sheena Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Copy & paste from my FB CRESCENT HEAD VETERINARY HOSPITAL. Part of the triennial 'C3' vaccine, Distemper hasn't been diagnosed by vets in NSW for over a decade. The veterinary industry is now all a-buzz about the recent discovery. The confirmed diagnosis of this disease in a litter of puppies at Crescent Head vet puts emphasis on the importance of vaccination in all dogs. DISTEMPER OR DATEMPER? Have you heard of 'distemper' and aren't sure what it is or what it means for your pets? WHICH OF MY PETS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE? The disease is only carried in dogs and ferrets. It is not only highly contagious between dogs and between ferrets, but it can be transmitted from ferrets to dogs and dogs to ferrets. Both species can and should be vaccinated against distemper virus. If you are unsure of your pet's vaccination history, or you know your pet is overdue, please contact us today. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? As this disease has not been seen in a number of years, the virus is changing and symptoms different from 20 years ago are being seen. Gastrointestinal upset, difficulty breathing, high temperature, eye discharge, thickening of the nose and footpads and unusual behaviour are all signs of the disease. These symptoms can be seen individually, in series or in conjunction with one another. The disease can be so devastating that the prognosis for survival is not good. Even if pets survive the disease, the symptoms can be expected to return throughout their lives. HOW CAN IT BE TREATED? Quite simply, it can't. Symptoms can only be managed. This is why vaccination is so important. Especially now we know for sure it is in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 How awful.... Thanks for the heads up Sheena. Geez poor puppies I should share this news with a lady I know that has 3 beautiful standard Poodles that have NEVER been vaccinated as she doesn't believe in it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Distemper occurs down here especially in ferrets. It's why I keep thumping on about vaccinating ferrets, it's finally catching on a little but not enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 When I lived in PNG, our dog caught Distemper. One other thing to note is that even if your dog does recover from the initial disease, they are highly likely to develop meningitis as well... Our dog was extremely lucky to survive her battle with both and suffer no serious side effects... but it was completely heartbreaking to watch her go through it. Vaccinate your dogs/ferret people... it's the simplest guarantee that your dog/ferret won't contract this (or other) disease(s). T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Gosh T, it's a b awful thing. Your girl was extremely fortunate to have survived then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Gosh T, it's a b awful thing. Your girl was extremely fortunate to have survived then. She must have gotten her dad's genetic fortitude - he was a top showing Labrador who got out and impregnated the local mongrel bitch belonging to a neighbour's houseboi... *grin* We got her to the vet pretty quickly, and he pulled no punches about how sick she was, and that we could lose her... we cared for her at home after she spent 2 days on a drip at the vets. She got over the Distemper, but then contracted meningitis straight afterward... another 2 weeks of intensive home care, and she finally came good... and you'd never have known how close she came to losing her life during those 4 weeks of care... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Parvo doing the rounds in Coffs Harbour area at the moment & Kennel Cough is bad around Grafton. I have been thinking lately about maybe Titre testing, but it's times like this that I start to doubt whether I would be comfortable without their vaccinations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) A titre test is as good as a vax if it returns a result of good immunity don't forget :) Edited March 10, 2014 by kelpiecuddles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Distemper! I've never seen or heard of a dog with it for many years. I watched a few of our dogs die of distemper when I was a young girl. It was awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Foxes also have it. I think the article was referring to "pets" only, but unvaccinated country dogs sometimes catch it from the fox population. Initial symptoms can simply be those of a cold .... and the brain problems develop later. Nasty disease Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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