Dog owners urged to vaccinate against distemper

 Distemper is a virus that affects a dog’s respiratory, gastrointestinal, respiratory and central nervous systems and is highly infectious.

"It only affects dogs however it is highly infectious. This means that if a person comes into contact with a dog that has distemper and with other dogs that have not been vaccinated the disease could then be transferred to those dogs.

"Distemper is an awful system for any animal to contract. The symptoms and the way that the disease affects the animals is severely painful and very horrible for animals to go into," says NSPCA spokesperson Meg Wilson. 

Symptoms in dogs include sneezing, coughing and thick mucus coming from the eyes and nose. 

They also include fever, lethargy, sudden vomiting and diarrhoea, depression and a loss of appetite.

The NSPCA says vaccinations are effective in curing the animals. 

"This to only protect the animal that has been vaccinated but will also prevent the spread of the disease in the same way that any other vaccination works.

"Owners of dogs should have the dogs regularly vaccinated against this disease and information on this can be sought from their local veterinarian," adds Wilson.