Dog Distemper Symptoms
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Dog Distemper Symptoms
There are various canine distemper symptoms, but they normally include thick pus discharges from the nose and eyes, as well as serious coughing and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pustules, convulsions, body/leg spasm, lack of apetite, weakness, intermittently high fever, and footpad thickening.
Certainly there are other diseases and conditions that may cause some of the same signs, many of which aren’t so serious and aren’t so difficult to treat. This causes some problems for diagnosis of the distemper in dogs, since a certain diagnosis can not be made based on symptoms alone. Confirmation of a diagnosis can only be done based on complex procedures of isolating the virus and fluorescent antibody technique. But experienced vets can make a reasonable informed diagnosis based on their clinical experience.
There Remains Much Research To Be Done
Like the majority of viral diseases, no specific drug that can attack the canine distemper virus in the body exists. Existing treatment focuses on preventing secondary infections linked to the disease, as well as controlling and limiting some of the symptoms like cough, diarrhea, and convulsion. Vitamins and other supplements are used to ward off infection and improve general health and immunity. Drugs like ether, and vitamins like vitamin C are often cited as therapeutically useful, though the evidence for this is not conclusive.
There are also dog distemper antiserum and vaccination available, but according to studies dogs who show symptoms of the disease already have antibodies, so these may not be therapeutically useful.
One important thing to point out is that animals raised in clean and hygenic environments show mild symptoms when they contract canine distemper. Secondary and opportunistic “bacterial-invaders” cause most of the severe and debilitating symptoms. The main effect of the virus itself seems to be to break down body tissue and lower the body’s immunity to other diseases.
The rate of survival of dog distemper isn’t particularly high, especially if the dog is exhibiting symptoms like convulsions and muscle spasms. Treatment and care is often a long and prolonged process, but in spite of aggressive therapy and care, many dogs eventually have to be euthanized in order to be humane and prevent the dog’s suffering. Prevention is of course the ideal scenario to aim for.
Vaccines and How They Work
It is useful to understand the basic facts of immunity and vaccination in order to understand the treatment of your dog’s condition. When a foreign substance enters into the body, the body reacts in an attempt to kill the foreign substance.
The formation of antibodies is one kind of reaction to such invaders. Antibodies are proteins circulating in the bloodstream, which attach to the foreign substance, forming a “harmless complex”. Antibodies start being made by the body after a few days, but once they are present, they remain for the longterm. Every new foreign substance will stimulate the creation of a different antibody.
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