Canine distemper attacks Cosmo City
COSMO CITY – The Randburg SPCA confirmed that there has been an outbreak of canine distemper in the area.
There has been an outbreak of canine distemper in the Cosmo City community since the beginning of June.
The Randburg SPCA confirmed that the virus, which has effected dogs in the area, has reared its ugly head. Canine distemper affects the respiratory, intestinal, central nervous system as well as parts of the eye.
Dr Samantha Ross of Blue Bush Animal Clinic said the symptoms of canine distemper are:
- Fever
- Poor or no appetite
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
- Cough or difficulty breathing
- Inflamed or painful eyes
- A discharge from the nose and/or eyes
- Thickening of the nose and foot pads
- Muscle contractions (most commonly of the jaw and temple muscles)
- Seizures
- Abortion of puppies or a female dog that has small, weak puppies.
- A dog that does not put on weight easily and is often ill.
The canine distemper virus has been a highly contagious disease which affects dogs. It spreads by droplets in the air either directly from dog to dog or indirectly via contaminated objects, insects or people who have been in contact with a sick dog. This means that your dog does not need to leave your property to become infected.
The virus can affect many different systems in the pet’s body and while some dogs have become severely ill, others have had very mild symptoms. Even mild cases needed to be treated and isolated from other dogs as they are still able to infect other animals – a precautionary measure that has been taken at the Randburg SPCA, according to general manager Craig Rudman.
Dogs with this virus are highly contagious for at least 60 days after they first become ill. The disease can cause terrible suffering for both the animal and its owners. There has been no cure discovered and treatment is purely supportive. Sadly, however, it is often fatal even with the best care and its highly contagious nature means that many vets cannot admit these cases.
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