It’s a bad year for canine distemper in rural counties.

Cumberland County has battled three outbreaks in a matter of months. They’ve had to put down dozens of dogs.

It’s a problem a group of researchers at the University of Tennessee wants to fix.

The mix of students and professors at the UT National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis is using math models to study how the disease spreads through a shelter once the dog is infected.

“What we’re hoping to show is that something really simple and cost effective can really make a difference,” student researcher Ashley Dantzler says.

Officials from the Cumberland County Animal Shelter say they haven’t seen the disease spread this quickly in years.

UT Clinical Virologist Melissa Kennedy says in rural areas, many dogs catch the virus from wild animals like raccoons and skunks.

“It will last in the environment for several days, so they don’t even need direct contact for transmission,” she says.

One way it can spread is if an infected wild animal eats or drinks from a dog’s food or water bowl.

Once a dog is infected, the first symptoms include high fever, red eyes and watery discharge from the nose and eyes. As the disease progresses, the dog will become lethargic and depressed, Kennedy says.

“It causes respiratory disease, gastrointestinal problems, and neurological disease,” she says.

It kills about half the dogs it infects.

The best way to prevent your dog from catching the disease is to get it vaccinated. After the initial distemper vaccination, veterinarians say dogs need another shot every three years.  (WVLT)