Canine distemper is a devastating multi-system viral disease that remains a leading welfare emergency in unvaccinated dog populations and wildlife globally.
Canine distemper causes prolonged severe welfare harm through the sequential development of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and finally neurological disease. Dogs with distemper-related seizures and neurological damage suffer intensely and most survivors have permanent neurological sequelae. The vaccine is highly effective and has made distemper rare in well-vaccinated companion dog populations. Wildlife population distemper events cause mass welfare crises when infection spreads through naive carnivore populations. Domestic dog vaccination in areas adjacent to wildlife reduces the reservoir available for wildlife spillover.