Fatal Mistake: Why Your Dog Needs Vaccinations

The canine distemper virus (CDV) causes a highly contagious
disease in dogs known as distemper. Dogs who contract distemper
suffer damage to their gastrointestinal, central nervous and
respiratory systems. It’s vitally important to vaccinate against
distemper as it is incurable and often fatal.

Puppies between the ages of three and six months are most
susceptible to the disease, although older dogs can also
contract distemper.

At one time, distemper was the leading cause of death among
puppies that had not been vaccinated. Since the distemper
vaccine was created in the early 60s, incidents of distemper and
distemper related deaths have dropped considerably.

CDV is transmitted via airborne viral particles that dogs
inhale. Infected dogs also shed the virus through bodily
secretions and excretions. This is why it is so easy for an
infected dog to cause the infection of another healthy dog.

Distemper causes a multitude of symptoms that include various
respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms to central nervous
system disorders. In fact, dogs that die as a result of
distemper actually die from central nervous complications caused
by the disease or from secondary bacterial infections.

Diagnosing distemper is difficult for a veterinarian to diagnose
as blood tests are not helpful in detecting the presence of CDV.
Successful diagnosis often relies on the ruling out of
comparative disorders whose symptoms can often suggest the
presence of CDV.

Because there is no cure for distemper, treatment for the
disease is supportive and a vet will attempt to treat the
symptoms as best as possible. A clean, warm, and draft free
environment should be created and maintained to ensure the dog
is as comfortable as possible. The eyes and nose should be kept
free of discharge, and medication to treat diarrhea should be
administered. Dogs suffering from distemper must be given plenty
of fluids to help reduce fever and prevent dehydration. Other
symptoms are treated as they appear if possible.

Like any viral disease, prevention is a much better and more
successful option than treatment and the best option is
vaccination during the early weeks of life. The distemper
vaccination creates a long lasting immunity to the virus, but it
is not permanent. Annual inoculations are recommended to
maintain the dog’s immunity to distemper. Most puppies are given
vaccinations that include distemper vaccine along with vaccines
for several other diseases.