How I Managed and Treated My Dog with Canine Distemper

Canine Distemper is a highly contagious viral illness of dogs with no known cure. Since this is one of the top causes of death in dogs (especially in the Philippines), it is crucial to learn more about how this disease works and how to manage it.

How is Canine Distemper transmitted?

Canine Distemper is transmitted through the air - through cough from infected animals and even body secretions like urine. This disease can affect young and adult dogs, but it is commonly seen in puppies between three to six months of age.

What are the symptoms of Canine Distemper?

It usually starts with typical signs of a respiratory problem, such as sneezing, coughing, and eye/nasal discharge accompanied by fever. Other symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, lack of appetite, and weight loss.

After recovery, tremors of the head/neck/legs, overgrowth of foot pads, or teeth abnormalities can be seen. While the overgrowth of foot pads and teeth abnormalities are non-life threatening, the tremors and other neurological signs like seizures can lead to a progressive deterioration of motor skills and mental abilities. These dogs are humanely euthanized in some places due to their unbearable pain and suffering.

How to Prevent Canine Distemper?

This illness is preventable with the proper vaccination schedule. The first vaccination should be done at 6 to 8 weeks, then every 3 to 4 weeks until the puppy is 16 to 20 weeks. A booster vaccination should be done a year later, then every one to three years.

Infected animals should be immediately quarantined or isolated. Use separate feeding bowls and drinkers. Always wear gloves when in contact with them.

How to Treat Canine Distemper?

Until today, there is no over-the-counter medicine for distemper. The treatment is supportive and symptomatic. If your dog exhibited some of the early symptoms mentioned above, bring him to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

How I Managed and Treated My Dog with Canine Distemper

First, I wanted to emphasize that I'm not a veterinarian. If your dog suffers from this illness, take him to the vet.

I just wanted to share my experience since the veterinarian we had consulted three years ago told us that there was nothing we could do to save "Prince," our pet aspin, since there's no available treatment for this disease. It was already four days since he started showing symptoms like sneezing, nasal discharge, and fever. He just prescribed an antibiotic and gave us the "This is all I can do" look.

Since I'm a fighter, I didn't give up that easily. I understand that viruses have no cures. So I thought, "What if I would be able to improve his health and immunity? His body could fight off the virus!"

So when we got home from the vet, we bought a lot of Hydrite (Oral Rehydration Salts), packs of Yakult (Probiotics), Enervon C (Vitamin C), droppers, and syringes. We were force-feeding him with pure meat several times daily, although he only ate one to two-inch-sized meat per attempt. His antibiotic was given a day for two weeks thrice; then, we accompanied it with 100 ml Hydrite, one bottle of Yakult every 4 hours (by syringe or dropper), and 1 Enervon C capsule twice a day.

Slowly, we saw some improvements. After more than a week, Prince started eating without us forcing him. We continued giving him Hydrite, Yakult, and Enervon C until he drank them independently. We were delighted and relieved that he survived it. Unfortunately, it left him with tremors of the head.

Fortunately, the other dogs didn't have it. We could isolate Prince immediately, especially since our Shih Tzu "Princess" had just given birth to two puppies. We placed them in the kitchen at the other end of the house from Prince's home.

Prince (Aspin) and Princess (Shih-Tzu) - A few months after Prince's recovery from Canine Distemper

What we did with Prince may or may not work for other dogs suffering from Canine Distemper. This virus may affect other dogs differently.

So if you think your dog is showing signs of Distemper, put down your phone and take him to the vet immediately.