Gander shelter with distemper outbreak faces sad decision

[Catherine]

Gander Newfoundland is in an isolated area.  A puppy came into the shelter with distemper and was euthanized. It is incurable and very contagious. Sadly all but two adult dogs now are showing signs of the disease. Those two dogs are being quarantined and it is hoped that they will be okay. The rest are going to be euthanized to prevent further spread of the disease.



http://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/al...ed-244545/

I feel for the shelter staff. Distemper is such a terrible illness. Even now all we can do is prevent it with vaccination. 
Sadly many dogs have not been vaccinated. Even if they vaccinated dogs on arrival at the shelter there may not have been enough time for immunity to be established. No matter how careful they were, distemper spreads quickly. I can understand the fear that it could spread to surrounding wildlife. There is no happy outcome for this situation. All they can do is prevent worse from happening.

The shelter itself needs a new building with proper isolation rooms. The older buildings were built before we understood the need for such things. It is sad that this has happened. I just hope this motivates the community to  raise the money to build a new shelter so nothing like this ever happens again.

[Catslave]

Most shelters quarantine new animals when they come in it's a shame this happened,I've seen a dog with distemper it's not a pretty sight.

[Catherine]

I think it is an old building without proper quarantine areas. They want to build a new shelter, but sadly the damage is already done this time. Distemper is so infectious and it is a  nasty way for a dog to die. They can do better in future, but for now there is no hope for the infected dogs.

No shelter ever wants to have something like this happen. It is a sad day for everyone involved.

[LPC]

The dogs do not necessarily have to be euthanised. It is a myth that distemper is incurable. See:
http://www.planoanimalclinic.com/index.p...&Itemid=60

Maybe the shelter could not afford the vet fees. Generally, young puppies are at the greatest risk of passing, but adolescent or adult dogs stand a fighting chance with proper medication.

Catslave is right: initial isolation is essential to check that an animal is without infections. In the shelter from which I got Forgy, all the dogs had individual runs (very large cages, each with a sleeping area). They were never herded together, although they could see and interact with each other from the small distance between the runs. Here is their web page:
https://www.facebook.com/Refuge-Passerel...4322852139

[Tobi]

Yes many times dogs survive distemper! But isolation is essential.
They didn't have to be euthanised. There may have been one or two cases where euthanasia was a better option, but it is often a survivable illness. Like Parvo virus.

[Catslave]

I've seen a dog survive distemper with good care and the right treatment it can be done,I think parvo is a bigger risk or kennel cough.

[Catherine]

I think in this case they had no way to isolate the animals so the virus spread. Also Gander is very isolated. Even if they could afford it, they wouldn't have access to the meds needed to fight distemper. They have to be given early enough to do some good. They couldn't even be flown in quickly.
By the time they knew the first puppy died of distemper all the dogs were exposed and ultimately infected. It is an unfortunate situation. If they had the resources they could have vaccinated the animals and prevented the spread.

The dog I grew up with had distemper as a puppy and survived  He was okay as a young dog, but his back legs became paralyzed as he got older. We couldn't touch his back end because it was sensitive. He eventually had to be euthanized. So yes he survived, but it wasn't a total recovery.