getting a kitten, what costs can i expect ?

[ChilliGirl]

you do get pet medical insurance, ask about details at your local vet.

Starts from around R50/month, the last time i looked.

don't remember all the details.

 

[sincerious]

necuno,

if you already have a kitten in mind and he/she is not likely to find a loving owner, go for it, but if you're still looking around, please consider the following before deciding where/whether to obtain a kitten:

adopting a kitten/cat from an animal rescue organization such as wet nose, paws, aacl, spca (or tears if you happen to be in cape town) will cost anything between R300 and R450, but don't freak out as this usually includes the following:

1) first flea treatment

2) first de-worming

3) first vaccination (usually given at the age of 8 weeks, then a month later at 12 weeks, and again at 16 weeks).

NB. these 3 vacs, and the timing thereof, are vitally important.

kittens and puppies (as with human babies) have no immunity and unless they are vacinnated, could become very sick (and suffer a great deal of pain) if they come into contact with a diseased animal and/or its faeces/body fluids, so please have it done, not only to protect your kitten, but also to prevent him/her possibly infecting other cats. your vet will recommend a yearly vac thereafter and i strongly suggest you have it done, even if only for the first 4-5 years.

4) sterilization (at the age of 6 months). believe it or not, but un-spayed female cats (and dogs) can and do fall pregnant from as young as 4-5 months old, so please ensure your kitten is never left alone outside until he/she has been sterilized.

5) micro-chipping (not included by all rescue organizations, but a definite life-saver when an animal goes missing, so please have it done at your vet, if not done by the org you adopt from).

approximate costs of having to pay a vet for the above could be as follows:

1) R40.00 every 4-6 weeks
2) R15.00 every 3 months
3) R150.00 per vac
4) R1200.00 to have a female cat/dog spayed; R900.00 to have a male cat/dog neutered
5) R180.00

i would also feed royal canine or hills for, at least, the first year or two, but you can vary it with boiled chicken/fish/lean meat mixed with rice and veg (no salt).

never give a kitten/cat any milk - fresh water only - especially if your cat is going to be an indoors-only pet (which is best) and it uses a litter tray. milk = runny tummy = huge pong!

take photos (note all the markings) as soon as you get the kitten/cat (in case it gets lost, in which case, advise the organization you adopted from and also post ads on the net, send email to all vets in the vicinity, the spca, aacl, gumtree, pawtal, abandoned.co.za, etc).

love your kitty and always take it to a vet at the first sign of illness

ps.
if you have ever thought of emigrating, please think long and hard before adopting a pet or be prepared to pay the costs of taking your pet with you. nothing is worse than than seeing how easily people, who supposedly "adore" their pets, dump them at animal shelters or hand them over to friends/family, who will not look after them the way they did.

pps.
never remove a kitten/puppy from its mother before the age of 8 weeks, unless absolutely necessary. the main reason for not doing so is because you will be depriving it of the mother's milk, which contains antibodiies that are required until such time as the kitten/pup can be vacinnated (and not merely to avoid cats "kneeding" blankets, wool or your legs/boep later in life).

 

[HapticSimian]

rofl... if you think that commercial cat and dog food is what they were designed to eat... well i give up.

1. They weren't designed, they evolved, but that's a whole different conversation.
2. :erm: Proper pet food = happy, healthy pets. Cheap, or incorrect pet food = sad, malnourished pets. But then, it's not as if companies spend huge amounts of effort and money in refining and improving pet food... no, wait. Why not give all your pets fish flakes? I'm sure they'll do OK.

 

[Robocop]

Siamese is the closet thing to a being a dog without crossing the line

I beg to differ. We have a Sphynx, and I swear it's half dog, half cat and half monkey.....

 

[Robocop]

Siamese is the closet thing to a being a dog without crossing the line

I beg to differ. We have a Sphynx, and I swear it's half dog, half cat and half monkey.....

 

[Necuno]

necuno,

if you already have a kitten in mind and he/she is not likely to find a loving owner, go for it, but if you're still looking around, please consider the following before deciding where/whether to obtain a kitten:

adopting a kitten/cat from an animal rescue organization such as wet nose, paws, aacl, spca (or tears if you happen to be in cape town) will cost between R400 and R500, but don't freak out as this usually includes the following:

1) first flea treatment

2) first de-worming

3) first vaccination (usually given at the age of 8 weeks, then a month later at 12 weeks, and again at 16 weeks).

NB. these 3 vacs, and the timing thereof, are vitally important.

kittens and puppies (as with human babies) have no immunity and unless they are vacinnated, could become very sick (and suffer a great deal of pain) if they come into contact with a diseased animal and/or its faeces/body fluids, so please have it done, not only to protect your kitten, but also to prevent him/her possibly infecting other cats. your vet will recommend a yearly vac thereafter and i strongly suggest you have it done, even if only for the first 4-5 years.

4) sterilization (at the age of 6 months). believe it or not, but un-spayed female cats (and dogs) can and do fall pregnant from as young as 4-5 months old, so please ensure your kitten is never left alone outside until he/she has been sterilized.

5) micro-chipping (not included by all rescue organizations, but a definite life-saver when an animal goes missing, so please have it done at your vet, if not done by the org you adopt from).

approximate costs of having to pay a vet for the above could be as follows:

1) R40.00 every 4-6 weeks
2) R15.00 every 3 months
3) R150.00 per vac
4) R1200.00 to have a female cat/dog spayed; R900.00 to have a male cat/dog neutered
5) R180.00

i would also feed royal canine or hills for, at least, the first year or two, but you can vary it with boiled chicken/fish/lean meat mixed with rice and veg (no salt).

never give a kitten/cat any milk - fresh water only - especially if your cat is going to be an indoors-only pet (which is best) and it uses a litter tray. milk = runny tummy = huge pong!

take photos (note all the markings) as soon as you get the kitten/cat (in case it gets lost, in which case, advise the organization you adopted from and also post ads on the net, send email to all vets in the vicinity, the spca, aacl, gumtree, pawtal, abandoned.co.za, etc).

love your kitty and always take it to a vet at the first sign of illness

ps.
if you have ever thought of emigrating, please think long and hard before adopting a pet or be prepared to pay the costs of taking your pet with you. nothing is worse than than seeing how easily people, who supposedly "adore" their pets, dump them at animal shelters or hand them over to friends/family, who will not look after them the way they did.

pps.
never remove a kitten/puppy from its mother before the age of 8 weeks, unless absolutely necessary. the main reason for not doing so is because you will be depriving it of the mother's milk, which contains antibodiies that are required until such time as the kitten/pup can be vacinnated (and not merely to avoid cats "kneeding" blankets, wool or your legs/boep later in life).

thanks for replies so far, thank you sincerious for taking the time to put it all in nice detail

 

[Cheri_N]

:wtf:

Not sure about kitty medical aid, but mine need cat-shrinks. They behave anything like cats should.

Fickle creatures and run anytime anyone sneezes, walks anywhwere near them or, for that matter, anytime anyone just breathes in their nearby viccinity.

They don't cuddle, want to be picked up or be stroked. They don't want people. They only eat their cubes and very infrequently they might eat a sachet of Whiskers. Biltong, chicken and fish are all 101% safe around them... so too are birds, mice and all manner of creepy crawlies.

When they snuff it, I am will be getting a Siamese cat in the vain hope it behaves a wee bit more like a cat.

Give them some catnip - you'll be amazed what they get up to then. They (cats) love the stuff.

 

[sincerious]

thanks for replies so far, thank you sincerious for taking the time to put it all in nice detail

was a pleasure!
note the corrections/additions made probably while you were posting.

 

[SilverNodashi]

necuno,

if you already have a kitten in mind and he/she is not likely to find a loving owner, go for it, but if you're still looking around, please consider the following before deciding where/whether to obtain a kitten:

adopting a kitten/cat from an animal rescue organization such as wet nose, paws, aacl, spca (or tears if you happen to be in cape town) will cost anything between R300 and R450, but don't freak out as this usually includes the following:

1) first flea treatment

2) first de-worming

3) first vaccination (usually given at the age of 8 weeks, then a month later at 12 weeks, and again at 16 weeks).

NB. these 3 vacs, and the timing thereof, are vitally important.

kittens and puppies (as with human babies) have no immunity and unless they are vacinnated, could become very sick (and suffer a great deal of pain) if they come into contact with a diseased animal and/or its faeces/body fluids, so please have it done, not only to protect your kitten, but also to prevent him/her possibly infecting other cats. your vet will recommend a yearly vac thereafter and i strongly suggest you have it done, even if only for the first 4-5 years.

4) sterilization (at the age of 6 months). believe it or not, but un-spayed female cats (and dogs) can and do fall pregnant from as young as 4-5 months old, so please ensure your kitten is never left alone outside until he/she has been sterilized.

5) micro-chipping (not included by all rescue organizations, but a definite life-saver when an animal goes missing, so please have it done at your vet, if not done by the org you adopt from).

approximate costs of having to pay a vet for the above could be as follows:

1) R40.00 every 4-6 weeks
2) R15.00 every 3 months
3) R150.00 per vac
4) R1200.00 to have a female cat/dog spayed; R900.00 to have a male cat/dog neutered
5) R180.00

i would also feed royal canine or hills for, at least, the first year or two, but you can vary it with boiled chicken/fish/lean meat mixed with rice and veg (no salt).

never give a kitten/cat any milk - fresh water only - especially if your cat is going to be an indoors-only pet (which is best) and it uses a litter tray. milk = runny tummy = huge pong!

take photos (note all the markings) as soon as you get the kitten/cat (in case it gets lost, in which case, advise the organization you adopted from and also post ads on the net, send email to all vets in the vicinity, the spca, aacl, gumtree, pawtal, abandoned.co.za, etc).

love your kitty and always take it to a vet at the first sign of illness

ps.
if you have ever thought of emigrating, please think long and hard before adopting a pet or be prepared to pay the costs of taking your pet with you. nothing is worse than than seeing how easily people, who supposedly "adore" their pets, dump them at animal shelters or hand them over to friends/family, who will not look after them the way they did.

pps.
never remove a kitten/puppy from its mother before the age of 8 weeks, unless absolutely necessary. the main reason for not doing so is because you will be depriving it of the mother's milk, which contains antibodiies that are required until such time as the kitten/pup can be vacinnated (and not merely to avoid cats "kneeding" blankets, wool or your legs/boep later in life).

Don't take this the wrong way, but I wouldn't get any pet if I have to go through all of these! Our last cat (about 3 years with us now) was one of 3 kitten, and lived on a farm (pest control, little love, no commercial food) and he's probably the best we've had so far. I only got him snipped, no shots or chips given. He eats Catmor (costs about R26 a bag, as apposed to R150 for Royal Canin) and he's much more alive than most cats you'll encounter. He often catches a bird or a rat which is far better than manufactured food.

I don't know if you realize this, but cats & dogs, etc were there long before vets & scientists thought up these brilliant schemes to keep your cat alive. Granted, the guys at the pet shops, TEARS, adoptapet, etc does a good job to keep them in good healthy condition, but it's really not necessary to go through all of those steps, the cat will be fine without it as well.

 

[Kilgore_Trout_Redux]

Vaccinations are about R300.00 every 6 months.
Frontline/Advantage flee and tick stuff R75.00 a month.
Hills/Iams cat food - R180 a month.
Deworming - R50.00 every 6 months.

Your main costs are up front - neutering, spaying, etc.

It's not a popular viewpoint but stray cats from shelters can have health issues in later life due to bad diet as kittens, etc. but so can purebred cats.

 

[HavocXphere]

Scratching post unless you want your furniture clawed, but there no garuntees on that

Door mats also work if they have the right feel.

can i get like cat medical aid then ?

No don't bother. Rather save some cash for it.

Our cat came from the SPCA. If you go the SPCA route then try to get a 100% black cat. They struggle to get rid of those due to superstition.

A reliable source (Family friend pet nutritionist) tells me that Hills is the food to go for. Hills changed their food mix a few months back though & now our cat doesn't like it that much anymore so might change it. I don't think the food type matters all that much tbh.

The cat litter thing will stink. So its a choice between keeping it somewhere where its not a problem or scooping the business out & into the trash every now & again.

As Brendan said, you will need to do the frontline/advantage flee thing every now and again, like every 2-3 months.

Train it to keep off beds & table tops.

 

[Kilgore_Trout_Redux]

Train it to keep off beds & table tops.

What is the use of a kitty that doesn't keep your toes warm at night during Winter?

 

[Happy Camper]

cat fights: Abscess from infected wounds R1000 - R1500 a time.

expect at least 3 to 5 times...

+1

 

[AstroTurf]

getting a kitten, what costs can i expect apart from the cost of the cat itself ? also what's about the average of feeding/up-keeping the cat pm ?

go to kitten corner, they give you the cat with all shots and sterilised for around R250, you will also be doing a good deed this way.

They are in Pretoria.

http://www.kittencorner.co.za/

 

[AstroTurf]

Ticks/Fleas We use frontline spray on out 3 dogs and cat. Costs around R300 per year for all 4 of them. (we use this ourselves when we go walking on the plot as well).
Food she gets catmore dry pellets, 1.3 bags a month (works out around R35/R40pm).
De-wormed every 3 months and that costs around R30 a pop.
Pick n Pay cat sand is R17 for 10KG's

Total cost per month = R100 or less.

 

[sincerious]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I wouldn't get any pet if I have to go through all of these! Our last cat (about 3 years with us now) was one of 3 kitten, and lived on a farm (pest control, little love, no commercial food) and he's probably the best we've had so far. I only got him snipped, no shots or chips given. He eats Catmor (costs about R26 a bag, as apposed to R150 for Royal Canin) and he's much more alive than most cats you'll encounter. He often catches a bird or a rat which is far better than manufactured food.

I don't know if you realize this, but cats & dogs, etc were there long before vets & scientists thought up these brilliant schemes to keep your cat alive. Granted, the guys at the pet shops, TEARS, adoptapet, etc does a good job to keep them in good healthy condition, but it's really not
necessary to go through all of those steps, the cat will be fine without it as well.

don't take this the wrong way, but anyone who thinks like that would not qualify to adopt a pet from any animal rescue organization or even a breeder.

i agree that feeding the most expensive commercial food is not absolutely essential, however, not having a kitten/puppy vaccinated is highly irresponsible, to say the least.

read up on the symptoms of panleucopenia (parvovirus), distemper, etc. and ask a vet (or even a kennel cleaner at your local spca) how animals infected with these viruses suffer painful, horrible deaths.

the aim of vaccinating is to reduce the chance of infection or, at least, lessen suffering when/if an animal is infected.

preventing ticks and fleas is also essential as, besides making the poor animal feel bloody miserable and itchy, ticks and fleas transmit parasites that carry some of the abovementioned viruses.

i know it's not always possible to prevent cats from eating rats/mice/birds/lizards/frogs, etc., but allowing them to do so, without regularly de-worming or vaccinating, is asking for trouble.

by the way, it's not essential to have your pet micro-chipped, but it does enable one to find the owner of a lost animal.

 

[sincerious]

i am capped atm, so can't give you links to websites that fully explain cat/dog diseases, virus, etc. and how important vaccinations are, but in the meantime, herewith some info i've emailed to people in the past...

Feline panleukopenia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Feline parvovirus)

Feline panleukopenia virus

Virus classification
Group: Group II (ssDNA)
Family: Parvoviridae
Genus: Parvovirus
Species: Feline panleukopenia virus

Wiki letter w.svg
Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (December 2009)

Feline panleukopenia, commonly known as feline distemper, is a viral infection affecting cats, caused by feline parvovirus, a close relative of canine parvovirus. It is not related to canine distemper.
Contents

* 1 Transmission and symptoms
* 2 Diagnosis
* 3 Vaccination
* 4 Treatment
* 5 Prognosis
* 6 Complications
* 7 External links
* 8 References

[edit] Transmission and symptoms

Panleukopenia is primarily spread through contact with an infected cat's bodily fluids, feces, or fleas. Sometimes it is spread through contact with bedding, food dishes, or even by handlers of infected cats.

The virus primarily attacks the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, causing internal ulceration and, ultimately, total sloughing of the intestinal epithelium. This results in profuse and usually bloody diarrhea, severe dehydration, malnutrition, anemia, and often death;

The virus causes a decrease in the cat's white blood cells, thus compromising its immune system. Typically, it also causes a decrease in hematocrit and platelet counts on a complete blood count. This is often key in diagnosing panleukopenia.

Other symptoms include depression, lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, vomiting, loss of skin elasticity due to dehydration and self-biting in the tail, lower back and back legs.

If a cat is exposed during pregnancy, the virus can cause cerebellar hypoplasia in her offspring. This is why administering modified live feline panleukopenia vaccine during pregnancy is discouraged.

It is impossible for a cat to spread Panleukopenia to a dog, as dogs cannot contract the virus.[1]
[edit] Diagnosis

Generally, a clinical diagnosis of feline panleukopenia [FPL] can be made based on characteristic gastroenteric illness and severe pancytopenia in a susceptible cat, but fecal analysis and blood culture is typically performed as well to rule out other illnesses. Differential diagnoses for FPL include sallmenellosis, enteric toxosis,FIV, feline leukemia, cryptospordiosis,pancreatitis, septicaemia with acute endotoxemia, toxoplasmosis, peritonitis, and lymphoma. In a unvaccinated cat, the presence of antibodies against FPLV indicate that the cat either has the disease or has had the disease in the past, but in many cases subclinical disease occurs so this test is unreliable.
[edit] Vaccination
Further information: Feline vaccination

Protection is offered by commercial feline distemper vaccines (ATCvet codes: QI06AA02 for the inactivated viral vaccine and QI06AD01 for the live vaccine). A number of combination vaccines for several different diseases, including panleukopenia, are also available.
[edit] Treatment

Feline panleukopenia requires aggressive treatment if the cat is to survive, as this disease can kill cats in less than 24 hours. Treatment involves whole blood transfusion to improve pancytopenia, intravenus fluids as most cats are dehydrated, injections of vitamins A,B, and C, IV antibiotics to prevent septicemia,which develops in most cats with feline panleukopenia if antibiotics are not used, and hospitalization.
[edit] Prognosis

Of affected kittens that are two months or less of age, 95% die regardless of treatment. Kittens that are more than two months old have a 60-70% mortality rate with treatment and a nearly 100% mortality rate if not treated. Adult cats have a 10-20% mortality rate if treated, and an 85% mortality rate if not treated. Elderly cats have a 20-30% mortality rate if treated and a 90% mortality rate if not treated.
[edit] Complications

Complications are quite common in feline panleukopenia [FPL]. The most prevalent one is dehydration, which develops in almost all FPL-infected cats that are clinically ill. Hyponetremia and other electrolyte disturbances are also quite common, as is hypotension, hyperpyrexia or, late in the disease, hypothermia. The patients' severe leukocytopenia predispose them to secondary infections, especially bacterial and fungal, though secondary viral infections also occur with some frequency. Disseminated intravascular coagulation may also occur, and is often fatal. Extreme thrombocytopenia may also occur, and can lead to severe hemorrhagic complications. Even if a cat survives acute FPL, late complications such as cardiomyopathy and myocarditis can occur, though there have never been any reported cases of hematologic or gastrointestinal sequalae, and it seems that late myocarditis or cardiomyopathy is extremely rare in feline panleukopenia-affected cats. Overall, any long-term sequalae in survivors of feline panleukopenia is extremely rare, with almost all cats who survive making a full recovery.

 

[Alan]

Just make sure it's a maine coon

 

[sincerious]

more...

Canine distemper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Canine distemper virus
Virus classification
Group: Group V ((-)ssRNA)
Order: Mononegavirales

Family: Paramyxoviridae

Genus: Morbillivirus

Species: Canine distemper virus

Canine distemper is a very serious viral disease affecting animals in the families Canidae, Mustelidae, Mephitidae, Hyaenidae, Ailuridae, Procyonidae, Pinnipedia, some Viverridae and Felidae (though not domestic cats; feline distemper or panleukopenia is a different virus exclusive to cats). It is most commonly associated with domestic animals such as dogs, although ferrets are also vaccinated for it. It is a single-stranded RNA virus of the family paramyxovirus, and thus a close relative of measles and rinderpest. [1][2][3] Despite extensive vaccination in many regions, it remains a major disease of dogs.[4]
Contents

* 1 Etymology
* 2 History
* 3 Infection
* 4 Disease progression
o 4.1 Gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms
o 4.2 Neurological Symptoms
* 5 Diagnosis
* 6 Treatment and prevention
* 7 Canine distemper virus and Paget's disease
* 8 References

[edit] Etymology

The origin of the word distemper is from the Middle English distemperen, meaning to upset the balance of the humors, which is from the Old French destemprer, meaning to disturb, which is from the Vulgar Latin distemperare: Latin dis- and Latin temperare, meaning to not mix properly.[5]

[edit] History

Although very similar to the measles virus, CDV seems to have appeared more recently, with the first case described in 1905. [6] It was first thought to be related to the Plague and Typhus and resulted from several species of bacteria.[7] It now affects all populations of domestic dog and some populations of wildlife. A vaccine was developed in 1950, yet due to limited use the virus remains prevalent in many populations. [6] The domestic dog has largely been responsible for introducing canine distemper to previously unexposed wildlife and now causes a serious conservation threat to many species of carnivores and some species of marsupials. In 1985, for example, the virus led the last wild population of black-footed ferret to extinction. It also may have played a considerable role in the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger and recurrently causes mortality among African Wild dogs.[3] In 1991, the lion population in Serengeti, Tanzania experienced a 20% decline as a result of the disease.[8] The disease has also mutated to form phocid distemper virus, which affects seals.[9]

[edit] Infection
A. Lung lesion in an African Wild Dog B. Viral inclusion bodies
A. Lung lesion in an African Wild Dog B. Viral inclusion bodies

Puppies from three to six months old are particularly susceptible.[10] Canine distemper virus (CDV) spreads through the aerosol droplets and through contact with infected bodily fluids including nasal and ocular secretions, feces, and urine 6-22 days after exposure. It can also be spread by food and water contaminated with these fluids.[11] [12] The time between infection and disease is 14 to 18 days, although there can be a fever from three to six days postinfection.[13]

Canine distemper virus tends to orient its infection towards the lymphoid, epithelial, and nervous tissues. The virus initially replicates in the lymphatic tissue of the respiratory tract. The virus then enters the blood stream and infects the lymphatic tissue followed by respiratory, Gastrointestinal, urogenital epithelium, the Central Nervous System, and optic nerves[14]. Therefore, the typical pathologic features of canine distemper include lymphoid depletion (causing immunosuppression and leading to secondary infections), interstitial pneumonia, encephalitis with demyelination, and hyperkeratosis of foot pads.

The mortality rate of the virus largely depends on the immune status of the infected dogs. Puppies experience the highest mortality rate where complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis are more common.[12] In older dogs that do develop distemper encephalomyetilis, vestibular disease may present.[15] Around 15% of canine inflammatory central nervous system diseases are a result of CDV.[4]

[edit] Disease progression

The virus first appears in bronchial lymph nodes and tonsils two days after exposure. The virus then enters the blood stream on the second or third day.[12] In older dogs that do develop distemper encephalomyetilis, vestibular disease may present.[15] A first round of acute fever tends to begin around 3 to 8 days after infection which is often accompanied by a low white blood cell count, especially of lymphocytes as well as low platelet count. These signs may or may not be accompanied by anorexia, a runny nose, and discharge from the eye. This first round of fever typically recedes rapidly within 96 hours and then a second round of fever begins around the 11th or 12th day and lasts at least a week. Gastrointestinal and respiratory problems tend to follow which may become complicated with secondary bacterial infections. Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord otherwise known as encephalomyelitis is either associated with this, subsequently follows, or comes completely independent of these problems. A thickening of the footpads sometimes develops and vesicularpustular lesions on the abdomen usually develop. Neurological symptoms typically are found in the animals with thickened footpads from the virus.[16][9] About half of sufferers experience meningoencephalitis.[9]

[edit] Gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms

Commonly observed signs are a runny nose, vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration, excessive salivation, coughing and/or labored breathing, loss of appetite, and weight loss. When and if the neurological symptoms develop, urination and defecation may become involuntary. [10] [17][9]

[edit] Neurological Symptoms

The symptoms within the central nervous system include a localized involuntary twitching of muscles or groups of muscles, seizures often distinguished by salivation and jaw movements commonly described as “chewing gum fits.” As the condition progresses, the seizures worsen and the dog may fall to its side, exhibiting grand mal convulsions. The animal may also show signs of sensitivity to light, incoordination, circling, increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli such as pain or touch, and deterioration of motor capabilities. Less commonly it may lead to blindness and paralysis. The length of the systemic disease may be as short as 10 days, but the start of neurological symptoms may not come until several weeks or months later.Those that survive usually have a little tick or twitch some maybe more obvious than others. In time this tick will usually diminish. [18][9]

[edit] Diagnosis

The above symptoms, especially fever, respiratory signs, neurological signs, and thickened footpads found in unvaccinated dogs strongly indicate canine distemper. However, several febrile diseases match many of the symptoms of the disease and only recently has differing between canine hepititis, herpes virus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis been possible.[9] Thus, finding the virus by various methods in the dog's conjunctival cells gives a definitive diagnosis. In older dogs that develop distemper encephalomyetilis, diagnosis may be more difficult since many of these dogs have an adequate vaccination history.[15]

[edit] Treatment and prevention

There is no specific treatment for canine distemper. The dog should be treated by a veterinarian, usually with antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections, intravenous fluids, and nutritional supplements. The prognosis is poor. In vitro, ribavirin, an antiviral effective in treating measles and other viruses, has also shown effective against Canine distemper virus by means of error catastrophe. More research is now needed in vivo.[4]

There exist a number of vaccines against canine distemper for dogs and domestic ferrets, which in many jurisdictions are mandatory for pets. The type of vaccine should be approved for the type of animal being inoculated, or else the animal could actually contract the disease from the vaccine. A dog who has eaten meat infected with Rinderpest can also sometimes receive temporary immunity.[19] Infected animals should be quarantined from other dogs for several months due to the length of time the animal may shed the virus.[20] The virus is destroyed in the environment by routine cleaning with disinfectants, detergents, or drying. It does not survive in the environment for more than a few hours at room temperature (20-25 °C), but can survive for a few weeks in shady environments at temperatures slightly above freezing.[21] It, along with other labile viruses, can also persist longer in serum and tissue debris.[12]

[edit] Canine distemper virus and Paget's disease

Paget's disease, a focal destructive disease of bone, has long suspected paramyxoviruses such as CDV, measles, respiratory syncytial virus, simian virus 5, and parainfluenza virus Type 3 as a culprit. Most studies, however, have pointed more directly at CDV and Measles.[22][23][24] The virus detection technique in situ-RT-PCR has shown CDV in 100% of Pagetic samples whereas other virus detection techniques have been less accurate.[25]

there are other serious viruses and diseases that un-vaccinated animals can get, but the above should be more than enough reason for anyone to ensure they do the right thing for their pets.

 

[sincerious]

Just make sure it's a maine coon

lol, no, however, i would give my left ovary to own one!