McCleary Animal Hospital
March 2010 Newsletter
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Distemper
Canine distemper is a highly contagious, often fatal, multisystemic viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems of dogs. Distemper is caused by the canine distemper virus (CDV), and is history's biggest killer of dogs.
Distemper is the greatest single disease threat to the world's dog population. Better than 50 percent of the adult dogs that contract the disease die from it. Among puppies, the death rate from distemper often reaches 80 percent. Canine distemper occurs worldwide, and once was the leading cause of death in unvaccinated puppies. But the good news is widespread vaccination programs have dramatically reduced its incidence. Every dog owner should understand how distemper spreads, what its symptoms are, and what to do if they think their dog might have the disease.
Causes and Symptoms
Distemper is caused by a virus that attacks dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, ferrets, mink, badgers, and other carnivores. Canine distemper virus is shed in all body secretions from infected animals; most animals catch distemper by breathing the virus in. Dogs may catch distemper by sniffing a wild animal's excrement, eating or drinking from a dish or pool where an infected animal has been, or merely by being near an animal that's infected. Dogs may spread the virus for several weeks during the illness and subsequent recovery period. Once inhaled, the virus moves to the lymph nodes, where it rapidly begins reproducing. It then spreads through the lymphatic tissue and infects all the lymphoid organs. This takes only two to five days. After six to nine days have passed, the virus spreads to the blood, then to the cell lining of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and central nervous systems. Once it has done this, symptoms begin to appear.
Early symptoms materialize about four days after infection and vary from dog to dog. Some dogs show no sign of any symptoms. Nonetheless, some common symptoms of distemper include:
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• Conjunctivitis (watery or pus-like discharge from the eyes)
• Fever (usually present but unnoticed)
• Pneumonia (coughing, labored breathing)
• Rhinitis (runny nose or discharge from the nose)
• Mild eye irritation
• Lethargy or listlessness
• Lack of appetite
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
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These symptoms are often exacerbated by secondary bacterial infections. Dogs almost always develop encephalomyelitis (an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord), the symptoms of which are variable and progressive.
If left untreated, distemper can lead to death. (About 50 percent of infected adult dogs, and 80 percent of puppies, die from distemper.) If the dog lives, it may have permanent damage to its nervous system - including a lack of sense of smell, hearing, or sight. Partial or total paralysis is not uncommon.
Often the early stages of distemper are ignored because pet owners think their dog has a mere cold. Don't make this mistake. If your dog has the sniffles, it's time to call the vet.
Vaccination is the only way to ensure your dog doesn't develop distemper. Ideally, your dog will be vaccinated when he's still a puppy. The general recommendation is that puppies should be vaccinated at six weeks of age, and re-vaccinated every three to four weeks until they are 16 months old.
One vaccination isn't enough protection for your adult dog, either, so make sure your pet's distemper vaccinations stay up-to-date. We recommend and administer a yearly distemper vaccination.
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Have you considered vet insurance?
Although no one wants to think about it when they pick up their new pet, accidents and illness are a part of pet ownership. Pet Insurance is a proactive means to make sure that money is available should there ever be a need.
The best time to sign up for pet insurance is the day you take your new pet home. Insurance companies do not cover pre-existing conditions, so the longer you leave it, the more chance of something happening and the less they are likely to cover the ailment. Policies often too, have a wait period before coverage kicks in so you don't want to be caught applying at the last moment.
When looking for pet insurance make sure to consider these things:
I. Your budget. While the premium plans sound nice, you don't want to be over-stretching to afford the monthly payment.
II. What does the plan offer? Some plans are lifetime lump sum, others are so much per incident, others so much per year. Make sure you know what you are buying.
III. As mentioned before, look at exclusions. Most companies do not cover hip dysplasia or other common abnormalities. If your breed is prone to certain conditions or diseases, make sure it's covered!
While there are many companies out there to choose from, here are a few that we've dealt with and a very brief summary:
Vetinsurance 1-800-930-1019 www.vetinsurance.com
This company offers a lifetime coverage amount of $15000. You can use it towards anything that the company covers. They cover up to 90% of the charges after the exam fee & first $25 of daily hospitalization fees. There are medical exclusions and a wait period.
Petsecure 1-800-268-1169 www.petsecure.com
This company offers 4 levels of coverage with 3 different deductibles. They cover up to 80% of the cost of care. Pre existing conditions excluded. There is a wait period for the plan to become active.
PetCare 1-866-275-7387 www.petcare.ca
This company offers a wide variety of plans with many different options. Coverage % depends on plan chosen. Pre existing conditions are excluded. There is a wait period for the plan to become active.
Pet Grooming
Grooming is an often over looked but very necessary part of pet ownership. Dogs with growing coats (Poodles, Shih Tzus, Schnauzers etc) should be professionally groomed every 6-8 weeks. Dogs with shedding coats should be done every 8-12 weeks. Cats can depend on the individual, but 1 to 4 times per year can be necessary, especially for heavy coated breeds such as Persians and Himalayans.
A dogs nails are often left to be done at those trips to the groomer. However proper nail maintenance for dogs should be much more frequent. Depending on where your dog exercises and the individuals nail growth, 1 to 4 times per month is best. The better you keep on top of the nail growth, the shorter they can be kept. This also prevents the nails from becoming ingrown or putting back pressure on the toes and affecting your pets' gait. Cat claws also need to be maintained as they can also become ingrown. Every 4-6 weeks for cats is recommended.
Home maintenance is absolutely essential between professional grooms. Some breeds require a daily brush out while others are okay with once a week. A good home routine also allows you to get familiar with your pets body and allows you to discover changes more quickly, should they occur. fhejownbfurewbnfrebgjbreglr
We are happy to offer full service professional grooming for your pet. Our staff will get you on the right track to step up your home routine and ensure that your pet is the best looking on their block.
Changes
McCleary's bids farewell to Lizz this month. As many of you know, she commuted quite far and now has the opportunity to work closer to home and spend more time with her dogs. She will be greatly missed by both staff and clients alike. We wish her the best in her future endeavours.
