Vaccinations can prevent many of the bacterial and viral diseases that transfer from one dog to another. The AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) suggests you can protect "normal adult dogs" by vaccinations for major viral diseases every three years. Puppies, older dogs and dogs weakened by chronic illness or with poor immune systems may be more susceptible to contagious diseases from other dogs.
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Distemper
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Distemper is a highly contagious, often fatal, viral disease that primarily strikes puppies, although dogs of any age can catch it. Dogs pass the distemper virus through urine, feces and other bodily fluids. The virus can also become airborne wherever the infected dog goes, and other dogs catch it through exposure. There is no cure for distemper, although you can treat the symptoms. Dogs that survive distemper may have chronic nerve and vision damage.
Parvovirus
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Like distemper, parvovirus is more likely to affect puppies. Parvo spreads through feces, and people and animals can track it over a wide area by unwittingly stepping on it. Parvovirus is sturdy and will live for at least six months in soil. Anyone who has had a dog with parvo should spray the entire property with chlorine bleach to kill the virus. It attacks primarily the digestive system and can cause cardiac problems. The main symptoms are vomiting, listlessness and severe diarrhea, which is often bloody and very foul smelling.
Rabies
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Routine vaccination of pets has decreased the chances of one dog transferring the rabies virus to another. This highly contagious disease is transmissible, however, if an infected dog bites another. Rabies attacks the nervous system, and the symptoms in the early stages are primarily behavioral. The dog will become restless, agitated and possibly aggressive. Once an animal has rabies, it is almost always fatal.
Canine Influenza
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A relatively new strain of influenza in dogs, dubbed H3N8, first identified in racing greyhounds in 2004. It's highly contagious, according to the University of Illinois, although it only causes serious illness in about 20 percent of dogs who catch it. Symptoms are a cough, nasal discharge and general malaise. There is now a vaccine for H3N8, and it has so far proved safe and effective.
Kennel Cough
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Kennel cough (Bordatella bronchiseptica) is similar to canine influenza in that it rarely causes serious illness. It's a bacterial infection transferred through the air and by direct contact with other dogs. The classic symptom is a persistent cough that often sounds as if the dog is choking on something. While kennel cough is often self-limiting and clears up without treatment, some vets prefer to give the dog antibiotics to prevent serious complications such as pneumonia. Other vets prefer not to treat mild cases of kennel cough in healthy dogs for fear of building antibiotic resistance. There is a vaccine for kennel cough, effective for about 80 percent of the different strains.
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