UF veterinarians: Canine distemper virus in wildlife puts local dogs at risk

University of Florida veterinarians report that canine distemper virus is on the increase in local wildlife, meaning unvaccinated pet dogs and shelter populations are at greater risk for contracting the disease.

Veterinarians from Alachua County Animal Control and UF collected swabs from the eyes and noses of five raccoons and one fox, then submitted those samples to a diagnostic lab to be screened for a variety of respiratory diseases.

"All of these samples came back positive for canine distemper," said Julie Levy, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of the Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at UF's College of Veterinary Medicine.

"This worries us because the disease is quite contagious, and once a dog is infected with the virus, there is no effective treatment. More than 50 percent of the dogs that contract canine distemper will eventually die from it," Levy said, adding that the disease is frequently first diagnosed in shelter populations, and then later found in wildlife.

Although no dogs have yet been reported with the illness, the spike in wildlife cases is a red flag and a reminder that only three years ago, more than 600 dogs in Alachua County died from a distemper outbreak.

"Infected raccoons are a frequent source of spread to susceptible dogs," Levy said. "When infected dogs are brought into intensive dog housing facilities, such as animal shelters, the disease can spread throughout the facility, especially among the more vulnerable populations, such as puppies."

Hundreds of dogs died recently in Orange, Brevard and Pasco counties because of distemper outbreaks.

"If there is any good news, it is that the vaccine to prevent canine distemper is extremely effective," Levy said. "The best thing anyone with a dog can do is make sure their pet's vaccinations are kept up-to-date. If your dog has not been vaccinated against canine distemper, call your veterinarian to schedule that appointment now."

Alachua County Animal Services Director David Flagler said that usually the shelter receives only a handful of calls relating to sick wildlife, but that such calls had increased dramatically in the past three months.

"We have such a close relationship with the UF veterinary college that whenever we have anything unusual, we look at it as an opportunity for their shelter program to become involved," Flagler said. "In this case, UF was tracking distemper cases in other counties, and wanted to help us verify that what we suspected was true."

At a time when many of Florida's animal shelters have been hit hard with budget cuts, Maddie's Fund has provided funding to allow UF's program to help out whenever disease threatens homeless pets. Since the program started at UF in 2008, it has become a resource for shelters to use for assistance in programs ranging from infectious disease control to vaccination protocols and management strategies.

"Shelters contact us almost daily with questions about infectious disease control," said UF's Dr. Cynda Crawford, who manages the shelter consultation service. "If we can't help by phone or e-mail, we'll often make a trip to the shelter to assess the situation and to perform diagnostic testing. When we can't sort out the problem, we'll call in the experts from pathology and microbiology to help."

In addition, UF veterinary students visit the shelter weekly to help care for the animals and to learn firsthand how shelters operate.

For more information about distemper virus infection, go to www.ufsheltermedicine.com