Memorial Road Pet Hospital
Distemper
What Is Distemper?
The canine distemper virus is closely related to the human measles virus.
While the virus is shed in most body secretions, including urine, the infected dog typically spreads the disease through coughing, shedding infected secretions that get inhaled by the new host.
Mucosal Stage
Symptoms begin with:
Gooey eyes
Nasal discharge
Fever
Poor appetite
Coughing
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Callusing of the nose and footpads
Whether or not the virus is able to penetrate the central nervous system depends on the dog's ability to make antibodies.
Neurological Stage
Symptoms at this stage of the disease may become permanent or long-lasting:
Tremors
Twitching
Imbalance
Limb weakness
Seizures, classically starting with snapping or tremors of the jaws that progress to convulsions of the whole body.
To learn more about Distemper, click here.
