The Berrien County Health Department and Berrien County Animal Control are urging pet owners to make sure their animals are properly vaccinated and to watch them for signs of distemper.
Berrien County animal shelter manager Ashley Herr tells us they’ve seen a significant increase in cases of distemper in dogs.
“It’s a viral disease that attacks mostly the nervous system, but you can see upper respiratory symptoms such as coughing, yellow discharge from the nose and eyes, and vomiting, those sorts of things,” Herr said. “It can really negatively affect animals and can really only be treated through supportive care.”
Herr says the cases were first reported in raccoons.
“It’s nothing that was really on our radar, and then we had a couple of positives come back in the community. And we’ve had a lot more raccoon calls, about them staggering and acting symptomatic in a way that would align with distemper. So, we’ve definitely had more phone calls about it, and then those positives came up in the community.”
Herr says a dog or cat with distemper will act generally sick. They can be cured of the illness, but only with the care of a veterinarian.
Vaccines do prevent distemper, but the pet’s owner has to be sure to follow the animal’s full vaccination schedule.
If you suspect your pet has distemper, keep it away from other animals until treatment has been sought.
