Prescription for Your Brittany's Health

Let's consider each disease separately. Canine distemper is the great killer of dogs. It has been said more dogs die of distemper every year in this country than from all other infectious diseases together. This virus is transmitted by direct contact as well as being airborne. The incubation nerIod is between six and nine days. Fever with depression is the first symptom. This is followed by improvement in spirits and lower fever for a day about three days after the onset. From then on the fever again becomes elevated for a week or more. This second rise of temperature may be accompanied by cough, nasal and optic discharges, diarrhea and even pneumonia.

If treatment is started early, chances for recovery are better. Not infrequently, in spite of treatment, nervous symptoms develop such as chorea (twitching) and convul­sions or both. When we consider that all the horrors of dis­temper as well as the expense of treatment involved can be prevented by a few injections it is well worth the effort and cost to provide them.

Another important disease is infectious canine hepatitis. This virus has been understood for a relatively short time. It is much more serious to dogs under a year of age than to older dogs. Often a non-productive cough with or without tonsillitis is an early symptom. Tests indicate that fifty percent of all dogs over one year of age have had this dis­ease. Since only ten percent of those which develop infec­tious hepatitis show symptoms it is obviously not as serious as is distemper. Also with this in mind, it may be understood why many veterinarians are not too insistent that all pups have inoculations. It is my opinion that puppies which are apt to have contact with large numbers of stray dogs or neighborhood dogs should be given protection. The inocula­tions do not make the puppy a carrier. Injections are usually given in two parts seven to ten days apart and should be repeated every six to twelve months. Recovered adult dogs and puppies may be carriers for nine months or perhaps longer. There is also a serum injection which confers a ten to twenty-one day immunity.

Rabies is the most important virus disease insofar as man is concerned. It is incurable in both man and beast. If your Brittany is used in the field where rabies is reported, even though rarely, he should be inoculated every year. Your veterinarian will tell you about the advisability of protection for your dog. This disease usually follows a bite from an­other animal. The first symptoms are often personality changes ranging from unusual affection to belligerency and hiding in dark places. This is followed in one to three days by aggressiveness toward moving objects, whether it be the hand or any object moving before the affected animal. Death usually occurs a few days after nervous symptoms are dis­played.