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The Top 10 Things To Know About Distemper In Dogs

2016/5/4 10:07:31

Distemper in dogs is a type of disease that can infect puppies and make them seriously ill. It was once highly deadly and killed over half the dogs that developed the disease before a vaccine was developed. Understanding how to prevent or treat distemper if it comes to that can help you in that you stand a much greater chance of your puppy surviving the illness. The main thing that you want to watch out for is making sure your puppy is vaccinated for distemper. Below are the top 10 things you should know about distemper.

1. Distemper is a great example of the success of vaccinations - but don't be mistaken. It is still a highly deadly disease and very much still a health risk to young puppies that are not vaccinated for it.

2. Nearly all dogs come into contact with the virus at some stage or another, but because each has varying levels of immunity there may be little to no effect. A small amount catch the disease and develop symptoms.

3. Distemper is a virus that enters the body and spreads to the lymph nodes where it kills the cells that provide viral defense. This weakens the immune system so the virus is then allowed to spread all around the body.

4. Depending on where it spreads, it can cause different symptoms and have different effects. Once it gets to the lungs it will cause pneumonia, in the intestines it will cause diarrhea or dehydration and if it gets to the brain it can cause paralysis or seizures.

5. At its worse stage distemper can kill a puppy or become so bad that they must be put to sleep. For this reason, vaccinations are still vital for protecting your puppy from the disease. With these, you'll find that distemper rarely causes a serious problem.

6. Distemper is highly contagious. It is passed on through a dog's sneezes or breathing most of the time. It can also be passed on simply from touching another dog's bowl or toys that the virus can live on.

7. If a dog catches the disease it takes a while to develop symptoms. Usually this is about 6 to 9 days. After this the disease progresses in stages that get more severe.

8. At first, dogs with distemper will have a fever. After a week they may experience a loss of appetite or energy and in more time the eyes can become sticky. Other symptoms may vary from dog to dog, but can include coughing, weight loss, nose discharges and skin eruptions as the disease gets worse.

9. It takes about 3 weeks for the disease to reach the brain and this is when things start to look very bad for the dog. This is when they experience the worst symptoms such as seizures, paralysis or encephalitis.

10. The easiest way to avoid the disease is vaccinations as a puppy. If they do get infected, usually they will be treated with antibiotics but there are natural remedies you can also try to help strengthen the dog's immune system and overcome the disease.

If you want to learn more about treatment for distemper in dogs and other related topics take a look at this page.