Wildlife Officials Concerned About Spread Of Distemper From Foxes To Pets

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Canine distemper has been positively identified in New England foxes. It's highly contagious and sometimes fatal and it can
spread to many other species, including dogs and cats.

Wildlife officials in Vermont and New Hampshire are warning of an outbreak of illness Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologist Chris Bernier says the state has been fielding calls of obviously ill foxes in Washington County.
“Toward the end of last week there were, I believe, up to 10 reports of sick gray fox in the Barre area,” Bernier told Vermont Edition Thursday.
Bernier says rabies is not suspected, and at least one sample has already come back negative. But more tests are being run by the Health Department.
The more likely culprit is canine distemper, which has been positively identified in foxes tested in Haverhill, New Hampshire. It's highly contagious and sometimes fatal and it can spread to many other species, including dogs and cats.
“People need to get their pets properly vaccinated. And veterinarians should also know that this outbreak is occurring so they can be on the lookout for potentially infected domestic pets,” Bernier says.
But Bernier stresses that canine distemper is not transferable to humans. Anyone who sees a sick animal should keep a safe distance and call the rabies hotline at 1-800-4-RABIES.

Annette Smith • 5 days ago

A few years ago my dog came down with a horrible itchy scratchy skin condition. Vermont vet diagnosed it as an allergy to wood smoke. Made no sense. The vet prescribed Prednisone which made the dog eat and drink huge amounts and gain weight rapidly. Fortunately I had to travel to Virginia to care for elderly relatives, and took my dog with me. I bathed him in skin-so-soft. I tried all kinds of things to relieve his itching. Nothing worked. He was scratching holes in himself. Asked at the local natural foods store about a vet, and he referred me to someone an hour away who diagnosed him with sarcoptic mange. Like the Vermont vet, she took scrapings, but saw nothing alive under the microscope. She said "I have seen four other cases like this recently and none of them showed life in the scrapings, but they all got better. I am 99% sure that's your dog's problem." The treatment? Two small liquid doses of Ivermectin, a medicine used to worm horses. Easy to give to the dog in a small syringe. Within days he was getting better. All better in a couple weeks. I suspect he picked up the sarcoptic mange from foxes in Vermont. Now when I see mangy foxes I feel so bad for them. They scratch themselves and then the sores get infected and they die from the infections. I wonder if there's a way to put out ivermectin for them, as is done with raccoons and rabies. In any case, heads up to pet owners and vets, it is possible for your pet to contract sarcoptic mange, and it is easy to misdiagnose sarcoptic mange. My dog never ran loose and was always on a leash, we walked in the cow pasture or along roads.

Source: By Jane Lindholm VPR