Letters
Letters CANINE HEALTH
Risk of re-emergence of canine distemper I AM writing to alert colleagues to the risk of the possible re-emergence of canine distemper virus in the UK. In recent years there has been a noticeable decrease in the frequency of vaccination of dogs against this and other serious diseases, and during my screening of geriatric dogs many owners report that they have stopped giving booster vaccinations because of unfounded concerns about the risks of ‘over-vaccination’. Over the past six months I have become aware of several confirmed cases of canine distemper and I am concerned that we could be on the brink of an outbreak. When I qualified (in 1976) we saw cases of distemper in my practice in Merseyside every week, and it was only when ‘herd protection’ was improved in the wake of widespread vaccination following the parvovirus pandemic that distemper almost disappeared from being seen in our practices. Occasional cases have been seen since, but many veterinary surgeons that I know have never seen a case and they would not necessarily consider it in the differential diagnosis of dogs with typical signs, which might include acute febrile gastroenteritis, mucopurulent ocular nasal discharges, pneumonia, neurological signs – CNS depression, uncontrolled muscular contractions (myoclonus), seizures – coma and death. Dogs could also present with severe skin disease (later hyperkeratosis of the pads), and puppies can be born with brown discoloured teeth due to a lack of dental enamel. Older dogs that have survived the acute disease can go on to develop ‘old dog encephalitis’. Those sceptical about the presence of canine distemper in the UK need only look at the ‘epidemic’ that has been seen in ferrets in recent years. It is here and, unless we increase vaccination rates, I fear we will be seeing this horrible disease re-emerge once again. If clinicians do not submit possible distemper samples for investigation from dogs with appropriate clinical presentations, the true incidence will not be clear – possibly until we are in the middle of an epidemic. Mike Davies, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire LE12 5RD e-mail: [email protected] doi: 10.1136/vr.g1493 178 | Veterinary Record | February 15, 2014
Letters CANINE HEALTH
Risk of re-emergence of canine distemper I AM writing to alert colleagues to the risk of the possible re-emergence of canine distemper virus in the UK. In recent years there has been a noticeable decrease in the frequency of vaccination of dogs against this and other serious diseases, and during my screening of geriatric dogs many owners report that they have stopped giving booster vaccinations because of unfounded concerns about the risks of ‘over-vaccination’. Over the past six months I have become aware of several confirmed cases of canine distemper and I am concerned that we could be on the brink of an outbreak. When I qualified (in 1976) we saw cases of distemper in my practice in Merseyside every week, and it was only when ‘herd protection’ was improved in the wake of widespread vaccination following the parvovirus pandemic that distemper almost disappeared from being seen in our practices. Occasional cases have been seen since, but many veterinary surgeons that I know have never seen a case and they would not necessarily consider it in the differential diagnosis of dogs with typical signs, which might include acute febrile gastroenteritis, mucopurulent ocular nasal discharges, pneumonia, neurological signs – CNS depression, uncontrolled muscular contractions (myoclonus), seizures – coma and death. Dogs could also present with severe skin disease (later hyperkeratosis of the pads), and puppies can be born with brown discoloured teeth due to a lack of dental enamel. Older dogs that have survived the acute disease can go on to develop ‘old dog encephalitis’. Those sceptical about the presence of canine distemper in the UK need only look at the ‘epidemic’ that has been seen in ferrets in recent years. It is here and, unless we increase vaccination rates, I fear we will be seeing this horrible disease re-emerge once again. If clinicians do not submit possible distemper samples for investigation from dogs with appropriate clinical presentations, the true incidence will not be clear – possibly until we are in the middle of an epidemic. Mike Davies, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire LE12 5RD e-mail: [email protected] doi: 10.1136/vr.g1493 178 | Veterinary Record | February 15, 2014
