[DSudd]

http://www.11alive.com/life/pets/story.aspx?storyid=116354&catid=79

I was surprised when I heard about this on the news this morning. Recently there have also been problems with Parvo at shelters in the area.

Just wondering if distemper is like parvo. I know that if your pup ends up with parvo the virus can stay around for a long time. Is distemper the same?

 

[jarn]

i'm not sure. that's really sad though.

i've seen distemper in a humane society i volunteered at (horribly dysfunctional place; give me the city-run kill shelters any day), and i do know there is a very high mortality rate and that it's airborne, so you have to be careful about your clothes etc in terms of transmission.

 

[DSudd]

Seems like it could be really bad. Anyone know if it is one of those things, that can be airborn and affect animals not in the shelter?

 

[arycrest]

Originally Posted By: DSuddSeems like it could be really bad. Anyone know if it is one of those things, that can be airborn and affect animals not in the shelter?

I know that a person walking in an area that's infected can pick the virus up on their shoes/clothing and infect dogs they come in contact with. I don't think it's like Parvo and stays around for a long time, but I may be wrong. I don't see why it couldn't be caught air borne, but don't know for sure.

In 1968 I bought an OES puppy, Ichabod, and was waiting for him to get old enough to take home. The breeder went to a show and brought the virus home to her litter of puppies. Even though the pups had their puppy shots, little Ichabod got it and died. Fred got it and lived. Abbey and Thor never got it. Abbey was the pick of the litter but Sue let me take her in place of Ichabod who was pet quality. She was a great dog and had a wonderful life. Sue and I have remained good friends for 40 years.

 

[DSudd]

So it seems that even vacinated dogs can get this. Kind of wonder the purpose of the vacinations if vacinated dogs can still get sick.

Maybe things have improved in the past 40 years.

 

[jarn]

Puppies and kittens seem to be particularly at risk.

But yeah - I was mad when I was volunteering b/c they didn't tell us until we were already in the nurseries - I was supposed to go catsit my brother's cat (UTD on shots) and a cat that lived in the same building as him (not UTD on shots, and adopted out from that humane society as an unspayed adult,sigh) - I had to go home, and even though my cats were UTD, I had to take off my clothes in the entry way, bag them and stick them in the freezer (didn't have an in-house washer/dryer), shower, and then go catsit. I don't know if they were being super cautious telling us to use those precautions, but my understanding is that even if your animals has been immunized, you still don't want to take the chance.

 

[Avamom]

Distemper is a nasty virus, yes its airborne so its passed through sneezing, coughing, etc and sharing air in close quarters thats why it spreads so quickly in shelters and kennels...luckily it doesn't survive long outside a host and is inactivated by heat, sunlight and most cleaners. Vaccinations usually do prevent it, but nothing is 100%, vaccinations are only as good as the procedure used and health of the dog at the time....if a vaccine wasn't keep at the appropriate temp before being given or if given to a dog that is sick then that dog isn't truly protected, that is usually how dogs get sick when the owner is saying "but he's vaccinated".

 

[Maedchen]

Did you read the last paragraph in that article?

Otherwise, she and other vets will have to do what she did today. A client brought in a mother dog and puppies that had been exposed to the parvo virus, because they hadn't been vaccinated. Their owner couldn't afford to care for them, and brought them to the vet's office because the shelter was in quarantine.

Dr. Duncan had to euthanize them all.

This Banfield vet killed all the dogs, bc they had been exposed to parvo (doesn't say, that they acutally were sick w. parvo!!) and the owner didn't had the means to care for them. Wow! She must really care a lot about animals.