Furry friends battle distemper amid parvovirus infections

Kolkata: As parvovirus infection among dogs continue to haunt pet owners and animal lovers in the city, another viral infection — distemper — has been on the rise. It has proved fatal to scores of street dogs in the city over the last one week.
A highly contagious and potentially lethal disease caused by the paramyxovirus virus, it causes severe illness in dogs by attacking multiple body systems, resulting in a widespread infection that is difficult to treat.The canine distemper can occur round the year, but the virus is resistant to cold and so the majority of cases in domestic dogs occur in the late fall and winter. Vets feel the rise in distemper cases during this time of the year is mostly due to the skipping of vaccination (DHLPP) in most dogs owing to the pandemic last year.
“Almost every second dog I have been seeing at my clinic is suffering from either distemper or parvo virus. Distemper also has late symptoms that make it even difficult for us to treat. We have been asking pet owners and animal lovers to immediately see a vet the moment they see minor symptoms like fever, diarrhoea and muscle twitching,” said veterinarian Subir Bhattacharya.
Dogs get infected from contact with infected urine, blood, saliva, or respiratory droplets. “The transmission usually happens through droplets. It can be spread through coughing and sneezing or contaminated food and water bowls. We have been treating a number of such infected dogs at our clinic in Dhapa. We are keeping them in separate isolation chambers but saving young pups with low immunity is extremely challenging,” said Rajib Ghosh, co-ordinator, public safety of KMC health department.
A group of animal activists has also come forward to create awareness on social media and has been treating infected dogs on a regular basis.
“Distemper and parvo virus both need extreme level of social distancing between dogs. Due to lack of awareness and lack of treatment, everyday scores of dogs are dying in the city neighbourhoods. Hence, we have formed a shelter at Raja Dinendra Street for 45 dogs where those suffering from distemper and parvo virus can be treated,” said Prantick Chatterjee, who runs an NGO for street animals.