I was devastated to learn that a dog that my friend adopted from the Oxford Lafayette Humane Society in May 2010, suffered from Canine Distemper and had to be put to sleep 3 weeks after the adoption. Ham Sammich came from an over-crowded home in North Mississippi, and was surrendered to the OLHS some time in the Spring of 2010. He was six months old at the time of adoption, and had received all of his shots/vaccinations. At first, Ham Sammich, (a daschaund-chihuahua mix) seemed fine, but after only a few days he developed a severe fever and would not eat. At an animal hospital in Illinois, doctors found that he had a very serious blood infection. It was determined that he suffered from Canine Distemper, an extremely contagious disease. Canine distemper is an incurable, often fatal, multisystemic viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems. It is caused by the canine distemper virus (CDV). CDV occurs among domestic dogs and many other carnivores, including raccoons, skunks, and foxes. CDV is fairly common in wildlife. The development of a vaccine in the early 1960s led to a dramatic reduction in the number of infected domestic dogs. It tends to occur now only as sporadic outbreaks. However, according to the OLHS, an outbreak of Distemper is "going around" the North Mississippi area. They suggested that even though Ham Sammich had received the vaccine for distemper, he was perhaps all ready infected when he arrived at the shelter.
I'm writing this post to inform the people of Mississippi of this silent outbreak, as I have searched for information about distemper "going around" and have found no information. I am a huge fan an supporter of the OLHS, and do not intend to blame or slander them with this information, but as I also could not find any information about distemper on their website, I think it's only fair to list what I've heard right here. The OLHS is a fine organization, greatly in need to funding to build a new and more adequate shelter in Oxford, Mississippi.
Be on the lookout for symptons of this highly contagious disease. Early symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, and mild eye inflammation that may only last a day or two. Symptoms become more serious and noticeable as the disease progresses. The initial symptom is fever (103°F to 106°F), which usually peaks 3 to 6 days after infection. The fever often goes unnoticed and may peak again a few days later. Dogs may experience eye and nose discharge, depression, and loss of appetite. After the fever, symptoms vary considerably, depending on the strain of the virus and the dog's immunity.
After my friend's dog was put to sleep, the vet strongly recommended that she dispose of all dog beds, blankets, collars and toys - anything that the dog had been close to - and also to bleach the floors of her home where the dog had lived.
