The illness is spreading rapidly in Corpus Christi, raising calls for dog vaccinations.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Several questions were asked about the ongoing distemper outbreak in Corpus Christi during Wednesday's Animal Care Advisory Committee meeting.
The Gulf Coast Humane Society's Jackie McCollough, who serves on the Animal Care Advisory Board, said shelters and veterinarians are seeing a growing number of dogs dying from distemper.
“So you know we're seeing it across the board in The Island, Flour Bluff –I mean really the whole area, right? ” McCollough said.
Cynthia Martinez oversees the Corpus Christi Animal Care Shelter and said the outbreak began in a home in the Molina neighborhood, off of Greenwood, and spread to other parts of the city within weeks.
“You know initially we went out, we vaccinated, we offered information, or we partnered with partners to vaccinate,” she said. “But we offered information, we block walked to try to make sure the people in the original area (who) saw this understood what was in their community, but it was too late. It had already spread.”
Martinez said there are a wide range of symptoms and dog owners should take them to the vet right away if something seems off.
“Pet owners need to watch out for eye and nasal discharge, which means that you have a runny nose and runny eyes, or one or the other,” Martinez said. “It can also cause vomiting and diarrhea and lack of appetite.”
McCollough and Martinez both urge owners to vaccinate their dogs as soon as possible.
“Unfortunately, you know, there's not a great treatment for this type of an outbreak, so it's really important to keep your pets vaccinated,” McCollough said. “Make sure that you're staying on the schedule, because this is a high-risk disease, and it affects dogs of all ages.”
Pet owners looking for low-cost vaccines can reach out to Gulf Coast Humane Society, Animal Care Services, or even People Assisting Animal Control, also known as PAAC.
“Distemper is a big deal,” Martinez said. “Unfortunately, even with treatment, the survival rate is pretty low, and so vaccines are the key to stopping your pet from getting this terrible disease.”
