LAKELAND - In late September, the Animal Care and Control Centre (ACCC) in Cold Lake announced that it would be closing its doors to the public for an undetermined period due to an outbreak of Canine Distemper in the community that had made its way into the shelter.
According to a statement released by the City of Cold Lake, animals sheltered at the facility were checked for various diseases, with further testing confirming cases of distemper. Furthermore, all animals at the facility at the time were euthanized.
“After lengthy discussions with local veterinarians, it is with deep regret that the City has made the difficult decision to euthanize all animals currently at the facility,” read a social media statement from the City, dated Sept. 29. “Staff are thankful for the assistance of local veterinarians in this difficult process, and hope this will prevent the spread of the virus in the animal population in Cold Lake.”
Kevin Nagoya, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Cold Lake, stated on Oct. 20 that the Animal Care and Control Centre remains closed as staff perform continued cleaning to ensure the facility is free of distemper.
“We do not have a firm date for reopening at the moment, but we expect it to reopen in the near future,” Nagoya said. “Our priority is to ensure that we have a safe environment for animals that are brought in.”
As to what exactly caused this outbreak, Nagoya said affected animals had been at the facility for some time and were likely unvaccinated.
“We can’t speculate as to the exact cause of the distemper getting into the facility, but it was likely one of the animals in question,” he explained. “This is the first time this has happened at our facility, but we are aware of other facilities that have had outbreaks of distemper and parvo.”
What is Canine Distemper?
Dr. Jasmin Teske of the St. Paul Veterinary Clinic explained that Canine Distemper is a contagious viral disease that causes respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological issues in pets, and is very difficult to treat.
Teske continued by saying that clinical signs of Canine Distemper in pets include discharge from the eyes and nose, coughing, vomiting and diarrhea, seizures, blindness, and jaw tremors. The disease can also cause thickened nose or footpads as well as decreased appetite, energy levels, and weight loss.
“Puppies are the most susceptible to the disease and vaccination is the best way to protect your animal,” she told Lakeland This Week. “Keeping puppies that are not up to date on their vaccinations away from other animals, especially those are unvaccinated, is also very important to prevent contraction of the disease.”
Canine Distemper is a condition that is treated through supportive care, including IV fluids and hospitalization, as well as treatment of secondary bacterial infections and clinical signs of the disease, such as preventing seizures and nausea, explained Teske.
According to the St. Paul-based veterinarian, prognosis is variable depending on the immune responses of individual animals.
“The virus is very contagious and dogs that recover from the disease can shed the virus for up to multiple months after recovery,” she said, adding, there has not been an issue with Canine Distemper in the St. Paul area.
The importance of vaccination
Angel Bigelow, manager of the Lac La Biche Regional Humane Society, said the shelter has not experienced a distemper outbreak, and all intakes are vaccinated as soon as possible. She did say, however, that a dog who was previous infected with distemper was brought into the shelter and was still shedding the virus.
“Thankfully, as [animals in care] were already vaccinated, we did not have the same sad outcome,” she said, adding that as recommended by veterinarians, euthanasia is how shelters deal with such outbreaks.
Bigelow said despite the name, Canine Distemper doesn’t cause an animal to become more aggressive, but rather affects neurological as well as physical wellness.
“Distemper is quite common and lives in the environment. This is why it is important to keep your dog up to date on their vaccines… taking them for a walk or to the dog park may put them at risk of contracting it,” she stated.
