What animals do canine and Phocine distemper virus respectively affect?

Canine distemper virus has been associated with marine mamals such as seals, dolphins, and porpoises. In 1988 in the North and Baltic Sea area of Northern Europe there was a massive outbreak of distemper in Phocine species. Particularly affected were the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina).

How is distemper virus prevented?

Preventing Canine Distemper

1. Make sure your puppy gets the full series of distemper vaccinations.
2. Keep distemper vaccinations up-to-date throughout your dog’s life and avoid any gaps in vaccinations.
3. Keep your dog away from infected animals and wildlife.
4. Vaccinate pet ferrets for distemper.

How do you explain distemper?

Distemper is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic dogs and other animals such as ferrets, skunks, and raccoons. It is an incurable, often fatal, multisystemic (affecting multiple organs) disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems.

What does distemper do to the body?

The virus infects the lungs, airways, nose, and eyes. It can also infect the brain and suppress the immune system. Distemper can cause serious illness and death in these animals. It does not cause illness in cats or people.

What is distemper seal?

Phocine distemper virus. Phocine morbillivirus, formerly Phocine distemper virus (PDV), is a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus that is pathogenic for pinniped species, particularly seals. Clinical signs include laboured breathing, fever and nervous symptoms.

Can dogs catch diseases from seals?

Never approach a sick seal and keep dogs well away – they could carry the disease and speed the spread of infection. Some diseases carried by sick or dead seals may also be transmissible to humans.

How do dogs catch distemper?

How is canine distemper spread? Puppies and dogs most often become infected through airborne exposure (through sneezing or coughing) to the virus from an infected dog or wild animal. The virus can also be transmitted by shared food and water bowls and equipment.

Can humans pass distemper to dogs?

Can people get sick with it? No, CDV does not infect people. However people can spread it to other dogs if they have the virus on their hands or clothing and then touch other dogs or their environment (e.g. kennel, toys, grooming tools).

Do seals carry distemper?

PDV was first identified in 1988 when a mass outbreak amongst seals in Northern Europe killed over 18,000 animals. The virus is similar to distemper virus caught by dogs and is highly infectious. It spreads between animals in close contact in much the same way as a cold spreads in humans.

Can seals get distemper?

Seals can be infected with canine distemper virus and it has caused mortality in seals in the past. Canine distemper virus is not uncommon in wild carnivores in the United States.