Canine distemper virus causes a devastating multisystem disease with no cure, making vaccination the single most important welfare protection for at-risk dog populations.
Distemper causes severe and prolonged suffering. Affected dogs experience respiratory distress, painful conjunctivitis, gastrointestinal upset, and ultimately neurological signs including seizures that can be agonizing to witness. The disease course can last weeks before death or permanent disability. There is no specific antiviral treatment - management is supportive only. That this devastating disease can be entirely prevented with a straightforward vaccination course makes outbreaks in unvaccinated populations tragic welfare failures. The disease also matters beyond domestic dogs - distemper outbreaks in wildlife populations can devastate endangered carnivore species.