Luellen Painter, age 14, of Gastonia, N.C., for her question:
WHAT CAUSES DOGS TO GET DISTEMPER?
Nowadays dog distemper is caused by careless pet owners. They know, or should know, that a puppy or dog should be vaccinated to protect him from this dreadful disease. In the old days, before these shots were invented, most dogs caught distemper from each other, and more than half of them died from it.
A dog is a devoted and intelligent pet. But he is not smart enough to ask a vet to give him his anti-distemper shots. Besides, even if he could, he is not likely to have the pocket money to pay for the treatment he most certainly deserves. Hence it is the duty of his owner to make sure that a puppy gets the shots he needs to protect him from both distemper and rabies.
The cause of dog distemper was discovered way back in 1904 by Louis Carre of France. The germ that causes it is called Carrels virus, and the dreadful sickness may be called Carrels disease. The disease is contagious and attacks mink, foxes and ferrets as well as wild and domestic dogs. It is spread by an infected animal in the droplets from his runny eyes and nose.
Before the virus was identified, almost all puppies were bound to catch distemper and perhaps half of them died. Those that survived the attack were immune to the disease for life. This made it possible to produce a protective vaccine by giving them a .mild attack of distemper or some closely related disease. After he has his shots, your dog will never get a fatal attack of distemper.
If we neglect this, he is almost sure to catch the disease at some time during his life. In this case, there is no sure cure to save him. However, if he is taken immediately to an animal doctor, his chances of survival may be improved. Infected dogs often recover when treated with antiserums, antibiotics and other drugs.
Usually the dreadful disease develops one or two weeks after a nonvaccinated dog has been infected. He has a high fever and loses his appetite. He gets runny eyes and a runny nose. Later he suffers jerky spasms, and in his weakened condition he often develops fatal pneumonia.
Cats may be attacked by a somewhat similar distemper virus. They, too, should be given their special cat distemper shots. The time to solve these problems once and for all is when you adopt a new dog or cat into the family. The first order of business should be to take your new pet to the vet to make sure that he gets all the future protection available.