Canine Distemper Surfaces Again

Some details on the Distemper outbreak From the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association:

Several media outlets in metro Denver have aired stories about raccoons and dogs being euthanized due to canine distemper, including coverage of an outbreak at the Colorado Humane Society (CHS) in Englewood.

The CHS shelter is presently closed. CHS personnel contacted the CSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for guidance in addressing the outbreak. Of the 50 dogs in the shelter at the time of the outbreak, 30 tested positive and were euthanized while 20 tested negative and were quarantined. The dogs that tested negative will be re-tested on Friday, April 10 and the shelter plans to resume operations shortly thereafter if the test results continue to be negative. CHS advises that any dog adopted in the last 60 days can be returned to the shelter for an eye swab and
testing.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has produced a great education brochure. It is available at:
http://www.avma.org/animal_health/brochures/canine_distemper....

A description of distemper from the Brochure:

Canine distemper is a highly contagious and serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and, often, the nervous systems of puppies and dogs. The virus also infects wild canids (e.g. foxes, wolves, coyotes), raccoons, skunks, and ferrets.

To help contain distemper outbreaks it is vitally important that our companions be vaccinated. If you are unsure if your canine companion is currently vaccinated against distemper, please contact your veterinarian to check the status. If your companion is not up to date on their vaccinations, please make an appointment right away.