How to prevent and treat canine distemper? Practical methods explained in one go

Canine distemper is a highly contagious, fatal infectious disease of dogs caused by the canine distemper virus. The disease spreads quickly and has a high mortality rate, making it one of the major diseases that seriously threaten the life and health of dogs.

Canine distemper can occur in all four seasons, but is especially common in winter and spring. Recently in Jinan, dogs have also died from distemper. Dogs of any sex or age can be infected. Puppies are more susceptible than adult dogs. Purebred dogs and police dogs are more susceptible than native dogs, and their mortality rate is also higher.

The disease is mainly transmitted through contact and air, therefore, contacting sick dogs and inhaling droplets from the secretions of sick dogs are the main routes of infection. The canine distemper virus is present in large amounts in the respiratory secretions of sick dogs.

This disease should be focused on prevention. Treatment can only have a certain effect on dogs in the early stage of illness; for dogs that already have obvious clinical symptoms, medication is unlikely to be effective. In daily life, the following preventive work should be done well:

① Regular preventive vaccination. At present, the canine distemper vaccine produced in our country is a cell-cultured attenuated vaccine. For puppies, the first immunization time is at 6 weeks of age; the second immunization is carried out at 8 weeks of age; the third immunization is carried out at 10 weeks of age, and afterward immunization should still be given once a year. The vaccine can use the currently marketed six-combined vaccine or five-combined vaccine.

② Once a sick dog showing signs of canine distemper is found, the sick dog should be isolated immediately, and contact between the sick dog and healthy dogs must be strictly prohibited.

③ The kennels and items used by the sick dog should be burned as much as possible, and the surrounding environment should be thoroughly disinfected with caustic soda, sodium hypochlorite, Baidusha, etc.

④ For dogs that have not yet become ill but may be infected and dogs threatened by the epidemic, immediately carry out emergency preventive injection with canine distemper hyperimmune serum.

⑤ During the epidemic period of this disease, it is strictly forbidden to bring in outside dogs, and dogs kept should be kept from contact with other dogs as much as possible.