The distemper virus belongs to the genus morbillivirus, of the paramyxovirus family. It is very contagious, especially in puppies , who are severely affected.
A dog normally contracts distemper by inhaling the virus, it is usually by smelling bodily secretions of an infected dog because it eliminates the virus in them.
Once internalized, the virus divides and spreads throughout the body.
Distemper affects in different ways depending on the characteristics of the animal and the virus.
The age, the breed, the level of protection that we have administered to our dog against the disease and the strength of the virus will be the conditions that will govern the development of the disease, the evolution towards one form or another and the type of symptom.
We can find quite a few symptoms but they do not always have to appear all. We will differentiate between general symptoms and nervous symptoms . Among the former are a high temperature, mucosa, respiratory problems, conjunctivitis , diarrhea, vomiting, decay … Among the latter we find spasms, blindness and immobility .
Distemper in dogs is difficult to diagnose
If you notice several of these symptoms, it may be distemper, go to the vet for a diagnosis. At a first glance you will be able to make a presumptive diagnosis. The downside of the diagnosis of this disease is that it is not always easy to find out through observation and analysis since laboratory work does not give us 100% irrefutable results .
As we always say, the best treatment is prevention . This disease has a vaccine that will protect our animal if we follow the schedule set by the veterinarian.
If our furry has already contracted distemper, we will not find a unique treatment . Being viral, we will have to attack some of the symptoms such as dehydration, secondary pathologies and the symptoms that we qualify as nervous, although it is best not to reach that level because it is very dangerous .
