Mumbai: 10 per cent dogs recovered from canine distemper abandoned by owners

Isolation ward especially for CD cases in Parel-based hospital (Pic/Anagha Sawant)

The Parel-based Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals recorded an increase in the number of cases of dogs suffering from canine distemper (CD) disease in a few weeks.

According to the doctors, canine distemper disease, which is highly contagious in dogs and sometimes fatal viral infection, is usually less detected in the month of March. But this year, the hospital has been treating more cases than earlier.

Presently, the transmission of the disease is increasing rapidly, resulting in a surge of cases in the city. At least seven new cases are being admitted to the hospital every day. A total of 12 dogs were under treatment on April 6.

As per the hospital authority, on average, from December to mid-March, the hospital admitted at least 30 to 40 cases of canine distemper each month. Further, the admission count has now increased to around 70 to 80 infected cases from mid-March to April 6.

The hospital has been admitting dogs suffering from CD and keeping them in isolation to provide them with medical treatment. While earlier, there were only seven isolation beds available for these cases, the number of isolation beds has now increased to 20. The hospital authority reveals that the majority of the cases are found in stray dogs but a few cases also include adopted dogs.

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Shockingly, at least 10 per cent of recovered dogs infected with this disease are still in the hospital as the owners do not wish to take them back home.

"Unfortunately, in a few of the adopted and pet dogs cases, who have recovered from this illness, are abandoned by their owners. In such cases, the owners feared getting the infection transmitted to themselves or their family members due to which they prefer to not take them back home after recovery," said Dr Mayur Dhangar, hospital manager at Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals.

The recovered dogs become weak and further deformities are formed in their bodies due to which they cannot perform daily activities normally.

Further, the hospital authority reveals that every month around 50 per cent of the admitted dogs with infections die during the treatment.

"Canine distemper is spread through direct contact or airborne exposure. When an infected dog coughs, or sneezes, he releases aerosol droplets into the environment, infecting nearby dogs," said Bindu Kulkarni, chief medical officer of the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals.

The disease cannot be transmitted from dogs to human beings. Lack of timely vaccination results in dogs being seriously infected. The newly born dog needs to be given the first distemper vaccine dose after four weeks followed by a booster dose after eight weeks from birth (four weeks after the first dose) and later followed by a mandatory dose every year.

"The newborn dogs lack immunity due to which they get infected easily. There is a lack of information and public awareness in society about the importance of vaccination to newborn dogs," added Dr Dhangar.