'Half a dozen calls a day' for wild animals with distemper as London sees spike

City officials are urging pet owners to stay updated on their animals' vaccinations as they report an uptick in canine distemper virus, a highly contagious and often fatal disease found among raccoons, skunks and coyotes which can be transmitted to unvaccinated pets.

Last year, the City of London received approximately 1,300 calls regarding wildlife with suspected distemper, of which 860 were raccoons. It marks a 10 per cent increase from 2024, according to Dr. Kim Millar, the city's veterinarian.

"The most common ones are raccoons and skunks," she said. "Distemper virus tends to go in spikes so when the wildlife population gets very large because of mild winters or easy access to food, the virus spreads more quickly and that’s when we notice it more."

The virus affects their respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. It's more commonly seen during warmer months, which Millar believes is due to more people being outdoors. It has no cure and can only be managed through medication, with a high fatality among wildlife.

Distemper vaccines are an effective way to prevent the disease among pets, Millar said, who has seen very few cases of the virus among domestic animals. There is no evidence to suggest that humans can be infected, she added.

Brian Salt, owner of Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre in nearby Mount Brydges, said he receives about half a dozen calls daily for raccoons and skunks with distemper.

"We've known about distemper for several years now, but it has been increasing for sure. I can't really say if the condition is worse, or if more people just know, but we're getting a lot of calls," Salt said, whose agency has stopped taking raccoons.

The disease spreads through aerosol droplets, bodily fluids or direct contact with an infected animal, Millar said. Mild symptoms can range from lack of energy, decreased appetite and fever, whereas severe symptoms can include shortness of breath, nasal discharge, redness and thick, yellow, crusty discharge in the eyes, she added.

More noticeable are often neurological symptoms such as incoordination, with animals circling around appearing disoriented, seizures and thickening of the skin on their nose and the foot pads, said Millar. A bigger telltale sign is how they react around humans.

"Usually, they'll have a lack of fear of humans or other animals, so typically if you approach a raccoon they would run away. If they stay still, they're curled up on a deck or they're not moving when they see humans, that can be one symptom," she said.

Raccoons can carry both canine and feline distemper (common among cats), according to Salt, who added that the virus can also linger outside the host animal for several months under cool and damp conditions.

"If a raccoon defecates or pees in your backyard and your dog is sniffing around and he's not vaccinated, he's susceptible to the virus," said Salt, noting that provincial guidelines recommend that animals with distemper should be humanely euthanized to quell the virus.

"Once the distemper symptoms become neurological, there's no coming back from that virus. They're going to die and it doesn't make sense to have them go through that horrible process."

Both Millar and Salt suggest calling the London Animal Care Centre to pick up the distempered animals as they can be a danger to themselves and others.