Distemper threat still hounds Iqaluit dogs

VALERIE G. CONNELL

Iqaluit dogs aren’t yet safe from the threat of disease following a recent viral outbreak suspected to be canine distemper.

The first case of the virus was reported Dec. 27, said Heather Priest, a local veterinarian. There have been 12 cases reported to date, she said.

No new cases have been reported in the last week and some dogs are recovering, Priest said.

“Some are actually improving, which is good, but it could be the calm before the storm.”

Priest said it’s not unusual for dogs to develop a fever when they first become ill but then crash again after they appear to get better.

Priest had run tests on one of the dogs. But the results were inconclusive — something that is not unusual with distemper, she said.

But Priest said she will continue testing to find a clear diagnosis. “I still would like to get a definite answer because I’d like to know what we’re dealing with, but I don’t think it will change what we do,” she said.

She said she recommends vaccinating healthy dogs, isolating them from sick ones, and keeping animals contained — tied, penned or indoors.

“Maybe we’re seeing another type of bacterial or viral disease that animals are better equipped to fight,” she said. “It seems like something contagious because most of the cases… are in an area between Arctic Ventures, the beach and white row.”

Priest said there have been some suspicious cases reported in Kimmirut as well.

She said that although she hasn’t seen the Kimmirut dogs, she has spoken to the owners, who told her their dogs were improving.

Over half of the dogs in Iqaluit reported to have the virus have been put down, Priest said.

The Town of Iqaluit’s bylaw officers have put down five or six dogs, said Terry Augustus, head of the Town’s bylaw department.

If no cases of the virus are reported, it will be another two weeks before Iqaluit dog owners can rest easy, Priest said.

“Even if we don’t have a definitive answer, I think there’s still a risk and I’m not comfortable telling people to relax yet,” Priest said.

But Priest said she will update people as she gets new information.

Priest said the vaccine used to protect dogs from canine distemper is a modified virus that will not cause the distemper, but causes the body’s immune system to react to the virus and produces antibodies to kill off the real virus.

“I’m not vaccinating any of the dogs who have been ill or showing any symptoms, because if we vaccinate a dog that actually has got it, we can make the disease worse,” Priest said. “And a dog that may have a chance of surviving — the vaccination could kill them.”

She said vaccinating a dog that’s fighting off the real virus just gives them something else to fight. It suppresses the immune system and can be detrimental.

Augustus said bylaw officers help out by fielding calls from residents, picking up dogs that are sick, watching for stray dogs and conferring with the vet on a daily basis.

The Town of Iqaluit has circulated bulletins warning residents to keep their dogs confined.