# Distemper--is there anything left I can do?



## B&L's Momma (Nov 26, 2011)

Good Evening! I am coming to this forum for support, opinions and helpful tips/tricks.

Three days ago I found my 3 month old puppy foaming at the mouth, he was still alert and able to move, no big deal--figured he had played too hard with my other pup. Then this happened the next day but he was unresponsive to my attempts at gaining his attention...I didn't really know what this meant. So the next night I found him in his kennel whining and shaking/stumbling, almost like he was drunk. So I rushed him to our vet at Banfield, they diagnosed him with Distemper and gave him fluids to rehydrate him. The down-side is that he was just fighting a case of round worms. (He was a rescue that I got from a lady- who hadn't given him any shots.)

I was given an antibiotic and told to give him pedialyte to help keep him from getting dehydrated. (He's an inside dog; by the way.) Well I've now noticed that he won't drink so every half hour I give him pedialyte via syringe in the mouth. (No needle.) He seemed to have small seizures when he strains to go to the bathroom and we have encountered many many accidents in his kennel; which we don't hesitate to bathe him and clean it all up. 

It's been two days of this and it is heart-breaking to hear him whine and bark in pain. We are trying to give him some baby Aspirin, since I've looked up the right amount of dosage and have even contacted the vet. They told me I am doing everything right and everything that I can realistically do for him. He is more and more unresponsive and not playful in the least; spending most of his day sleeping. I'm starting to lose hope that he will recover and I don't know what to do!

I am at a crossroads as to wait and make him suffer to see if he will beat it or just put the poor suffering baby down. Someone please help or contact me because I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm stressed and an emotional wreck because of all of this and I just need other peoples opinions. 

I worry that when I go back to work on Monday that something will happen when I'm not home and that scares me as well...HELP! 

Thanks,
One Worried Momma


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## boots27 (Aug 23, 2011)

I'm really sorry to hear about your puppy, ours passed away 2 months ago from the same disease. Feed him whatever you can, and if he won't eat you might have to feed him through a syringe. One thing you should do is too help him breathe, take him into the bathroom and run the water so it steams. Also, look up on line 'coupage', which can also help him breathe. One thing you have to remember is that there might be lasting side affects though. Don't give up and keep trying. Tell us how he does....


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## boots27 (Aug 23, 2011)

I heard of a possible cure in Austin, Texas. I don't know if this works, but look up: http://www.kindheartsinaction.com/archives/88 Good luck!


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

Dehydration is a big issue. Some pups make it. You can call Texas A&M for more suggestions, and there may be current treatment suggestions online...


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

I am sorry you have to go through this, I hope the poor little guy makes it


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## B&L's Momma (Nov 26, 2011)

Good Evening Everyone!

Well, we went for our check-up with the vet and he had a good out-look on things. Bonzai (13-week old Border Collie Mix) was showing wonderful signs of beating this, his seizures had ended, he was still eating and had gained a full pound, was drinking lots of water and was able to sit up on his own. The shaking was still very evident but he wasn't howling like he had been before. The vet concluded that he might have other underlying problems and that ended up being Coccidia (spelling?). So we were given two new medicines to give to him along with an antibiotic pill. Dr. Lewis was upfront and said to give him another week before we consider the option of putting him down. 

A week passed and there was absolutely no further improvement. He was rapidly declining, he was lethargic most of the time, slept as much as he could and had a weakened muscle mass to the point that we had to hold up his bottom so that he could go to the bathroom. There were still no more signs of seizures but never-the-less we believe that they had completely taken their toll on our little boy.

On 12/3/11 we took him to the vet for his next check-up, it had been a week and we were hoping that Dr. Lewis would give us good news. I held the sweet boy the entire way to the vet as he slept in my lap, my boyfriend and I joking and carrying on. When we arrived to the vet we had to step on the scale with him and them step on it without him to figure out his weight because it was best not to bother him. We explained that he was becoming weaker even though he was still drinking and eating the same but we had notice mucus forming over his eyes--it was gross but we worked to get it all off. 

The nurse came in and took his temperature and informed us that he had lost a pound since coming in and he seemed rather bloated. My poor baby. There was something about the way the nurse was acting that left my boyfriend and I with a sinking feeling in our gut. We had been working to accept the fact that if things didn't go well we knew what would have to happen and that's when Dr. Lewis came in and affirmed our sinking feeling. Bonzai was not making the process he thought he would see and now was just a fragile little one that was in quite a bit of pain.

So at 7:45pm we made the decision to have our sweet boy put to sleep and I can only remember those last five or ten minutes we spent with him as he rested on that cold metal table cuddled up in towels to keep him comfortable. He would open his eyes a few times and make contact before shutting them weakly almost as if he knew what was going to happen and he was okay with him. Was he begging me for the peace that he knew was coming? I can only tell myself that what we were doing was best--tears filled our eyes and we reassured him that we love him and that one day we would all be together again for plenty of cuddles and lovin's.

We opted to not be there when they put him down because of our already emotional state, I'm pretty sure if I was left with him I would have just run away with him. We were hoping he would pull through but that wasn't the case--now he's in a much better place where he can run and play. He was a wonderful puppy. 

We miss and love him everyday!

Thank you everyone!


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost a dog to distemper years ago, and I still remember it like yesterday. It's heartbreaking.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I am so sorry for your loss. He is in a happy place now.


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

Please - please please -folks - get your puppies vaccinated.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for canine distemper. The mortality rate is about 75%. The puppies that do survive often have neurological impairments.

However, distemper *is preventable*. The vaccine is almost 100% effective in puppies if properly administered in a series.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Poly said:


> Please - please please -folks - get your puppies vaccinated.
> 
> Unfortunately, there is no cure for canine distemper. The mortality rate is about 75%. The puppies that do survive often have neurological impairments.
> 
> However, distemper *is preventable*. The vaccine is almost 100% effective in puppies if properly administered in a series.


My dog was fully vaccinated, that died from it. There are some breeds, like Huskies, Malamutes, that may not ever develop a full immunity to it. And young dogs, mine was 8 months old, that are exposed to it in a heavy concentration, can still get it. I was bringing my dog to the barn with me, and a lady whose dog had distemper brough her dog there, unbeknown to me. Her dog would come up to my stall area and play with mine, and of course, he would pee, and my dog would sniff, then pee. This went on for a week.


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

spotted nikes said:


> My dog was fully vaccinated, that died from it. There are some breeds, like Huskies, Malamutes, that may not ever develop a full immunity to it. And young dogs, mine was 8 months old, that are exposed to it in a heavy concentration, can still get it. I was bringing my dog to the barn with me, and a lady whose dog had distemper brough her dog there, unbeknown to me. Her dog would come up to my stall area and play with mine, and of course, he would pee, and my dog would sniff, then pee. This went on for a week.


I am truly sorry about your loss. Distemper is not a minor disease. 

But I must ask what you are getting at. Your puppy didn't die from the vaccination, but from the disease. All puppies should be vaccinated - end of story. It's just the responsible thing to do. 

The fact that some pups have a problem mounting an immune response doesn't change that. 

According to scientific studies, certain breeds of dogs (e.g., Rottweiler, Doberman pinscher, Labrador retriever, Alaskan sled dog, pomeranian,and American Staffordshire terrier) do have difficulty mounting an appropriate immune response as puppies. I don't know of any comparable results that specifically addressed Malamutes and Huskies, but it would seem to be a possibility.

A vet can perform - or send out for - what is called a "CDV/CPV titer test" to determine if the immune response is appropriate. If your puppy is one of those breeds or similar, it might be prudent to consider having that done.

We had a CDV/CPV titer test done for our Lab pup when he was about 6 months old. The test was rather expensive but we wanted it done because he was going to start encountering many dogs. The results were "positive" meaning that he had had an adequate immune response, so he did not need a re-vaccination.

All of our dogs previously had been adult rescues, so this was the first time we had gone through all that 'puppy stuff'.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Poly said:


> I am truly sorry about your loss. Distemper is not a minor disease.
> 
> But I must ask what you are getting at. Your puppy didn't die from the vaccination, but from the disease. All puppies should be vaccinated - end of story. It's just the responsible thing to do.
> 
> ...


The poster I responded to seemed to imply that only unvaccinated dogs get the disease. Or that my (and the OP's) dogs got it because they weren't vaccinated. I wanted to let them know that isn't the case, and vaccinated dogs CAN get the disease if exposed to it in high amounts. But I do agree that EVERY dog should be vaccinated.


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## B&L's Momma (Nov 26, 2011)

I know it's a little late to even respond to this posting anymore but I'm a little hurt by some of the things people have said in this thread. I don't need anyone pointing out that my puppy should have been vaccinated. He was! The problem was, we received him from a breeder and she had given him his first shot and we followed up with the second and the third but unfortunately the distemper virus can lie dormant for up to 14 days; so we don't know when or where he caught the virus. 

We are responsible pet owners who know to get out pets vaccinated! 

Don't make assumptions when you don't even know all the details.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

You said : "(He was a rescue that I got from a lady-who hadn't given him any shots.)", and that's what people were responding to. Nobody was dissing you. So was he a rescue or from a breeder?


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

B&L's Momma said:


> I know it's a little late to even respond to this posting anymore but I'm a little hurt by some of the things people have said in this thread. I don't need anyone pointing out that my puppy should have been vaccinated. He was! The problem was, we received him from a breeder and she had given him his first shot and we followed up with the second and the third but unfortunately the distemper virus can lie dormant for up to 14 days; so we don't know when or where he caught the virus.
> 
> We are responsible pet owners who know to get out pets vaccinated!
> 
> Don't make assumptions when you don't even know all the details.



When we volunteered at a local shelter we saw TOO MANY pups (mostly strays) who weren't vaccinated. Often it was too late and the pups did succumb to parvo or distemper. It made me very much a proponent of the recommended vaccination schedule (and follow-up tests as required). And yes I do tend to get on a soap-box about it. 

Nobody was disrepecting you.. You did say in the OP that your puppy WASN'T vaccinated AT ALL by the "lady you got him from". There was no implication in any of the responding posts that YOU were responsible for that situation. You shouldn't assume that general statements are directed to you personally.

BTW, you're NOW saying that he DID get his first vaccinations from his breeder and that YOU had followed up with two more. So who was "the lady who hadn't given him any shots"? I'm having a bit of a problem making sense of all this.


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