Distemper alert - KC Area

Just heard that there is a bad strain of distemper going around the Kansas City area. This strain is not responding well to treatment and the vets are losing a higher than normal number of animals to this disease. If you pet is not up to date on their shots, suggest that you get their boosters ASAP. I do not want to alarm anyone, but call your vet if you are in doubt.

I fear my kittens may have distemper. They are going to the vet today. I wonder if it is possible to get it twice. Garfield survived distemper a year ago. Festus had a very mild case a year ago. They are up on their shots, due again by the end of this month. Is it possible for them to get it again or is it a one time only and they have lifetime immunity ?

Also, I read that distemper can survive in the environment for up to years. The vet is saying 90 days. Does anyone else know or has their vet advised? My kitten room is carpeted, so it obviously was not cleaned with bleach after our bout of distemper last year.

I was told Monday when I had one of the kittens in and had her diagnosed that the virus lives in the environment for a year. He also told me to bleach anything I could and throw the rest away. I lost my first kitten last Thursday and at that the time the vet told me he didn't have a clue what was wrong. Different vet diagnosed little Wednesday in two minutes and confirmed with blood test and fecal.

Dozen2Luv (Regina)

I have read that is it stable in the enviroment for years too, I have lost 4 foster kittens to it in last couple of weeks. You should have seen the look on my husbands face when I told him that I bleached the very expensive couch his mother gave us. I also read that if the survive it they have a lifetime immunity too.

I have lost nine, seven fosters and two of my own. So how do I know when it is done infecting the cats? I have my twelve and three fosters now. Two of the fosters are sick, they got sick monday and seem to be on the road to recovery. Nobody has gotten sick since Monday.

Dozen2Luv