Texas A&M warns of distemper risk during summer pet adoptions

Texas A&M’s Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory is urging extra caution around canine distemper virus, or CDV, as summer adoption season ramps up and shelters take in more dogs. In an April 29, 2026 advisory, TVMDL said crowding tied to spring-born puppies and higher shelter intake can increase exposure risk, especially for puppies under 4 months and dogs with incomplete vaccine protection. The lab highlighted early signs including fever, lethargy, coughing, sneezing, ocular and nasal discharge, vomiting, diarrhea, and, in more advanced cases, neurologic signs such as tremors, seizures, and paralysis. TVMDL veterinary diagnostician Cathy Campbell, DVM, said the virus can spread before clinical signs appear, complicating control in kennel settings. (tvmdl.tamu.edu)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the alert is a reminder that distemper can still present as a shelter-associated, high-consequence differential during periods of increased intake. TVMDL emphasized that early disease can resemble kennel cough, parvovirus, or pneumonia, and said testing should be considered at the initial onset rather than after a wait-and-see period. The lab pointed to PCR, antibody testing, vaccine-strain differentiation, and respiratory PCR panels as available diagnostic options, noting that interpretation depends on disease stage and recent vaccination history. That fits with broader shelter medicine guidance: Cornell’s shelter medicine program identifies RT-PCR of nasal swabs as the diagnostic test of choice, while WSAVA’s 2024 vaccination guidelines continue to classify CDV-containing modified-live vaccines as core for dogs and recommend immediate intake vaccination in shelters. (tvmdl.tamu.edu)

What to watch: Expect continued emphasis this summer on intake vaccination, early isolation, and careful interpretation of positive PCR results in recently vaccinated shelter and newly adopted dogs. (wsava.org)