|  | Public Health Safety | Outdoor Safety

Distemper Vs. Rabies

Rabies and distemper are two potentially deadly diseases of several different species of domestic and wild mammals. Extremely infectious and easily spread from one animal to another, distemper is also transmitted in utero.

  1. Rabies (Hydrophobia)

    • Rabies is a virus that affects that the central nervous system. It can be passed from an animal to a human and is nearly always fatal after symptoms appear. Early symptoms seen in pets include changes in eating habits, restlessness, irritability and increased aggression. Later more pronounced symptoms will appear, like muscle spasms, convulsions, extreme aggression and ultimately paralysis. The extreme aggression led to rabies being called Mad Dog Disease. "Foaming at the mouth" happens when paralysis makes it impossible for the animal to swallow, so it drools and produces saliva that resembles foam.

    Canine Distemper (CVD)

    • Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), considered the most serious health threat to dogs in the United States, is transmitted through dog-to-dog contact. Early symptoms include coughing, a mucous discharge from the nose and eyes and poor appetite. As the disease progresses, diarrhea and vomiting occur, and ultimately the dog experiences seizures. There is no medical cure for CDV, but supportive care and antibiotic treatment of underlying infections can sometimes keep the dog alive until its own immune system kicks in and overcomes the disease. Eighty percent of puppies infected before six months of age die. The death rate in older animals is about 50 percent. Canine distemper also occurs in ferrets, foxes, wolves and other wild animals.

    Feline Distemper (Panleukopenia)

    • The disease referred to as Feline Distemper is Panleukopenia, a feline parvovirus. The only similarities with CDV are the signs and symptoms and the mortality rate. Even with treatment, 70 percent of infected kittens and up to 45 percent of adult cats die. Early symptoms include fever, depression, vomiting and diarrhea. A kitten born to an infected cat will suffer brain damage in the womb and will have a wobbly gait when it begins walking. Feline Distemper is highly contagious and occurs in domestic and wild animals. As with CDV, supportive care and treatment of underlying infections can help an animal defeat the disease.

    Vaccines

    • There are several safe, effective vaccines available for all three diseases. After the initial vaccination, booster shots are administered annually, or in the case of some rabies vaccines, every three years. Occasionally there are mild reactions to a vaccination like a low fever, soreness at the injection site or brief loss of appetite, but serious side effects are rare.

    Required Vaccinations

    • In the United States, all dogs must be vaccinated for rabies. Many communities now also require cats to be vaccinated. Due to the success of widespread immunization, the risk of a dog being infected by another dog is minuscule.

Outdoor Safety - Related Articles