Cases of the animal virus distemper have been increasing in Dallas and Plano, and the infection count has started to rise in Allen as well.  At least thirteen cases of raccoon distemper have been reported in Allen, along with one case of canine distemper.

“The reason it is bad this year in particular is winter took a long time getting here,” Allen Animal Shelter Supervisor Allison Harper said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News.  “The virus did not die off like it usually does.”

    The distemper virus is very contagious, spreading to animals through the air or through fluids and can be displayed in a variety of ways.

    “Signs of distemper would be discharge from eyes,” Harper said.  “Animals start walking, staggering, kind of looking like they are drunk.  When they get further on in the disease they can start to have seizures and other issues.”

The virus can be fatal, especially to puppies and kittens, though many animals, often those that are middle-aged, do survive.   The rising number of local distemper cases has some students worried.

“This outbreak really has me worried about my pets,” sophomore Ben Meaders said. “I feel responsible for taking care of them in the ways they can’t, and it would be my fault if one of them got the virus and had to suffer because I didn’t keep them safe.”

    Harper says that raccoons carrying the virus can infect both cats and dogs, though dogs cannot infect cats, nor can cats infect dogs.

    She advises people with dogs or cats hoping to protect their pets to make sure their dogs and cats are up to date on vaccines and take their pet to the vet if they see any signs of a possible virus infection. In addition, people living in the Allen area should not leave pet food outside and make sure their trash can lids are closed tightly to prevent attracting raccoons.

    “I have a puppy who is very large and needs lots of room to play, so I usually let him run around outside for a while and do other things until it’s time to let him back in, but now I don’t want to let him out as much and I watch him carefully when he is outside,” Fairview resident Susan Wideman said. “Since he’s still young, he might want to play with a raccoon if he sees one, and I don’t want him to catch the virus going around so I have to keep an eye on him until this has passed.”

If you come in contact with an animal you suspect of having distemper, Harper says to avoid touching or handling them and call local Animal Control at 214-509-4378 to have the problem dealt with by professionals.