stage, the body temperature returns to normal and the dog begins eats a little but is still depressed and exhausted
- 3 – 4 days later a second fever occurs, which may be longer than the first one ( 3 – 4 days)
- In this period, the dog's heartbeat increases clearly, there is a lot of nasal and ocular discharge, the dog may have catarrhal, inflammation of respiratory tract accompanied with dyspnea
- The affected dog exhibits wheezing, bloody or mucus foul due to containing intestinal mucus and in coffee colour
- Pustules may appear in the abdomen, axillae

Diarrhea with blood in an infected dog

3. In the final stage
- In this period up to 99% of the infected animals can not be cured (in case detected late or drug not used regularly in the 2 early stages. But if the disease is detected early and the animal is injected with drug, there may be opportunities for the animal to be cured).
- In this period the infected dog lose appetite completely and may have bloody diarrhea and loses weigh very quickly accompanied with sunken eyes, abnormally sunken abdomen, rough coat, ataxia or lying in one place, can not open its eyes well and die after 12 - 24 hours. If infection of the dog lasts from 10days or more, the neurological signs will appear: the dog may have convulsions or run into the wall. When touching barrier the dog may seizure or frothing at the mouth
4. Prevention of the disease
Live attenuated distemper vaccine is given to dogs.This vaccine is safe, and can protect dogs from 6 months to 1 year. Because antibodies from the mother can protect their puppies from 4-6 weeks, vaccine should only be given to puppies from 2 months of age, To ensure efficacy, vaccine should be boostered when the puppies at the age of 3.5 months. For pet dogs and police dogs it is nescessary to use immunized antiserum. In principles, prevention of distemper in dogs, antiserum should be used for dogs that have just been infected or better in healthy dogs but have had contact with infected dogs. 3 weeks after antiserum used these dogs should be vaccinated. Multivalent vaccine can also be used to limit times of injections. An injection can prevent from 5 to 6 diseases such as influenza, coughing, rabies, distemper.Treatment of canine distemper in dogs is only successful when the dogs are well taken care of and treated under the following regimens:
+ Intravenous infusion:
Glucose saline is infused to dogs helps provide energy, assisting in heath, rehydration and intoxication, along with injection of CATOSAL and ATROPIN against vomiting
Canine distemper in dogs is often accopanied with other disease such as necrotic enteritis, influenza, rabies. Antibiotics can be used to prevent secondry infection, one of the following drugs can be administered:
- MARFLO-45% is administered I.M or S.C at dose of/10-15kg B.W. An injection can have effect for 3 days
- CEFQUINOM 150 is administered I.M or S.C at dose of 1ml/8-10kg B.W. An injection can have effect for 2 days
- MARPHAMOX-GEN-LA ( HIGH EFFECTIVE ANTIBIOTIC FOR DOGS) is administered I.M or S.C at dose of1ml/8-10kg B.W. An injection can have effect for 3 days