Two confirmed cases of Canine Distemper Virus have closed the Horry County Humane Society indefinitely, according to society director Renee Macklen.
The first case was diagnosed by a Conway veterinarian on Oct. 27 after a family adopted a dog from the HCHS and took it to the vet the same day, where the doctor diagnosed the animal with “probable K-9 distemper,” according to HCSC records obtained by News13.
What is distemper?
Distemper is caused by a virus that may attack the brain, respiratory, gastrointestinal or central nervous systems.
Prevention: Dogs get yearly vaccines starting as a puppy, at 6, 9, and 12 weeks, and then yearly. Prevention also includes good hygiene for the dog, and keeping the dog’s environment clean.
Signs: Signs usually start in respiratory or gastrointestinal systems. Some of the first signs are discharge from eyes and nose, and then seizures as the virus progresses.
Treatment: Despite vast advances in treating this virus, the outcome is usually not good because it’s often caught too late, and it’s very contagious. So, if you’re a pet owner and your pet gets distemper there really isn’t much you can do. Make sure your dog is vaccinated when he/she is a puppy, and vaccinated yearly. Yearly check-ups and vaccines are key.
-- Chris Bennett, a technician at Hewitt Animal Hospital in Florence
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The virus is “contagious, often fatal, multisystematic viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestional, and central nervous system,” according to an animal health internet site.
CDV is prevalent in unvaccinated young dogs, according to the Web site.
A second case was confirmed by the Clemson Veterinary Diagnostic Clinic in Columbia on Nov. 26 after doctors there found CDV in the animal that was sent to Columbia from the HCHS.
Director Macklen told News13 that she was unaware of the Oct. 27 diagnosis and had she been informed of the incident, she would have ordered the shelter cleaned and addressed the problem.
The records News13 obtained contained the records from the Conway vet attached to the HCHS record of the animal, all of which came from the shelter.
Macklen also told News13 she was unaware of the Nov. 26 case, although Clemson faxed the form containing their findings to the HCHS and the document was attached to the animal’s record obtained by News13 from the shelter.
Since Nov. 20, the Horry County shelter has euthanized 36 dogs, according to records obtained by News13, but that number isn’t alarming, Macklen told News13.
A majority of the animals in the documents were adopted out to the public, then returned to the pound and later euthanized, according to a News13 source.
You can count on News13 to continue to update this story as details become available on the closing and the situation with the virus at the Horry County shelter.
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