SURVIVING & THRIVING
after distemper

Question:  "I work as a vet at a rescue. We are receiving dogs on transport that are "distemper survivors" and we have potential adopters that are afraid to adopt because of this. Can you discuss the long lasting effects of prior distemper infection and prognosis for these pups? Should we expect to see any symptoms now or down the road?"

UC DAVIS KORBET SHELTER MEDICINE RESPONSE:

• "We are happy to see that many shelters are progressing in their abilities to manage and treat distemper and on that same note working to prevent future outbreaks.
• Most dogs with distemper recover without complication. In fact, because infection is often subclinical or indistinguishable from kennel cough, we probably miss cases of distemper especially in shelters where disease is endemic. However, neurologic manifestations including seizures, optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve) and/or myoclonus (sudden, involuntary muscle jerking) can occur. These clinical signs are generally noted 1-3 weeks after recovery from respiratory and GI signs, but they can also occur concurrently or months after infection."

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"In our experience with helping many shelters through distemper outbreaks, reports of delayed clinical signs by adopters have been rare. Risk might be mitigated as well by proper vaccination practices where animals are vaccinated at the moment of intake and therefore might have partial immunity at the time of exposure."

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​possibilities of post-distemper consequences
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seisures--- possible

• Most dogs that have seizures tend to have a poor prognosis because they can be hard to manage, as well as progressive. If seizures are noted and not debilitating, anticonvulsants and, in some cases, anti-inflammatories can be used to manage this clinical manifestation.

Optic Neuritis---possible

• Inflammation in the optic nerve can lead to scarring and blindness. If active inflammation is noted, systemic anti-inflammatories may be required for the dog.

Myoclonus---possible

• Myoclonus (involuntary muscle spasms) in the absence of epileptic seizures is observed in dogs with encephalomyelitis secondary to canine distemper viral (CDV) infection. Neurological signs vary widely in dogs with CDV and represent where and if there are lesions in the nervous system. It is believed that the origin of the myoclonus is focal lesions causing pathological changes to the lower motor neurons of the spinal cord and cranial nerve nuclei. These lesion creates rhythmic muscle contractions1.  In one study, myoclonus was noted in 40% of dogs with distemper and most frequently affected muscles of the limbs and face2. This is higher than our staff has observed in our work with distemper in shelters – we speculate that this may be because often we work with shelters where there is at least partial vaccination protection that may mitigate the severity of illness (see below).

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