You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) is an RNA Morbillovirus that is closely related to other Paramyxoviruses including measles and rinderpest. CDV can cause disease in many other species of animal - and possibly in humans.

Canine distemper virus can be transmitted to a number of species including some of the cat family and even seals, so infected dogs should be kept away from direct contact - or indirect contact through ocular or nasal discharges -with these species. This is an important consideration for mixed veterinary hospitals when such an animal is admitted for treatment. In addition, dogs may contract the disease through contact with these species in the wild or in captivity. The list of species to which CDV can be transmitted and cause disease includes :

• Bears
• Cats- cheetah, lion, jaguar
• Dogs - dingo, coyote, fox, wolf
• Hyena
• Mongoose
• Mustelidae - badgers, ferrets, mink
• Pandas
• Raccoon
• Seals

Whether or not canine distemper virus can cause disease in humans is controversial. Multiple sclerosis is very similar to the progressive encephalitis that occurs in dogs with canine distemper virus, but a direct association between exposure to CDV and MS has not been found. Ownership of dogs (and other pets including cats and birds) does have a high correlation with the occurrence of an inflammatory  bone disease (called Paget's disease) in humans, and CDV genetic material has been found in the bone tissue of about 60% of affected but untreated Paget's patients. Again, however,  a direct link between exposure to canine distemper virus and Paget's disease has not been found.

Updated January 2016