Researchers at the University of Tennessee-College of Veterinary Medicine (UT-CVM) have investigated recent outbreaks of canine distemper. Canine distemper is caused by an adenovirus that affects multiple body systems. It is highly contagious with no known cure. We had thought that canine distemper was well controlled by our country’s history of repeat vaccination of pet dogs, but these new outbreaks are alarming.
The scientists at UTCVM noticed the occurrences of distemper (thought by most to be very nearly contained) and decided to find out what is going on. What they found was a novel strain of canine distemper virus that has significantly deviated from the known strains. According to their findings the new strain first appeared in 2011 in multiple states in the southeast US. It may be associated with the wildlife population, but could become an emerging issue in pet dogs.
Their research hoped to shed light on the controversy surrounding vaccination in pets and people. Certain groups have alleged that veterinarians (and even pediatricians) are giving unneeded vaccines to those in their care for economic gain. The same groups have postulated that vaccines provide much longer immunity than was originally stated and have implicated overzealous vaccination in several long term, debilitating diseases. Doctors need to know the risks and benefits of the treatments they give to their patients.
This scope of the study did not examine whether or not the new strain is genetically distinct enough to evade current vaccines, so keeping your dog current on canine distemper vaccination is still very critical. They did discover that the majority of cases of the new strain were in dogs with incomplete vaccination history or no vaccination at all.
This suggests that reducing our vaccine rates may not be a good idea and may have even contributed to the formation of this strain. These findings cause question about 3 year duration vaccinations for canine distemper and this may need to be reevaluated.
The risk of side effects from CDV vaccinations is low when compared to the emergence of a deadly new strain. The final advice of this study is to maintain high vaccination rates using the most efficacious vaccines should be given highest priority to control canine distemper.
Don’t let bad advice about vaccines kill any more dogs. Ask your veterinarian why he/she chose the type of vaccine offered at their practice. There are certainly many excellent choices to effectively vaccinate dogs with ultra-pure product, providing the best immunity and the lowest risk of side effects and your vet can tell you how to truly protect your dog.
- Virol J. 2015 Dec 18;12(1):219. doi: 10.1186/s12985-015-0445-7. Sequencing of emerging canine distemper virus strain reveals new distinct genetic lineage in the United States associated with disease in wildlife and domestic canine populations. Riley MC, Wilkes RP.
