How My Dog Bailey Survived Distemper and How Yours Could TOO!
Bailey with owner Joyce Burton Titular right before Bailey was diagnosed with Distemper.
I am writing down the story of my dog Bailey and her battle against Distemper in the hope that if your dog has Distemper, you won’t give up and just let your dog die. Distemper may not have a cure (it’s a virus) but there are ways to help give your dog better chances of surviving.
First of all, you have to understand that Distemper is VERY hard to diagnose. At least that’s what I’ve read on almost all the Distemper websites I’ve visited. It took my vets more than a week to figure out that Bailey had Distemper. Most of time this is the case; pet owners like me discover that its Distemper a little bit late in the game.
DAY ONE – Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The first sign that Bailey was ill was her lack of energy, reddish eyes and a runny nose.
It was very odd because Bailey is like a jumping jelly bean and can jump higher than my head – I’m pretty tall at 5’9″. She also can’t contain herself when I’m around, so to see her listless and just sitting there was incredibly disturbing.
So I figured maybe she had a cold. Since animals are less hardy than people when it comes to colds, we took her at once to our Vet in Tiendesitas on C5. It’s a clinic run by Vets In Practice but has a different name in Tiendesitas, I forgot the name, but it’s the only Vet Clinic in Tiende and you can’t miss it.
I remember the name now – it’s Animal Care Specialists Vet Clinic.
They did a few tests:
Temperature – she was running a medium fever.
A test for worms – she was positive for hookworms.
A blood test to check if it was Heartworm, Parvo or something affecting her internal organs – she was negative for these, a big relief for me.
First diagnosis – could be worms causing her lethargy. So they gave Bailey a pill to de-worm her and we took her home.
DAY 5 – Saturday, March 12, 2011
I was expecting Bailey to improve quickly because worms aren’t such a big problem. But she was still lethargic and that is never a good sign with a dog known to be frisky. So we brought her back to the vet but this time, I insisted that we check her in overnight even if the Vet said she had no fever.
During this visit, they did a test to check her sugar levels but there was no problem with that. At this time, the Vet admitted he was baffled over what could be affecting my darling Bailey Girl but he was suspicious it could be blood parasites.
Second diagnosis – it might be blood parasites. So the vet prescribed a pill for 14 days. As I said, we checked her in anyway and the next day we took her home. The Vets informed me that she was quite ferocious, barking at them all time and growling when they would feed her. I took this as a positive sign thinking that she was okay now.
But Bailey continued to be listless and I started noticing that her nose was getting dry, and the ridge above it was thickening (a Distemper sign that I didn’t know about) and she also seemed to be breathing abnormally because the pit of her belly kept pumping really fast. But I continued to give her the pill for blood parasites reminding myself to be patient because just like vampires, blood parasites ares hard to kill.
DAY 11 – Friday, March 18, 2011
No improvement with Bailey. Although she had no fever, she looked as limp as a plate of stale lettuce. Furthermore, she started to walk with a slight wobble in her back legs. Again, we took her to Tiendesitas. Since the first Vet that checked Bailey was not in, a different Vet checked her out. He listened to her heart and he heard an odd beat.
Third Diagnosis – Arrhythmia. Instead of the regular pitak-pitak, Bailey’s heart was off-beat. The Vet said that this, combined with blood parasites could be causing her to be weak and wobbly. He said that we should just continue giving Bailey the meds for blood parasites and then afterwards, we will deal with the Arrhythmia.
Fine. We took her home, still hopeful that she’d be okay.
DAY 12 – Saturday, March 19
The first thing I did when I woke up was check Bailey girl. She was the same boring dish of lettuce except I thought I noticed a nervous twitching. It was very mild though – you’d only notice it if you were looking really closely – her jaw was twitching every second or two and so was her forearm. Little did I know that this twitching was a Distemper hallmark.
The wobble in her back legs also seemed more pronounced today so I told Ron (my hubby) that we had better take her to the main animal hospital of Vets in Practice in Mandaluyong and not to Tiendesitas anymore.
At Vets in Practice they did several tests:
A stool test – negative for worms (of course.)
A blood test – white blood cells were very low.
It was the blood test that made the Vet suspicious that it could be Distemper. So he did one more test – something that looked exactly like a pregnancy test (you know, the white, rectangular plastic stick?) except you drop blood instead of urine into it. After a short wait if you get one line it’s negative. But if you get two lines, it’s positive for Distemper.
And poor Bailey girl got two lines confirming that she did indeed have the Distemper virus.
I asked the Vet what was going to happen next. Was there any hope? I had read up a little on Distemper and knew that the survivor rate was low – only 20% make it. But I could not ask the question in my heart – should I put Bailey to sleep?
To my shock, he said that there was one thing we could do – inject Bailey girl with a blood serum that was accidentally discovered and then developed by an American vet named Dr. Sears. But there was a catch – we needed a dog blood-donor who would pass stringent testing. I stood in the check-up room for 20 minutes and I could not think of one dog that would sacrifice his time and blood for Bailey. Besides, my Chihuahua Ramses was too small.
Fortunately, Vets in Practice had some left-over serum from a previous dog; it would be a bit more expensive, but it would give Bailey a chance of surviving. There were no guarantees but I went for it anyway. Bailey is one of the best guard dogs in my home and never fails to bark at any stranger that passes my gate. I knew that if she were human, she would do the same for me. Bailey deserved a chance and while it was costly, I do have a great Father in heaven who has no problem when it comes to money issues. So we went for the serum shots – three of them to be given every twelve hours on the dot.
The first Serum Shot was given at 1:50pm, March 19, 2011.
The Vet prescribed Baytril, an anti-biotic to protect her against secondary illnesses and Vitamin B complex to help promote the repair of brain and spinal material.
At this point I started giving her Colloidal Silver daily, a powerful remedy against viruses, bacteria and fungi. Three times a day, about a teaspoon each time. I am a strong believer in Colloidal Silver but there are side-effects that you need to know about so please do research first.
DAY 13, March 20, 2011
The second Serum Shot was given at 1:50 am today. Yep, we left the house a little past midnight to make the appointment.
The third and last shot was given at 1:50 pm. The Vet said that we had to wait for two days to let the Serum do it’s work. Well, it was a difficult two days for me because by this time, Bailey’s symptoms had gotten worse:
Twitches – the hallmark of Distemper. Her jaw twitched and so did her front legs. They would twitch all day and all night.
Head Bob – another hallmark of Distemper. Her head would bob up and down like as if she were a disoriented 80-year old on drugs.
Weak appetite – thankfully, Bailey would still eat one or two bites of her food. It was so hard though to figure out what she wanted because she is a picky eater. But we gave her everything from beef bones to rice and even catfood. At this point, we HAD to get nourishment into her thin body, even just a little. We would feed her three times a day and if she refused to eat, we would force-feed her with canned dog-food smashed and watered down so we could inject it into her mouth using a syringe. I would also force-feed water but did it VERY CAREFULLY – if water ever entered her lungs, she could develop pneumonia.
By this time, I had done so much research and found out that there was one last thing we could do – an NDV Spinal Tap. (Thanks to Lestre of Petiks for encouraging me to do the Spinal Tap asap!) But the Vets at VIP told me that we had to wait the full two days to let the serum work. If it didn’t work then we could do the Tap.
Fine. We waited.
DAY 16 – Tuesday, March 22, 2001
Today was my birthday and all I could think of was Bailey. Because it was costing me so much, I had canceled all my bday plans and diverted my bday money to my current priority – giving Bailey a fighting chance against Distemper.The only thing I asked God for today was my bouncy Bailey, back to normal…
At noon, we drove Bailey (in a borrowed vehicle, thank you Raymond for lending me your car on my coding day!) to VIP Animal Hospital in Mandaluyong to get the Spinal Tap done. There were ZERO improvements in Bailey but neither was she getting worse. It was like she was stuck in some sort of Distemper purgatory.
It was a LOOOOONG wait at VIP. They must of had fifty patients ahead of Bailey, including one duck and a marmoset. But finally, Doc Allison came over to us and I gave her the run-down on our case. VIP has many excellent Vets and is kind of like the Makati Med or St. Luke’s for animals because they have lots of Vets with different specialties and accept all creatures great and small – horses, turtles, hamster, you name it.
So today we had Doc Allison – a very pretty and soft spoken Vet and one of the few at VIP who could do Spinal Taps. I liked her at once. She came out to the side of their building to check on Bailey and begin the NDV Spinal Tap procedure. Yeah, that’s right, we had to do the Tap outside because Distemper is incredibly contagious and we didn’t want other doggies to catch it from her.
Right before Tap, there was one thing we needed – a vial of the Newcastle Disease Vaccine. Allison asked us if we had brought a vial of the stuff and I was like – um… okay, we don’t have that.
I had heard of that Newcastle thingy in my online research on Distemper but I had no idea that I had to supply the Vet with it. So Doc Allison checked their refrigerator if they had some on hand (I was praying like a maniac at this point) and she came back to say that they had a vial for Bailey but we had to replace it that same day. She gave me the address of the Poultry Supplier that supplied it.
Yes, apparently, Newcastle is a bird thing and since I’m not a Vet I can’t tell you why using a bird thing on a dog thing would work. But I had faith and I trusted the Vets at VIP and so I said, go-go-go!
Read the comments section for an explanation on the bird thing on a dog thing…
THE SPINAL TAP -
The area where the NDV Spinal Tap was performed on my dog Bailey
They could not do the procedure inside the Animal Hospital because, as I mentioned, dogs with Distemper are so contagious and will surely pass on the virus to any other dog they breathe on. Instead, we had to do it outside in a shaded area of VIP’s parking lot with Bailey on a towel-covered plastic bench.
So we were all huddled there – Chin, the girl who gave Bailey to me; Joy my helper; Ron my hubby; Darius who drove the car and me. It felt so GOOD to have so many of us there fussing over her.
First thing was to put her under with an anesthetic. Doc Allison said the procedure was very delicate and we couldn’t have Bailey twitching and jerking around. After the anesthetic, she had to look for the correct place to withdraw spinal fluid and inject the New Castle Vaccine. It’s somewhere on the batok (nape) of the dog – we had to bring Bailey’s chin close to her chest to stretch out the bones in the top of her spine.
After three pokes, Doc Allison found the right place and did her stuff so fast that it was a dramatic as a mosquito bite. Although I was let down because I was expecting something more action-packed like blood flying everywhere, I was just grateful that it was done and that I had done my best to make sure Bailey would have a better chance at surviving Distemper.
After the Spinal Tap, Bailey woke up, we gave her subcutaneous fluids (Doc Allison taught me how to stick the needle in!!!) and we drove to pick up the New Castle Vaccine at the Poultry Supply on Quezon Avenue, dropped off Baily at home and brought the Vaccine back to VIP to replace what we took.
My research told me that seizures were to be expected after a Spinal Tap, something Doc Allison confirmed. So I prepared my helpers by telling them that Bailey might just have a seizure or two, don’t panic, just calm her down with gentle patting. Of course her first seizure had to happen when I was not around and naturally my helpers panicked like I told them NOT to and jumped up on the ledge at our patio (Bailey’s sick bay) in fear. But thankfully the seizure was a fast one and the only one we saw her have. I hear that other dogs have it worse.
To make sure that the dog doesn’t hurt himself/herself during a seizure, it’s important to have soft bedding. Even more important is the anti-seizure medication – in our case, VIP prescribed Gabantin (generic name Neurontin) which is, according to the Vet, supposed to control seizures and lessen twitching and pain.
The days after the Spinal Tap were roller-coaster days for Bailey. One day she would look good (still limp but walking and even trotting around and barking at strangers) then the next day she would look like death itself. But I continued with her medications: Gabantin, Vitamin C (prescribed after the Tap), Vitamin B, Baytril, Colloidal Silver and Subcutaneous Fluids.
Her appetite was also roller-coaster. And unpredictable. She would want catfood for one meal then would refuse it the next. She would lap up lactose-free milk and eat bread dipped in it for one day then refuse to touch the stuff the next day. Right now, she will only eat people food brought in by Manang Vilma, my cleaning lady. And for some strange reason, Bailey prefers rice over meat. Bizarre. But the Vets told me to just figure out what she wants and give it.
Meal schedule – She was on three meals a day from the first time I took her to the Vet. And when she would refuse to eat a meal, I would force-feed her dogfood mashed with water to make it soft enough for a syringe. I would feed her at least five syringes of soft dogfood for each meal she refused to eat.
TLC – This is SO important. Dogs with Distemper (or any illness for that matter) need a lot of attention. A lot of tender, loving care. I set up a small sick-bay area for her in the patio and had my helpers put a TV there during the day so they could keep Bailey company and not get too bored.
When I had no work, I would be by her side, talking to her, praying for her healing and massaging her body gently. I would sit next to her and read a book or answer my email.
At night I would put some OFF Lotion on her head, back and tail and on her beddings to keep the mosquitoes away. I surrounded her with soft rags, old clothes and an equally old but soft pillow. We tried to keep her as warm as possible – many dogs who seem to be recovering from Distemper suddenly take ill with pneumonia or some other secondary illness so it’s important to keep your dog warm enough and pumped up with anti-biotics.
DAY 23 (SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE SPINAL TAP) – Tuesday, March 29, 2011
According to Dr. Sears, the man who first discovered the Serum (which stops the Distemper Virus in it’s tracks) if a dog survives 6 days after the NDV Spinal Tap, it is out of the woods. (Actually, I read this somewhere online; I’m trying to look for it again to link it here.)
Well, its Day 7 today and Bailey is alive and twitching. I believe she will indeed make it through the rain just like Dr. Sears and Barry Manilow said.
Note – I have read that the Serum of Dr. Sears is only effective BEFORE the twitching sets in. In the case of Bailey, she already had mild twitches so it was a bit too late. Once the dog starts twitching, it means that the Virus has reached the nervous system – a bad thing – so in that case it is recommended to go ahead with the NDV Spinal Tap. But since I am not a Vet, it would be best if you consult your animal’s doctor first when making a decision.
Conjuntivites or Sore Eyes - a Canine Distemper manifestation
The only negative development today is Conjunctivitis or Sore Eyes which is, apparently, a Distemper manifestation.
Today is Day 2 for Bailey’s Sore Eyes so I’ve been dropping Colloidal Silver into her eyes. I use warm water to loosen the eye gunk (muta) which is so thick that it prevents Bailey from opening her eyes. BUT I DO THIS WITH NO RUBBING. Just gentle patting and wiping with warm water on a cotton ball did the trick for Bailey. If the gunk won’t go away from your dog’s eyes, just try again a few hours later. Remember that rubbing can scratch and seriously damage your dog’s eyes.
Twitching and Head Bob – she is still twitching and when she walks she still has that irritating head bob and disoriented gait but Doc Allison says it’s to be expected. In fact, Bailey will most likely have twitches and a head bob for the rest of her life. They won’t be as pronounced as they are now, but most Distemper survivors carry these signs all their lives.
CONCLUSIONS:
1) Not getting Bailey her complete shots was a big mistake on my part. I kept delaying and delaying. And I kept thinking that since Bailey was an askal (mutt) and hardier than pure-bred dogs she would be fine. But that wrong thinking resulted in the story you just read. Please get complete shots for your dog.
2) DON’T GIVE UP once your dog is diagnosed with Distemper. THERE IS HOPE! I have heard that many Vets here in the Philippines will just tell you to put the dog to sleep or take it home to die. DON’T GIVE UP! Look for a Vet in your area and ask for an NDV Spinal Tap (much much cheaper than the Serum by Dr. Sears). I also hear that if you email Dr. Sears, who is now retired, he will respond to your questions.
If you are in Metro Manila or nearby it then go to Vets In Practice (Dr. Neilsen Donato is the head vet – an amazing guy if you ask me!) at #63 Maysilo Circle corner Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City (this is the circle where the Municipal Hall is) or call them at 531.1581.
They are a 24-hour Animal Hospital but be careful about going there between 10pm to 8am – they charge EXORBITANT emergency fees at those hours – something I am against. If it’s a true emergency then they SHOULDN’T charge such huge fees or they should charge something minimal.
Anyway, while Vets In Practice is not perfect, they definitely are one of the best in Metro Manila, if not THE best. They were the only guys who accepted my Hamster Mariel when she got ill. (Thanks Dr Raymond for fixing Mariel!)
Just remember to be patient with the Vets – animals can’t speak and it makes their job harder. Give them room to treat your pet; don’t act like they are stupid for not knowing your pet’s problem because they are not God. Sometimes it takes time for them to figure out these things. So be patient; if you work with them instead of against them, the process is less stressful for everyone including your pet.
But if you really are bothered by the inability of your vet to figure out what’s wrong, trust your instincts and look for another vet.
I wish you the best with your pests… ooops, I mean, PETS!
Thank you to the ff for helping Bailey Girl thru her Distemper adventure – Joy (for being Bailey’s yaya), Paning (for being assistant yaya) Doc Allison (great Spinal Tap!), Ron T (for paying all the bills, hehehe), Manang Vilma (for bringing extra people food for Bailey), Chin (for visiting Bailey and being there during the Tap), Raymond G (for lending your car so Bailey could see the Vet on my car’s coding day), Darius (for patiently driving Bailey around that day).
Thanks too to all the Vets at Vets in Practice for taking care of my DOG; you’re all cool CATS in my book!
Thanks to Dr. Al Sears and to Kind Hearts in Action for all the Distemper Information available for free online!
This video below will show you how Distemper twitching looks like. If you’re dog is exhibiting these signs, go get an NDV Spinal Tap ASAP! In this youtube vid, Bailey has breakfast in bed seven days after he spinal tap.
This next video will show you how Bailey is like on four legs with her twitching and head bob. Again this was taken seven days after her NDV Spinal Tap.
CONGRATULATIONS Ms. Joyce!!!!!
This news is greatest and wonderful Birthday gift from our God the Father in your Birthday!!!! I know the feeling of triumph and Joy that “Bailey” survived:-) God is really GOOD and his LOVE is never ending…… We just have to believe in what he can do:-) I’m very happy for you Ms. Joyce!!!!!!!
Ave thanks much for sharing my joy
God is SO good and His love is amazing. But when Bailey was at her lowest, I had told God that I will not withhold anything from Him and if it was her time, then so be it. But he granted my birthday wish and I am ecstatic!
Hi i actually wanted to speak with you because your story really gave me insite and im going through what you did but my dog has not yet been told it was distemper can you please email me
Sending you email now…
Hi, i have a 6months old Siberian Husky and is currently fighting Canine Distemper. I am so desperate to save her. She is a fighter and i won’t give up. I know that she still wants to live. Any advise? Badly need help. she just got home yesterday from confinement. She is currently has an IV fluid. Thanks in advance.:c
Are you in Metro Manila? If you are then here is what you do.
1) Buy the New Castle Virus from a poultry supplier. There is a link to a directory in a previous comment of mine. please look for it.
2) call Vets in Practice to find out when the vets who can do a spinal tap are available. theres a link to the website of VIP in the post or just search them thru google. when u talk to them ask how much it costs.
3) bring your dog and the virus to vip for the tap. but dont bring the dog inside bec distemper is very contagious. other dogs might catch it.
4) post-tap care is important. you will have to give your dog powerful medicines to prevent seizured and secondary infections.
5) Pray. the tap will give your a strong fighting chance but its not a guarantee of survival. some dogs still dont make it after the tap. but im praying yours will.
Keep me updated!
Farmbreed Poultry Supply – 316 Quezon Ave., QC (near Pantranco, beside Meralco – Q. Ave.) 372-5019 / 372-5027.
You can call them and ask to order the Lasota Strain of the the New Castle Virus.
that was so inspiring, i have my 2 dogs just diagnosed with this virus yesterday but the only difference is that there’s still no episodes of seizure yet and both of them are vaccinated but even so i still got worried and hopeless because i know that this virus is really fatal and no cure until i saw your story, and i have my spirit boost up. just wanna ask if how much the treatment cost? is it very expensive? honestly i already spent all my savings in buying my dogs meds and a lot of check ups. is there any charity institution there you know you can recommend that could probably help me? i don’t want to see them dying doing nothing knowing there’s a cure. hoping for your fast reply.
I tried to email you but it bounced back. So let me just put my response here:
Dear Paw:
Im sorry to hear that your dogs have
Distemper.
If they are not Neurologic yet, (no twitching)
then go for the Serum treatment. However,
it’s very expensive – The whole thing is like
12 k and you will need a donor dog – two dogs
to donate the required blood to make the serum.
ONce the dogs are Neurologic (with twitching)
you have to do the Tap which is cheaper -
like 4K during Bailey’s time. You ahve to
buy the Newcastle Virus Lasota Strain from
a Poultry supply for the tap but that’s like
P200 or less.
Supportive meds will cost you a lot of money
as well… three hundred a day for around one
or two weeks. So it is costly indeed.
I am not a vet ha, so this info I’m giving you
is info from research and personal experience.
Also, unfortunately, I know of no charities that
help in such cases.
God bless and keep me updated!
PS try visiting the Kind Heart in Action
website, click thge contact tab and
get the email addy of Ed Bond.
He’s spearheading the global fight
vs Distemper… He is very helpful
and can give you better insight than
I can.
thanks for your reply ms Joyce, yeah there is no neurologic signs yet but it is really hard and made me cry each time seeing them in labor breathing which you know they are really suffering from that virus.ok i will do your suggestion i hope they could help me. all i can do for now i to pray the will survive this thing
Okay… hoping and praying for the best…
hello, i just want to update you guys that after my dog had her NDV vaccine direct IV shot last February 9 she’s finally out of distemper as she had her follow up check up and some laboratory test last Thursday April 18. that news really lighted up my feelings about my dog condition.i also want to grab this opportunity to say thank you to all the people who helped me during my dogs weakest days and to our LORD GOD ALMIGHTY who really hears and grant my prayers .
Hi Paw, I’m so glad you dropped me an update
so happy that it all turned out well for you and your dog! God is good!
Thank you for sharing your amazing story and for not giving up. My dog is a distemper survivor too. And he is my best friend.
peace-love-pets.hubpages.com/hub/How-I-got-my-Dog-through-Distemper-a-survivors-story
that was so inspiring, i have my 2 dogs just diagnosed with this virus yesterday but the only difference is that there’s still no episodes of seizure yet and both of them are vaccinated but even so i still got worried and hopeless because i know that this virus is really fatal and no cure until i saw your story, and i have my spirit boost up. just wanna ask if how much the treatment cost? is it very expensive? honestly i already spent all my savings in buying my dogs meds and a lot of check ups. is there any charity institution there you know you can recommend that could probably help me? i don’t want to see them dying doing nothing knowing there’s a cure. hoping for your fast reply. here’s my email add pawvilladedios@yahoo.com, thanks
Writing you now…
Congratulations! I was thrilled when I read your story as a “pingback” on our site: Kind Hearts In Action. To attempt to explain a question you asked about why a chicken vaccine would help a dog, we think it somehow shocks the dog’s immune system in a way that releases a previously unknown disease fighting material. It will take a lot of research to find out how that works, but it still works. When my dog was saved by Dr. Sears years ago, we used vitamin A ointments to help his eyes recover. As to the NDV spinal tap, it is our hope that the virus has been stopped neurologically, which will give the nervous system a chance to repair over time. But it takes a while for that to happen. It is a long-term issue.
But we at Kind Hearts In Action http://kindheartsinaction.com/ are always happy to hear of another success story.
Take care,
Ed Bond
Hi Ed, I just want to thank you for all the effort you have put into informing people online about how Distemper can be fought succesfully! This is such a big miracle for Bailey, me and my family and your sharing of information was a wonderful guide and at the same time a big comfort. Bless your HEARTS IN ACTION!!! To anyone reading this, please please visit the Kind Hearts in Action website to get accurate information on how to deal with Canine Distemper!
So pleased that you had a good response with the treatment.
Well done and hoping that you continue to see a steady improvement.
THanks
hoping my story will help Vets manage CAnine Distemper patients better 
and hoping to see more and more dogs recover from the deadly disease…
Hi Joy -
First of all, belated happy birthday! May you have more birthdays to come!
Second, thank you for sharing your story with Bailey. It is indeed very inspiring, emotional and touching! I wish more pet owners had the patience, perseverance and love like you!
Many years ago, I had two cats (Sasha and Marvin) and it was during a time when I didn’t know much about cat vaccinations. I let my cats out whenever they wanted, but since they didn’t have shots, both contracted feline leukemia from other cats in the neighborhood. Marvin suffered the worst; he rapidly lost weight and then one day just dropped dead. Sasha lived for another two years, until her condition got worse and I had to put her to sleep. It was one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life.
Anyway, I promised myself that the next time I would have pets, I would make sure to really take good care of them and never procrastinate on having their required shots. Now, I spoil my dog Bosco to death, and with my partner Daniel, we make sure that Bosco receives the best care and of course a lot of love and affection from the two of us!
I am sure Bailey will be back to normal at no time, thanks to your amazing TLC!
Best regards,
Rafa
Dear Rafa,
Thanks so much for reading my EXTRA LONG POST! I was just telling my hubby this morning that my longest post on my beauty queen blog is about a DOG!! LOLOLOL!!! But I was moved by a comment I saw online yesterday urging all dog owners whose dogs have battled Distemper to document and upload their experiences online for the benefit of someone out there who needs the info badly. My desire is that dogs will be saved because their owners read Bailey’s adventure.
I am sorry about your cats. I have about 6 cats now and they are all puskals with no shots. Since I have learned my lesson with the Bailey incident, all pets will be getting shots in April. I never knew that Feline Leukemia ws contagious. Thankfully, all my cats are indoor cats except for Max who is not a wanderer and seems to be happy just staying in the porch and garden areas.
Yes, we’ve got to be more responsible with getting shots for our pets whether they are pure-bred or not. While it’s easy to spoil a pet (like you do Bosco) it’s easy to be remiss with getting them shots. So I hope people reading this will learn from us and get their pets vaccinated
Much Love
(and More Power to Critical Beauty)
Joyce
Joyce!!
I’m so glad and happy for you that Bailey is ok now. And I’m glad you found out about Kind Hearts in Action. A dear friend had told me about them in Feb because two of her dogs got distemper a few years ago, and she found them online when she refused to accept the choice to put them to sleep (Ed Bond also helped her, she said). But for the life of me, it just kept nagging at me that I should know something about doggie distemper that would help you when I first started seeing your prayer requests on FB…I could not remember it!
I’m gonna be keeping an eye on our Roodie and praying hard that he doesn’t catch the virus. He’s really BIG now. We hope he can visit Bailey and Ramses soon…^_^ Love you! ^_^
ps: a group of Vets from QC came to our subdivision last December and offered shots for animals for a minimal price (at least, I thought P400 for 2 shots – anti-rabies and anti-fleas good for 1 year – is minimal, considering it was a house call). My katiwala says they come every year. They’re a blessing to our community! ^_^
I hear that PAWS at the Marikina overpass has great prices for pet vaccines and other vet services. I’m taking my collection of pets to them in April!!! They are nearby and I think cheaper than going to a commercial vet.
What would we do without heroes like that?
Well, here is something else that is interesting… something that deserves it’s own blog post: I have another dog in the same area where Bailey Girl is. It’s actually a puppy whom I have confined in our cattery because he had been exposed to Bailey for 6 days before we found out she had Distemper. I can’t move him to the back because I have 3 dogs there. So I just gave him a teaspoon of colloidal silver in every meal. Guess what! The puppy (5 months old) has not caught distemper even if Bailey and he have sniffed noses over and over again through the cattery barrier.
I don’t recommend though that pet owners mix a sick distemper dog with healthy dogs. If they can keep them separated, they should.
Wow- first of all-Im glad Bailey is ok :=)
Second, your dedication to Bailey is amazing… and seriously admirable Ms Joyce…. dogs do love us unconditionally and I am always always touched when someone loves their dogs the same way
… Another great reason why I am your fan 
Thanks jay
sometimes I feel like a fool for loving my pets too much but I just can’t help it… thanks much for supporting my love for animals !
I love my pets too much too….
I’ve decided to become a vegetarian for that reason
Hi,
My demale boxer got the distemper virus exactly same time as your dog. Only difference, the virus was injected into her. My dog was given three distemper vaccines before and on March 9th, it ws time for a renewal dose. But, now it comes out that the vaccines given to her last year were not of good quality, so when on march 9th the doc injected him the vaccine, it lead to the virus filling her body.
She got fever by 15th March and her head has been twitching since 25th March. But I did not know it was distemper till 2nd April, as the doctor kept telling me it’s teak fever, it’s worms, it’s because of season changing from winter to summer, etc. Now, I am completely devastated. I live in India and there’s no place where I can get a NDV done. I did send a mail to Ed, but I think it’s already quite late now.
My dog has been bed ridden for about a week now, hardly able to move. I feed her liquid food using a bottle and I have absolutely no clue what to do next.
Mohit I am very sorry that this is happening to your dog. The only suggestion I can think of is to ask ed bond and your vet or another vet to work together thru skype or telephone. You can try looking for ndv or the newcastle vaccine from a poultry supplier in your city. Then ask the vet to do a spinal tap using the bird vaccine. Have the vet communicate with ed bond if they are not familiar with how to do a spinal tap. It is worth the effort and risk. There is still time, distemper is a very slow disease, it is terrible but it does give you time to find a solution. You also
Hi,
My dachshund was recently diagnosed with distemper, I would like to know how much it cost you to get the spinal tap and other medications? I love my dog – Queeny so much and I cry a lot when she experience seizures and twitching. She have complete shots but for some reason she still got the virus. I hope you could give me more information on the cost of medication because I have already spent a lot on the medicines and laboratory tests. Thank you.
You need to get her the ndv spinal tap right away don’t wait anymore. You did not say if you were in metro manila but if you are call vets in practice, the number is in the blog post, and ask them where you can buy the newcastle virus, the poultry shop is on quezon avenue. Buy the virus first then go to vip’s mandaluyong clinic. The spinal tap plus post spinal tap meds and iv will cost around 5k. Costly but worth it.
Please keep me updated on your dog’s case. Praying that it goes well…
Hi Ms. Beauty Queen.
I stumbled upon this blog because I am searching for reviews about the VIP. Bailey is so lucky to have a human master like you. It really takes a genuine heart to love dogs like that.
In behalf of Bailey, thank you for loving her unconditionally. Your story left me teary-eyed and inspire me to take good care of my dogs more.
God will definitely bless you!
Bailey is next to me as I type this, I am SO glad she is alive today. The whole distemper episode brought me closer to her and to my other dogs and I hope that whoever reads my story will also have the same reaction – to take better care of their pets and to give them love and attention. One thing I hope owners will never do to their dogs is CAGE them. It is inhuman to leave dogs in cages all day. They were built to run around in packs and not be isolated in cages. As dog owner, you are your dog’s pack leader and your dog wants to be with you. So to all you dog owners, never cage your dogs and find time to play with them too! Thanks for you note Abbie, hoping you choose VIP…
Hi Joyce, greetings from Indonesia & congrats for Bailey!!! I came across your blog as I searched thru another solution for Bejo, a 5 months old puppy being looked after by a member of Animal Friends Jogja, a small animal welfare group in Yogyakarta. Bejo is now lying helpless at an animal clinic, suffering from distemper, oxygen & infusion supports are the only things he got. His legs twitch all day long & he’s still awake, in sleeping position, cannot do anything. His temperature keep going up & down between 39 – 40 degree Celcius. [i've uploaded his pic at the clinic on twitter: @AnimalFriendsYK if you want to see how he's doing].
He’s been vaccinated, but it was just too late as he caught the virus first from a new dog coming from the street. Bejo has been not well for around ten days, yesterday morning [May 15], after being weak for days, suddenly he could run around fro a while but then he fell, fainted with strong twitches on his legs, we rushed him to the clinic. He got a high fever, too. All the vets could give were only infusion to keep him hydrated, oxygen support & ice to cool down the heat.
Today [May 16 2011], he’s still the same, except that feces coming out & urine, too.
Your story about Bailey’s struggle has really gave us spirit to keep the hope high. However, I don’t know if there’s NDV here in my town. The vets have never mentioned anything, they only say we just have to keep him strong, and we’ll see…I will search now if there’s one.
Thank you for reading, and let me share my sadness & confusion. Thank you so much for your inspirational words…
Give my kisses & hugs for Bailey.
ina
Dessy, I am so sorry for the suffering Bejo and you are going through. Don’t give up, please email ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com ASAP and ask Mr. Ed Bond to put you in touch with a vet in Indonesia who can help you. He is in touch with a network of veterinarians all over the world. I believe that NDV is fairly common among chicken populations all over the world, you can try calling up poulty supply businesses in your area. The vets here who have seen Bailey tell me that they have seen dogs in worse condition survive. Praying very very hard for Bejo…
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Joyce,
I was relieved by your story although there is still a feeling of fear that’s inside me because our pet dog, Caramel is now battling that dreaded canine disease now. All the symptoms that you mentioned are all present now in our dear dog. We love Caramel so much and we don’t want to give her up. I will contact VIP at once to inquire about the NDV Spinal Tap. I hope that we are not yet late. Thank you for the info you shared with us.
Danny thanks for sharing about Caramel. There is a big chance she can be saved. Don’t do the serum anymore if your dog has the twitching symptom. Go for the ndv spinal rap, its cheaper and easier to do and very effective. Vip in mandating is 24 hours but they do charge steep emergency room fees. But if money is not an issue, bring Caramel as soon as possible. Keep me updated!
I don’t think it’s too late Danny. Go for it. Don’t do the serum anymore ha, just ask for the NDV spinal tap na. The serum is very very costly but useless once the twitching starts. The NDV is also costly but way cheaper than the serum. Remember, the post-spinal tap period is a crucial one – your dog can still die if he/she is not pumped up with antibiotics to prevent respiratory illness. Expect seizures in the days right after. It will seem like the dog is getting worse, but give it a week and you should see some improvements. Would love to hear your success story so please send me photos – jaedeelight@yahoo.com
soo happy to hear that Bailey has fully recovered. i went through a similiar situation with my sweet boy Alex. first…kennel cough. then….pnuemonia lastly…we think its distemper and you should put him down aa theres not a lot of hope. i said i will take him home and cal you with my decision tommorrow…… six hours of redeyed internet surfing later. I had ordered 2 bottles of the ndv vaccine and went to the 24hr walmart for pedialyte and vitamins c,d,and a as well as a large thing used to inject flavor into turkey. while waiting for the vaccine i feed him huge doses of the vitamins and fed him pedialyte and dog food smoothie(an awesome recipe invented by my hubby:-) as well as 2 doses of cipro per day. When the NDV came i read the instructions,scrubbed up,gloved up,prayed and stuck him right in the butt. within 36 hrs he was obviously recovering, it took uim another day or to to not be wobbly be he is a healthy, shiny wild boy of a dog. I am so happy to read about your determination to save Bailey ,she is lucky to have you:-)
Hi there! Just wondering… did you say that you gave the NDV shot into the dog’s butt? It’s supposed to be a spinal tap where the virus is injected into the spine after a small amount of spinal fluid is withdrawn. Weird…
I’m happy to hear that Bailey has fully recovered. We are going through a similar situation with our Labrador retriever, Maxy. But the difference is our dog was diagnosed with Ehrlichiosis and distemper. We took him to the hospital last Sunday night and left him there so that the vet could treat him because he was not eating, taking his medicines and even moving as much as before. The doctor gave her shots but I don’t know the name because it was my aunt who talked to the vet (The shots costs a lot. It’s 3k per shot.) We brought him home from the hospital. He’s now okay but I noticed that he’s breathing fast/short and he pants a lot (even if he’s not doing anything). Is that normal? I’m really worried. I hope my dog can recover from it as soon as possible.
When you say that he or she is okay now, what do you mean? THat the appetite has returned? The problem with distemper is that if a dog survives it, the twitching does not completely disappear. I want you to understand though that I am speaking from my experience and what i’ve researched – I am not a vet. ANyway, Bailey still twitches to this day. It’s less prounounced when she is running and playing but when she is at rest, even when asleep, the twitching is non-stop. This is normal for distemper survivors. So does your dog still twitch? Or is it just the breathing that is fast? Just so you know, a dog’s breathing is really fast compared to humans. Recovery from distemper is slow ha… you have to monitor your dog constantly and make sure that secondary infections, especially respiratory infections don’t set in. I am not acquainted with Ehrlichiosis though so I can’t say anything about that and how it affects distemper dogs. But your best bet is to keep watching Maxy and bring her back to the vet once a week until she is totally clear of distemper.
Thanks. He’s way better than before. His appetite has returned already, but he breathes really fast even if he’s just lying down. I didn’t notice it before so I thought it was kind of weird. Anyway, he doesn’t twitch because my aunt said that the disease was diagnosed before it got worse.
Good for you and your dog! From my research, it takes the distemper virus 1 to 3 months to be completely shed by a dog that was infected. In the case of Bailey, the Vet did a distemper test on her one month after she got her NDV Spinal Tap. You may want to take your darling back for a test to see if she is clear.
and you might want to ask your vet about the fast breathing. But if your dog has good appetite that is excellent 
I am very happy for you both !!!
Hi Charm! Would you know the name of the shots that were given to your dog? My shih tzu, Sweetie, has recently been diagnosed with ehrlichiosis and distemper but i think she’s in the very early stage. Thankfully, she hasn’t shown any signs of neurological distemper. Hopefully she can recover quickly too.
Im glad and so blessed when i read this, nag karoon po aq ng pag asa n ma save ulit yng dog q, ask q lng po mam kng sa mag kano po yng inabot ng lhat kay bailey esp. yng spinal tap ? kc yng n save q before n gamit q n nung last n ma hospitalize yng dog q,
3 times n aq nag punta ng vet for 3 consecutive mons for 3 dfferent case or reason an dami nyang naging sakit like diarrhea and food allergies and now distemper nman wre i worried most, i dont want to lose her, pls help po mam and Congratulations po for having your precious Bailey’s back..
Norman
Norman, will email you nalang about your query re:costs…
Hey! I’m really glad I got to read this post. I got a puppy last saturday (July 9, 2011) that I gave to my girlfriend. She told me about how she isn’t too playful and she doesn’t eat too much. I took her to the vet this morning (Animal House in Alabang) and I told the vet about her cough and colds. She asked if we wanted to take a test just to rule out distemper. She came to us saying that our puppy (Her name’s Sabine a two-month old chow chow) was in the clear..Then came back after 2 minutes saying that the 2nd line was very feint.. We plan to bring her to Vets in Practice soon. Hopefully we find a way to kill the virus before the succeeding stages.. Hopefully all goes well.
Oh..so yes she confirmed that it was distemper..
Hey Luis, I am sorry that your puppy is confirmed for distemper… get the NDV spinal tap asap… at VIP… you will have to buy the virus though at a poultry supply – we bought ours on Quezon Ave… so save an entire afternoon for this. VIP can give you the phone and addy of the poultry supply… wishing you the best… please drop a note to tell me about Sabine’s progress… not so sure how puppies respond to the treatment, but I am praying that age doesn’t matter… God bless…
Hey! I just got back from VIP earlier and Sabine was just injected for the 3rd time. The vet told me that since she hasn’t reached the neuro stage, a spinal tap would not be necessary. The virus hasn’t gone too far to begin with. I’m glad we were able to catch it early on. We are hoping to see improvement in the next 2 days..I’m worried about my dogs at home though that came into contact with her too :/ the past few days have been dreadful. Please pray for her recovery and for my other dogs’ safety too! Thank you again for the blog. I will let you know if anything significant comes up
THe Serum cure is very expensive, far more than the NDV spinal tap, but you have the budget for it so I am VERY happy!!!! I am glad it did not reach the serious stage where the dog twitches uncontrollably. And I am SO happy that I was able to help somehow…. I hope you can also document your experience and share it online for the benefit of other dogs and dog owners… hoping the serum works and the virus is stopped!
Haha! The price is pretty steep! I had to sell a few prized possessions but it’s a small price to pay for Sabine’s health. It’s been 2 days post administration of the NDV serum and I can’t believe it. The Sabine we got used to, lying around is now all over the place!! She runs after everyone gets tired, sleeps, wakes up and does it all over again!! I know it’s too early to say but I see a lot of improvement! I will surely share my experience online!
And yes! You did help very much! When I saw the Kind Hearts in Action website, I thought that the treatment wouldn’t be available here. But when I searched “Distemper Treatment Philippines” your blog post was the first one to show! Thank you!
Will keep you updated on Sabine’s recovery then eventually make a blog post about it too!
Luis, I trust Sabine is on her way to recovery! Yes price is steep but you did the right thing by selling stuff. Me, I put it on my credit card. Haaaay naku, for the love of dogs! I am happy this bog post has helped save your darling Sabine. I truly encourage you to make a similar post on your facebook or on your blog. Please put the link in my comments section and I will link Bailey’s story to yours. I am happy for you and Sabine!
good day, my name is Mrs. Abigail Sandoval, from the Philippines, I have an 8month old female Siberian Husky, who was suspected by her vet last July 8, 2011 to have distemper because of the following symptoms:
- high lymphocyte count
- eye discharge (right eye only, she had light pink eyes that is slightly swollen, i treated it with an eyedrop, that is given by her vet and it cured her right eye now)
- coughing (very often last week, at least 3-4x a day, but stop coughing for the past 5days after giving Ceelin Plus, vitamin C and Zinc 5ml, 1x a day.
- as of now, i noticed that her foot pads are different because it is slightly thickened, and she breathe faster than normal even if she’s sleeping.
- she became a picky eater, although her appetite is still good
She didn’t have fever, nasal discharge, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, has not reached neuro symptoms yet.. She is still active and playful, I really wanted to have her test for distemper, but I’m really scared of the possible result, that’s why i started surfing the net to know if there are survivors and if there is a possible treatment for this. then i found your site, i really wanted to save my dog, i love her very much, i treat her as my youngest daughter, but what should i do? Please help me.. i can’t afford to see her suffer in the next days or months… i can’t help but cry seeing her happy but deep inside her happiness is a traitor disease…please help..
P.S. is it possible to request if she can undergo spinal tap rather than NDV serum even if she’s still in her early symptoms? i’ve read that NDV serum is expensive and spinal tap is much more affordable yet effective..
Thanks and God bless you and Bailey!
Do not be afraid. Get your Husky checked. Because it might not be Distemper. But if it is Distemper here are your options –
1) Getting the Serum shots. They are more expensive, like 5 times more expensive than the NDV Spinal tap. AND it is only effective before the twitching begins.
2) Once the Twitching starts, foget the Serum and instead get the NDV Spinal Tap.
You might want to wait until the twitching starts, if your budget is tight. But be warned that if you do this, your dog will most likely be twitching for the rest of her life. Once the virus reaches the twitching phase, you can’t undo the damage to the nerves of your dog. But she will live and her life will be a good one. She won’t be a well-coordinated as before, but she will still be able to run around and play.
Once again, please remember that I am not a vet and that my advice here is solely based on my experience and on material that I have read on Distemper. It is alwyays best to get the opinion of a Vet and I highly recommend the Vets at Vets in Practice.
nagtest n po si bella ko.. thank God its negative! maybe sa mata nya un viral infection.. ginamot ko na un eyes nya before kme nagpatest… i’m so happy.. thanks po sa help!
Ay, that is good news! THanks for the update Abigail, I am so very relieved
hi.. i forgot to ask the costs.. uhm.. pero sana kaya siya ng budget ko..coz as of now, medyo mahigpit sa budget coz i also have 2 kids studying.. please email me po how much ang mga treatment para malaman ko and mabudget ko na din.. and kung alin treatment ang pinakamaganda. ask ko na din about the vitamins na binibigay mo, if ilang mg ang vit.B etc.. thanks
Hey! I hope Joyce doesn’t mind that I’m answering your question but, the survival rate is higher when the NDV serum is induced as opposed to the spinal tap. The reason behind this is that the serum need only to be injected in their skin as to the spinal tap needs to be injected in the spine, to reach the brain IF the virus has already reached there. What you want to do is to stop it from getting there. Basing from your description, your dog is only in the respiratory stage.. You can have her tested in VIP. They will use a titer test. Something like a pregnancy test except a blood serum is used. That’s 950 pesos. the survival rate when the NDV serum is used during the respiratory stage is a whopping 90%!!! And the spinal tap at the neuro stage is at 50%.. Bailey was lucky enough to have her master all throughout and to survive. I hope this helps.. The serum works faster. It’s been 2 days since the last shot was administered and my dog looks like a totally different puppy!
You know Luis, I had both the serum and the NDV spinal tap done.
but thanks for the information, as long as it helps other dogs and dog owners then comment away!
And also, I’d like to add not all dogs go through all the stages.. Sometimes, older dogs don’t exhibit the respiratory symptoms. If ever, very minimal. Some dogs also skip the digestive phase. So it’s respiratory then Neuro right away. You should take your dog and get her titer tested right away and figure it out from there. I suggest you take the test in VIP because they know how to use the titer best. Some vets use the discharges or the blood of the dog to test which MAY garner false positive results. In VIP they create a serum in which the manufacturer of the titer tests say is most effective in getting precise results.
Bailey’s so lucky to have you! I didnt like that vets in practice didnt give her a spinal tap right away since she was twitching already (it means that the virus was already in her nervous system). If Bailey’s not a puppy then they could have administered the NDV vaccine directly, no need for a donor dog. :/ which would have been cheaper.
Hi there, yes I was a bit miffed that they did not suggest the NDV since she was already twitching. But I got a big discount on the cost so that made up for it. The Vet that suggested the serum was one of the newer guys so I guess he made the wrong judgement call. Oh well, I know better now and Bailey is better now so, I just let it go.
Oh, and I didn’t need a donor dog since they had some extra left-over serum from a previous dog donor….
HI po Ms.joyce, im done.. n dala ko na po yng Dog ko in vets in practice , thanks you so much po for sharing us your experience together with bailey’s..
pro my ilang concern p dn po aq, mdyo n late po kc aq ng pag dala s knya in vets, mga 8 days ago n po simula nung ma diagnose sya about distemper may twitching and eyes discharge ok lng po ba yun? and ngyn po 1 day post spinal tap nya kso d p dn xa gumigising pero she’s still breathing and a bit rapid.. ilang days po ba bago nka tayo and nag start kumain ulit si bailey?
Regards
Norman
If you are giving your dog nuerontin, a medication that they usually prescribe for post-spinal-tap then your dog will really be groggy. It took Bailey a long time to recover after the Spinal Tap. Be patient. And make sure to give the anitbiotics and all the meds they prescribe. You don’t want your dog to catch a cold or some secondary illness. Give a lot of love, tell your dog you love her and touch her a lot. WHen Bailey was ill, I wouuld spend hours with her sitting beside her on her beddings. I would be reading with one hand on her all the time. I would whisper in her ear for her to be strong. TLC is very very important and can build up a dog’s fighting spirit… God bless and keep me updated… you should see her improve a little after a week… just be patient because sometimes it takes longer for certain dogs to recover. Don’t worry…
our princess 5 mos old lhasa apso has been consistently fighting the battle against distemper since more than a month ago which the vet didnt diagnose earlier. It started first week of June when she was confined in a nearby vet clinic and was just diagnosed with anemia and worms. Antibiotic therapy and all supportive treatment were made. It was costly but she got better until she had a relapse. She has her high and low days but now i donot think she will be able to recover. All symptoms somehow have manifested such as the eye discharges, wobbly legs, twitching and so forth and I was about to give up and let go of her sufferings but the vet told us to treat her with antiviral meds. Until I read your blog while searching for answers. I think the virus is already in her nervous system. Would spinal tap still work for her? I really would like to see her jumping on me again…
I think you should take her asap to Vets in Practice. Asap. Even if it is in her nervous system, the virus can be stopped. The chance for her survival is high with the NDV spinal tap. I am not a Vet but after my experience and learning more about the disease, I believe you should go for it. While nothing is 100% sure, the NDV will give your dog a big fighting chance. But do it asap… and keep me updated Tel… God bless!
just want to share lang po nagspinal tap din before yung dalmatian ko sa vets in practice,kya lang cguro hes old na kya di nya nkayanan,,then my 2 month old shih tzu had symptoms kya po nagresearch ako,,i tried po yung 4 life transfer factor plus 1 bottle and nkasurvive din po sya it strengthens immune system daw po to surpass the infection,,sayang lang tlaga kasi dko na-save yung dalmatian ko late ko na kasi naresearch yung medicine 6 times a day. ok nmn yung puppy kaso di na tlga nawala yung head bob,,but the chewing gum fits disappear po. and now mag 1 year old na sya.share ko lang po to help yung mga hindi afford yung spinal tap…thanks..
Hello po. I have a 3 month old lab that has distemper. he’s been for almost a month now. will it still be too late to get him a spinal tap? He’s showed all signs of distemper like thickening of the pads, eye discharge, motor skills failure, chewing gum and head twitching. I have been giving him antibiotics to prevent more infections and vitamins to support the loss of appetite. the spinal tap is way beyond my budget but im thinking of going for it. will it be too late already? it has been 2 weeks since he was diagnosed of distemper. I was hoping that the virus would die if it stayed in my dogs body for that long and that he would recover. please help…
Go to the vet at VIP asap. I believe it is not too late. I understand the cost is high but the spinal tap is much much cheaper than the serum. Besides its too late anyway for the serum since neuro stage na your sweetie. Don’t waste time, the money can be earned back. But your dog’s life can’t. Its worth the risk. When I did the serum and spinal tap I cried so hard at the expense but my hubby told me that even if Bailey still died, at least we have the comfort that we did our best to fight for her life. She is a fierce guard dog and protects our home from strangers… It was the least we could do for her… Please keep me updated!!! Praying for finances for u!!!
Btw, Distemper is a virus, anti biotics won’t kill it, they wil just prevent secondary infections. Make sure to tell the vet you’ve bern giving your dog antibiotics because after the spinal tap is done the virus will hopefully be stopped but your dog wil be susceptible to secondary infections like pneumonia and u will need to administer antibiotics. But since u have ben giving antibiotics your dog might have a resistance to them. Tell the vet so he or she can give a stronger antibiotic… God bless…
I am so happy that your dog beat the odds. I made the same mistake as you thinking that because my dogs were house dogs they did not need all the vaccines. I spent a couple of thousand tryinto save my beagle and it just had hold of her to much. My lab mix got it also but 3 months later the infections have cleared up except she is wobbly in her back legs. She is happy and playful but when she tries to jump on me, she is so uncoordinated,she falls but thats ok as long as she is happy and well. I hope she has been through the worst of that horrible distemper. Our pets are so much a part of our lives and there is nothing I would not do for them. Take care.
Thanks so much for confirming what I discovered – that vaccinating your dog is imperative even if they stay indoors all the time. I am So sorry about your sweet Beagle… Distemper is such a terrible and slow disease but I am glad your mixed Lab survived and is fine. My Bailey too tried to jump on me and is a bit uncoordinated, but she is extremely happy because I am so much closer to her now after going through that terrible month of fighting the illness. I was her nursemaid and fixed my schedule around her during that time. I too would do all I can to make sure my pets are happy
I’m so glad I found this blog. My dog (Scottish Terrier), also named Bailey, also got distemper. We were in and out of the vet’s practice for about three weeks and eventually, after a lot of touch and go, she recovered.
She had all the same symptoms as your Bailey.
Only yesterday, about two weeks after being told she was healthy, has she started with the twitch. It’s on her left hand side of the body and is very noticeable. It’s frantic and occurs continuously. We took her to the vet last night and they simply said it’s because of the distemper but carried out no tests or proper examination. We rushed her to anotehr veterinarian who did a few tests and a check up and said she has gastro. He could find no traces of distemper in her blood.
This is so worrying, how can two vets have different diagnoses and which one is accurate?
Does your Bailey still twitch?
Tanya, once the Distemper reaches the Neurological phase and your dog survives, the twitching won’t ever go away. It can lessen but unfortunately your dog’s coordination will be hampered. My Bailey twitches constantly even when she’s asleep. Don’t worry about the twitching too much as long as your Bailey is happy. You do have to watch out for her teeth – if she is clenching her jaw, like she’s chewing gum, and can’t control it, she’ll wear down her teeth. You’ll have to see a Vet who can work on your dog’s teeth or give advice. I’ve heard of dogs who are unhappy over or irritated about the twitching; if that is the case then you can see a Dog Physical Therapist – they can help your dog manage the twitching better.
Your first Vet is correct altho it is possible that the 2nd vet was right – maybe your Bailey also had a gastro problem at the time. Just to remind all readers, I am not a Vet and I am just talking from experience and from the knowledge I have accumulated. It is still best to seek the advice of a Veterinarian when in doubt!
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving a comment – this will be helpful for other Owners of Distemper Survivors!
Tanya, please check out Ed Bond’s response to your query… I think his answer is much much better than mine.
Tanya,
The reason why they can’t find the virus in your dog’s blood is because there are two battlefields in the dog’s body. There is the nervous system and then there is the rest of the body. They are separated by what is known as the blood-brain barrier. Your dog fought and survived the virus while it was in the rest of the body, but now the virus has crossed the blood-brain barrier and infected the nervous system. The virus has moved on.
But now, you are facing the more dangerous stage of the disease. Very often the neural problems will continue to advance until you see seizures, paralysis and eventually death. The NDV spinal tap, which is what treated the Bailey on this blog, can help. It has shown a 50 percent survival rate, and it is explained here: http://www.kindheartsinaction.com/archives/88
You should explore the rest of our website to get an idea of the possibilities and the limits of these treatments.
I’m the project director on canine distemper for Kind Hearts In Action and I can let you know if there is a vet near you who can help. You can e-mail me directly at ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com for more information.
Ed Bond
Ed, thanks so much for this! You know Distemper much better than I do and I appreciate all the information you are giving to help save dogs dealing with Distemper… bless your heart!
Hi ed, thanks so much for your response. Unfortunately, I’m in South Africa and this treatment hasn’t once been offered to us. I will ask about it when she goes for her check up later today.
It worries me that you say the fight is only just beginning. She appears otherwise happy but just a bit slower and less eager. However, the twitch is prominent in her back.
We actually had our other Scottie, William catch it to too but the doc said it was caught early and he’s completely healed. They said the same about Bailey I suppose. They even started doubting whether the dogs truly had distemper? Could it be anything else? See, in South Africa, it’s mostly dogs found in townships that have this disease. It’s not common in residential areas (the doc says).
Right now, we’re relying on prayer for our Bailey.
Tanya, email Ed Bond asap. He has connections all over the world and might be able to point you to a vet in South Africa who does the NDV Spinal Tap. Praying alongside you…
Tanya,
I just heard last weekend from a vet in South Africa who successfully treated a dog with neural distemper. She is in Darling, but I don’t post the info for vets online. If you need the info, PLEASE e-mail me directly at ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com.
Thanks, have done so.
Hi Joyce
Congratulations to Bailey.
My toy poodle Cha cha just diagnosed with distemper. It’s stage 2 which seizures occurs quite frequently.
I’m from malaysia and the vets here never heard of ndv spinal tap. To them distemper is fatal.
Just to check with you, will you be able to provide the contact of the doctor who treated Bailey for distemper?
I feel so helpless now as there isn’t a single vet in Malaysia that treats distemper seriously.
Thank you in advance.
Dear Joey… Yes the Vet Hospital is called Vets in Practice phone number is +632 531 1581 or +632 533 7965 you can have your vet call them up for questions.
You should also contact Ed Bond – he heads a group (in the US) and they help distemper dogs survive the disease – he has connections to vets all over the world. Contact him – he might know of a Vet in Malaysia who does the NDV Spinal Tap. You can email him here ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com email him ASAP. There is time to save Chacha!
You can look for Dr. Neilsen Donato. The one who did the Spinal Tap on my Bailey Girl is Dr. Allison. Vets In Practice has about three or four vets who know how to do the spinal tap….
http://vetsinpractice.multiply.com/journal that is the blog site of Vets in Practice… you can visit it for more information!
Dear Joyce
Thank you very much for your help.
I finally found vets who does spinal tap in malaysia. It is called yeoh veterinary. My dog did spinal tap on Sunday and I am praying for the best for her now.
Take care.
Hello Joey, how did you find that Vet? Please give me an update on your dog, I am believing that your sweet little pet will survive. I am so happy that you are a pet owner who will go out of his way to find a cure for his dog…
One of my dogs also had distemper. While she was fully vaccinated and cam out alright for the most part. She cannot walk in a straight line and she seems to have short term memory loss. I am sorry that you had to go through all of this, but it made me feel better to read this and learn that I am not the only person who has dealt with this. Most people don’t have a clue what distemper really is and this story is a testament to vaccinating your dog and to not giving up.
I’m so sad, my dog name (Jacquelou) also has a distemper, he is died now few hours ago, my mom decided to go him in sleep as the vet suggested then they vaccinated him with euthanasia, at first i’m against, I said just go back to the house than going to die,. but when I see him having the symptoms of distemper, having epileptic movement, twitching the arms, the teeth is shaking, and his head something moving like just moving the bones, I also decided to do the euthanasia, while holding him and seeing him dying, it so hard for me..
2 days ago he is strong, apparently days come, my dog slowly show the symptoms of the distemper. at first i think its just a simple illness, then the next day, i tried to do some research on the net about dog illness, i just conclude that my dog, has a epilepsy, because one of the symptoms of distemper is shaking,. last night when i saw him shaking I’m just always at his side to give comport and love to him,. and this day my mom and I decided to go to vet together with Jacquelou to know what happening to him,. and then the vet said he has a distemper, and it is fatal, that it is already in his nervous system, the vet said that even having a supplements it is fatal. and he suggest to do a sleep on Jacquelou,. thats all,. so sad,. (hard to english waah.. hehehe = change mood dont stay on sad feelings,.. but im still sad)… thx
Michael, nag nose-bleed ako sa yo, LOL! But super sorry ako about your dog. I know how it’s like to lose a beloved pet. Nung namatay ang Fox Terrier kong si Andy, di ako makatulog for more than 24 hours sa sobrang lungkot. THe vet had to put him to sleep also kasi grabe na ang kanyang symptoms and pain. Huwag kang mag-alala, we have a God who loves his creation and even if hindi sinasabi ng Bible na may animals in heaven, I’m trusting that God has a place for our pets when they die.
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Hi joyce, do you happen to know if they have vets practicing the NDV spinal tap here in Cebu. My dog has been diagnosed yesterday to have such virus(distemper) and I am hopeless as all of the vets i approached would suggest euthanasia, I just can’t afford taking a life that i did not give to begin with…
Louis, please contact the Vets In Practice group. Here is the number – look for Dr. Allison – 4707987. also look for Dr. Neilsen Donato – he’s like the main dude there and will be able to hopefully point you to someone in Cebu. They might even be able to walk your own Vet thru the steps of doing an NDV Spinal Tap. When Doc Allison did it to Bailey, it looked REALLY simple but of course, that’s because she’s really good. I’m sure there are risks involved and the Vet needs to have a really good hand.
Here is the blog of Vets in Practice –
Congratulations and I am so happy to see one distemper patient survive, I had dog that died because of distemper and it took years for me to recover from pain. I promised myself that my next dogs will not suffer the same and what ever my shortcomings to my previous dog I will pay in full to my next dogs…and you know what happened, my beloved dog Peso did not get distemper but was diagnosed to have perineal hernia…. He is also a survivor undergone six surgeries… You’ve been to the best vet clinics, because Peso’s first two surgeries was done in Animal Care Specialists and the next four at Vets in Practice. True enough God sent these dogs to us because HE knows we will take care of them at all cost….and we can tell that in spite of, your Bailey and my Peso are our Angels in Disguise… Nice to know you…
Congratulations and I am so happy to see one distemper patient survive, I had dog that died because of distemper and it took years for me to recover from pain. I promised myself that my next dogs will not suffer the same and what ever my shortcomings to my previous dog I will pay in full to my next dogs…and you know what happened, my beloved dog Peso did not get distemper but was diagnosed to have perineal hernia…. He is also a survivor undergone six surgeries… You’ve been to the best vet clinics, because Peso’s first two surgeries was done in Animal Care Specialists and the next four at Vets in Practice. True enough God sent these dogs to us because HE knows we will take care of them at all cost….and we can tell that in spite of, your Bailey and my Peso are our Angels in Disguise… Nice to know you…by the way in case you want to check about my dog’s ailment here is the link http://maria-cecilia.hubpages.com/hub/Perineal-Hernia-in-Dogs. thanks
Cel, I just visited your site, wow! Another person who loves her dog so much! Ang ganda ng ‘coverage’ mo kay Peso. I encourage other people to be journalistic like you when it comes to pet ailments (even human ones!) – take photos, keep an online journal, show videos and give insights. Such articles become a great resource for people who are going thru the same problems with their furry friends. God bless your heart Cel, you are a wonderful soul!
Hey our dog is going threw same stuff. Can you email me? All our vet has done is give antubotics. We adopted her like a month ago. It kills us to see her in such pain
Brandon please scroll through the comments and look for the email addy of Ed Bond. He is very active in thefight against distemper and will be able to answer yourquestions better than I can. Please keep me updated, praying for your dog…
hi.. j0yce.. our d0g chiechie is suffering on distemper now.. he is sick f0r almost a m0nth now.. we went on vets near us but they are so useless they giving us wr0ng med. though they can clearly see the symptoms of distemper on him.. so we went to another vet but they give us less hopes.. but we’re still fighting as we see that chiechie is still fighting.. we’re giving him the vitamins and food he needs.. and as i read your story you give us more strength and more hope that he can be cure.. thanks for the info. your page really helps others.. we’re planning to go to the said hospital but not for now maybe the day after tomorrow or on the other day coz we can’t afford it for now.. but as soon as we get money for his medication surely we will go there.. i just hope it still not late.. haaaayyyyzzz… seeing him like that is really heart breaking =’( tnx again.. and happy for you and your dog bailey..
Hi Joy, were you able to go to VIP? Hoping that you found the funds. It is an expensive procedure. I had to put it on my credit card. In fact I cried so hard when I saw the cost because mahal masyado but I could not turn my back on Bailey. Thankfully, i was able to pay off the credit card debt in a month so all’s well that ends well!
Hi Ms. Joyce! I am really amazed and hopeful because of your story about your dog, Bailey. God is really good! I am just curious about the price for the NDV Spinal Tap for distemper? My dog has a distemper and she was diagnosed last Sunday. I really love my dog and I want her to live. I am hoping for your reply. Thank you so much. God bless you.
Grace , hello, I just got online now after several days of being on hiatus. I am sorry about your dog. WHat exactly happened? Did u go to VIP, the same vet I took Bailey too?
The vet didn’t prescribed anti-inflammatory or pain killer after the operation. She’s really in great pain last night and passed away.
Hi Ms. Joyce. Good day!
I am Moira from Manila and I happen to read your article about Canine Distemper. I have a siberian husky which is inflicted with distemper. We noticed that she became weak like two weeks ago, had runny nose, looks disoriented, and no appetite. We thought that she only had a flu so we gave her antibiotics and bromhexine. But unfortunately, she did not get well. I have noticed as time passes, her nose is getting dry and cracked and the foot pads were getting hard and thick. Her eyes were so gunky, sleepy and breathes so fast. I am so worried. Then we decide to go to the vet and injected her with antibiotics and some shots for flu for 3 days but never improved a bit. Then I have researched diseases about dogs and came across canine distemper and when I was reading about it, the signs and symptoms were exactly the same as my dog’s only without the twitching yet. We decide to go to VIP yesterday and have her a distemper test and turned out to be positive. The only thing that I am thankful was that we discovered her distemper just before the neurological stage, where twitches are very common. So Doc Allison also attended to my dog since Doc Nielsen Donato was on leave. We did the spinal tap outside the clinic and induced NDV to her spine. Right now, after 24 hours, my dog is still sleeping, but stable and from time to time, she walks around her cage…she was given intravenous fluids right now, where we inject Vit. C, Vit B complex and quinolone (an antibiotic) there along with the fluids. She is being forced feed since she has no appetite yet but we are so positive that she can make it. We will be back on Saturday for another check up and see how she progress.
Actually I was inspired by your story about Bailey, and decided to seek medical attention through NDV as what you did exactly with Bailey. That’s why when I have read your article about this, I have no second thoughts to do this procedure to my dog. So I thank you so much for this. And hopefully, in God’s will all will be fine in days to come. Thank you again and please help me pray for my dog to get well very soon.
God bless!!
Moira
MOira, congratulations! I am confident that your dog is on the way to healing! It took two weeks after the NDV for Bailey to start showing signs of recovery. It was slow but we were patiet. The key is to make sure you support your dog with the antibiotics because after a spinal tap, infections can set in and become deadly. I remember how crazy it was for me taking care of Bailey, not knowing what was wrong then after we discovered it was distemper, I went thru a different kind of crazy. Then the post NDV was a whole new set of worries. But it was all worth it. I hope you document your dog’s story and put it up online so that you too can help other dogs survive this disease!!!
Thank you. I really hope so that she gets better in the next days. Today we will be at VIP for check up and assessment. My dog is stable but the thing is, she started to get a bit “makulit” on her cage…she responds a bit when called…but she still breathes a little bit fast than the normal. She can open her eyes better than before she had the spinal tap. She is still on her antibiotics and supplements like vit c and vit b…I would like to document it but I have not taken videos, after these, I will find time to make an article about my dog…but I cans ay now that everything is doing well and hope she recovers very soon. Again, thank you. It was really worth the wait and patience indeed is the key word for this kind of disease.
Those are all good signs, I believe your Dog will get better as long as you guard against secondary illness. Thanks much for being such a loving Dog Friend!
his 4th day today since he had spinal tap on VIP.. and i d0n’t know whats g0ing on.. he is still so weak and now he bites his tongue and i don’t know what medicine to give.. he cries everytime we force feed him.. maybe because of his damage tongue :’( the vet there advised to give him pet gel but vet clinic near us dont have it haaayyyzz.. i read about colloidal silver u think this can help for his tongue?? :’(
where can we buy colloidal silver & is it expensive?? Dr. Dan is the vet who made the spinal tap on our dog.. we’re still hoping he can still survive ..
You can buy Colloidal Silver at Vets in Practice. It can help your Dog fight infections of all kinds. Spray it into his food or directly in the mouth. You can also use a syringe but make sure the body is upright when force feeding liquids because you don’t want liquids to enter his lungs. It is a slow recovery for some dogs. Be patient… and be there for your dog. Just your presence alone will lend strength to your dog. I would always whisper sweet nothings and positive words to Bailey when she was sick…. keep me updated..
Joy hi I am so happy to witness how this blog helps a lot of dog owners, and you indeed helped save doggies’ lives. This spinal tap, I am thinking if it was already available way back 1998, or in case it is indeed available will it save my dog’s life then? during those time I only went home on Weekend so it was only then I can see my dog, one thing I noticed about him that I knew was not normal was the lower part of his mouth, it was moving upward-downward, so I brought him to a vet clinic near our place, I was told he was at the final stage of distemper, as compared to cancer he was at the 4th stage.. so is that the stage that you mentioned that is quite too late to heal? well of course those were things of the past, maybe that’s why your blog as well as the feedback of the dogowners are giving me joy because I know dogs now can survive distemper, especially if their humans trully care for them… by the way years ago, I think I saw you at VIP’s Old clinic, I think we even smiled at each other then, but well you know I just can’t remember the situation then, it was one of Peso’s surgeries I know but I am not sure if I bought him there for surgery then or I was about to bring him out… I just remember it… I am not sure LOL
Cel, thanks for sharing
I am not qualified to answer your question however, just scroll around in my comments section and look for Ed Bond’s comments – he has links to discussion boards and his website where you might be able to get answers. 
Anyway, next time you see me at VIP, you MUST say hi okay? It would be good to meet you!
today is his 7th day after his spinal tap he but he is still lying but we can see that he really wants to walk but his body cant.. he is still on his roller coaster period.. and yes we do talk to him with positive words and we’re always with him specially when he cries for pain.. we still force feed him coz he still dont have appetite and maybe because of his damage tongue kase nakakagat nia ng di nia sadya because of the twitches on his jaw.. Dr. Dan gave us Gabapentin for neuropathic pain..
we’re not giving up as long as we can see that he is fighting.. we’re just hoping to see him active as bef0re soon..
thanks again for all the info u p0st here.. this really helps a lot..
For anyone having trouble in the post-spinal tap recovery phase, you should check out our discussion board on these issues. Owners are sharing their stories and what works/doesn’t work here: http://www.edbond.com/distemper/discussion/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2410
To improve appetite, try using karo syrup in the drinking water. That’s discussed there.
Everyone guys, Ed Bond here was instrumental in helping me make decisions about the treatment of my dog Bailey. If your dog is showing signs of distemper, please visit the discussion board in the link above. It will HELP YOU MAKE DECISIONS that will be crucial to the survival of your dog. Thanks so much Ed for your advocacy. My dog Bailey is happy and alive today thanks to your hard work online to spread information about how to fight Distemper. God bless you!
Alright, i really appreciate the update
it took two weeks before my Bailey started showing very clear signs of mild recovery. Keep up the good work!
Hi Joyce,
Just a question, Mr. Ed Bond recommends giving Karo syrup to stimulate appetite of sick dogs. Is it fine as well to use honey instead of karo syrup? Honey is more natural and proven also to increase the immune system.
My dog is doing fine after more than a week of spinal tap. She is a little bit makulit na and keeps on biting the tubing of the IV fluids. So ilang beses na kami nagkakabit ng dextrose, when we wake up in the morning we can see that the dextrose is either bulged or naputol nya ang tube..hahaha she keeps on biting it. Maybe she doesn’t want to have the dextrose anymore…but the vet advised us to continue it for 5 more days, it is supposed yo be her last day today on fluids but since it is always interrupted we decided to continue until tomorrow, Friday. Yesterday we started nebulizing her. We just have one concern which is her breathing is still fast…even at rest or sleeping. This is the only symptom which she had early during the time she was diagnosed until now. Thickening of the pads and cracking of nose were somehow diminished. Her runny nose were gone…
I hoped that she will continue to improve so that we can start playing around and go back to her normal life with other dogs. By the way, do you have an idea how can we say that she is totally healed? If we see her active, can we say that she is already healed? Do dogs get distemper only once in their lives or is there any possibility that there is chance of having again? Is there a time frame that we have to expect that she is totally cleared from distemper? Because our worriy is that if we mix her with other dogs in the kennel, some dogs might be contaminated…which we definitely do not like that to happen again.
I will keep you updated of my dog’s condition…thank you again for giving us word of hope and inspiring us with your blog. It is indeed a big help.
God bless and more power!!!
Moira
Hi Moira… here are my answers:
1) Honey for dogs – I read a few articles online that say it’s okay for adult dogs but not puppies. Please do more research though on this.
2) Dextrose – when Bailey had her spinal tap, the doctor gave me this interesting type of dextrose – We let the dextrose drip into her with the needle in the skin of her shoulderblades until it formed a big bump of water on her back. Then we removed the needle and the bubble would slowly subside as the liquids sank into her system. This was a 15 to 20 minute procedure that eliminated the need for 24 hours dextrose. Ask your vet about it. Oh, but it’s your last day na pala so just do it the way you’ve been doing it, hehehe…
3) Breathing – not sure if this is bad or good. But with Bailey, her breathing is obviously a bit faster than before. I assume it’s because she has a permanent twitch and that causes her siguro to breathe a little faster and to burn more calories than the average dog.
4) Total healing – Bailey’s nervous system had already been damaged by the Distemper Virus and as a result she still twitches up to now and the vet says she’ll most likely be twitching for life. But the twitching becomes less severe over time. The problem we have now is seizures. Bailey has severe seizures and is on phenobarbital medication everyday. Buti nalang the medicine is not so expensive. The vets say the seizures are due to the damage caused by Distemper but can be managed with medication. Will your dog be completely healed? It depends on how much damage the virus did but the best person to ask would be your vet and maybe also Ed Bond. Email him or visit his website.
5) Mixing with other dogs – don’t mix your Distemper survivor with other dogs until he/she is clear of the Virus. To find out if she had completely shed the virus, you need to bring her/him to the vet for another Distemper test.
Very happy that your doggie is recovering!
Hi Joyce.., thank you for your reply. It’s me again.
Right now my dog is still fighting the symptoms brought about by distemper. We have been very patient in dealing with it for almost 3 weeks now. The dog became better last week…but the other day she started again to exhibit flu. So right now, she is having some mucus coming out of the nose but it is controlled however. We started again giving antibiotics, doxycycline. I know that it is really hard and difficult to treat this disease, sometimes you see the dog better, then on the next days, you will see again that the dog seems to be weak and having other infections, really hard. But we are crossing our fingers for the best still. And we know that the NDV given to my dog 3 weeks ago will be a big help to control other possible infections. Right now we are monitoring the flu. Then tomorrow we have received a go signal to give the annual vaccinations of other dogs, because some of them are due now for vaccination.The dog with distemper actually is also due for vaccination but we can not give the vaccine yet since she is still sick and weak. But as soon as she recovers fully, we are giving her the vaccine as she always have it every year. Well. it’s been a roller coaster ride for the almost a month now. Hope this will end very soon and see our dog happy again…
Thanks again and have a nice day.
Moira
I had the same experience. Two of my dogs got distemper virus, my dog and his puppy. My pup survive with no muscle twitching and all, and i was so happy. But then my other dog got infected, he was a year older and was given the same treatment with my pup but he didnt survive, he also had the same symptoms as with your Bailey.. ;(
So happy for you and Bailey!
Hi Clare I am so sorry that your other dog did not make it. It is ALWAYS heart=breaking to lose a beloved pet. Sometimes I wish God made our pets live longer but we just have to trust that He knows best. Glad your pup is fine and even happier that there are no post-Distemper symptoms. Thanks so much for sharing!
Dear Joyce,
So happy to hear that Bailey is alive and well. Right now me and my family are struggling to keep our 8 dogs alive, having been contracted with the virus earlier.
I’ve come across multiple articles regarding the NDV serum and NDV spinal tap. My brother had contacted Ed Bond and he referred us to a vet here in Jakarta for possible treatment. The vet had tried the serum before with a puppy from an owner who bought the serum in Phillipine. The effort was unsuccesful, but i would still like to try rather than leave it to chances.
As it would be very hard and time consuming to find a donor dog to be injected with the NDV vaccine to produce the serum, I’m wondering if you can share infos on where i can purchase it in Phillipine? How expensive is the serum?
Thanks you for sharing your experience, take care and God bless you!
Regards,
Iskandar
Jakarta, Indonesia
Dear Iskandar:
THe serum is used on dogs that haven’t reached the neurological stage. Once they reach that stage, only the NDV will work. That is what I know but I am not a Vet so don’t take my word for it.
Regarding the serum, I believe you can purchase it from the Vet my dogs go to IF they have left-over serum. They used left-over serum for Bailey so I didn’t have to find a donor dog. Contact Vets in Practice, here is their number – (0632) 5355951 and (0632) 533 7965
Here is the blog – http://vetsinpractice.multiply.com/journal
Praying that you find a way to save your dogs!
Joyce
Thank you so much for what you posted. my shihtzu has distemper as of now and reading your blog has given me tremendous hope. my vet gave me medicines for kirby but she said that if his immune system cant take it then they will suggest euthanasia. i will be very patient in taking care of kirby. you have no idea how much hope you gave me.
Cha, if your shitzu has distemper, you need to have the serum treatment or the NDV Spinal Tap depending on how far gone the virus is. Taking care of Kirby might not be enough. What kind of medicine are you giving Kirby?
The vet gave me Polynerv, Canitrim and a gel called Nutri tier. She even gave me Plasil and told me to give it to kirby to stop the vomiting but I have not given a single plasil since kirby isnt vomiting. The vet told me that Kirby has distemper just this Monday. Kirby was so weak the first 2 days but today he’s doing good.He sleeps most of the time but he could still walk. Im just worried that it’s just going to last temporarily then he’ll go back to being weak again. How can I tell that a dog is recovering from distemper?
The problem with Bailey, in the early stage of Distemper, was she would seem a little better and then she would start acting sick again. So we thought she was getting better. But she wasn’t. It took us two weeks to figure out what was wrong with her. By that time the virus was deep in her system.
The medicines you are giving your dog won’t stop the virus, IMHO. I am not a Vet so I’m just giving you my thoughts as a pet owner who has researched on Distemper and has successfully fought it together with her dog.
I believe Your Vet is hoping that your dog’s immune system will fight the Distemper Virus with the help of these medicines. Unfortunately, I know of no cure. But there is a way to stop the virus from progressing. And that’s thru either the Serum shots (before the dog starts twitching) and the NDV Spinal Tap (once the twitching has begun)
I have heard of dogs surviving the virus because of a strong immune system but this is rare. I still think you should bring your dog to Vets in Practice and their associated vet clinics because from what i know, they are the only ones who can make the Serum and who have experience in the spinal tap.
im checking http://vetsinpractice.multiply.com/journal right now. thank you for all your help. I still want to know more about how Bailey recovered.
Ahhhh… wow, Bailey’s recovery was VERY slow. The week after the NDV Spinal Tap she was still weak. Her appetite increased but very slowly. It was nerve-wracking. In fact, months after she recovered she was still skin and bones. It’s only in the past couple of months that she’s started to gain a bit of weight. Her spinal tap happened on Mar 22 last year, one year na has passed.
She still twiches all the time and is slightly uncoordinated but she can run well and can jump a bit. But she can’t jump as high as she used to. And she started having seizures in November last year and now she is on daily medication to keep the seizures away. Thankfully the meds are not expensive.
Hoping you bring your dog to VIP soon!
my kirby has twitches already. it seems hes chewing and wont stop even if he’s sleeping. how much did you pay for the spinal tap? is it less than 10k? how many spinal tap are needed. i know i should be asking from vip but i feel comfortable asking from you.
Yes Cha, Kirby has reached the neurological stage, I believe. Although I am not a Vet and you will have to get the opinion of the Vets in VIP. My advice, don’t do the Serum anymore that’s super super expensive and it’s too late for that. Go na for the NDV spinal tap. Its around 4k if I remember correctly. The antibiotics and neuro meds after the Spinal Tap are very expensive also. Only one spinal tap yan. When you get to VIP, go ahead and be makulit. Just do not bring your dog inside the clinic because baka mag spread ang virus. Leave your dog in the car with someone and tell the vets that it’s a distemper case and you want the spinal tap. You might be asked to buy the Newcastle Virus from a Poultry store on Quezon Ave so be prepared to spend the whole afternoon doing this. All in all it will be less than 10k. It is very very expensive but if you can afford it and are willing to spend it then thank God for people like you! Our dogs are almost perfect examples of unwavering loyalty. They deserve loyalty from us too!!!
The Newcastle Virus is what they will inject into your dog’s spinal column. It’s a bird virus that curiously stops the Distemper virus from getting worse. Basically, it pushes your Dog’s system to overwhelm the virus and stop it in its tracks. At least that’s what I understand. VIP might have to do the tap right on the parking lot although I heard that they are supposed to build a separate room to handle distemper cases and other highly communicable cases. Bailey had hers done on a wooden bench in the parking lot of the Vet. It was very National Geographic, to say the least. You are doing the right thing Cha! Please send me photos of your dog. If you can video the Spinal Tap and upload it, please do. Will put it in my blog. I took a video of Bailey’s Tap but I accidentally erased it!!! GRRRRR! Your video will help many pet owners understand what kind of treatment it is
kindly email me the total cost for the spinal tap. here is my email cccharmae@yahoo.com. im bringing kirby to Vets in Practice tomorrow. I just hope they’re open on sundays. i read your answer around 10pm i tried to call the clinic but obviously there was no answer. Thank you so much again
text my office cp 0918.959.3343
Cha, my laptop is acting wierd and can’t access my email bigla. text my office cp 0918.959.3343
My 8 month old female yellow labrador died last march 24,2012 because of CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS. that was a depressing stage in my life when I lose my JESSY girl. now I Suspected my Male yellow labrador having infected by canine distemper virus. please give me advise on this. i want to know how much is the total expenses it cost you. here’s my email address gp_marabayles@yahoo.com.ph
You’re other dog is in danger and I strongly recommend you bring your lab to the VIP Clinic where I brought Bailey. Am emailing you more details now.
Sent you email, please check your inbox and also your spam in case it went there. I am very concerned for your other dog, hoping you can bring him or her to Vets in Practice really soon…
hope she’ll bring her dog immediately to VIP, to lose one dog is really very depressing, so I really wish the other one to survive, Distemper is contagious…I’ll pray for her
hi, my puppy who is 10 weeks old was just diagnosed with distemper… she had the runny nose, eye gunk, coughing & diarrea… the vet said it was distemper but that was the only vet visit i could make ending up with a $96 bill that took all my money. trying to get another part time job, but i cant afford another vet visit & she’s now not eating anything i give her. i cant afford to experiment with foods she will eat… is my only option to put her down?
Hi Rebecca, no, you can try to save your dog. There is still hope. Are you based in the US? Please contact Ed Bond – he is part of a big group in the US that helps pet owners and dogs fight distemper. Here is the website of the group – http://www.kindheartsinaction.com/ and you can email ed bond here – ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com
There is hope and you may be able to get financial assistance, just try and ask. Hoping your puppy makes it!
PS And even if you’re not in the US, contact Ed because his network of veterinarians is world-wide…
Hi there!
Just a feedback from my labrador dog, STING who is positive for distemper virus when his Vet. Doc Mavel from VET LANE Animal clinic (She’s the vet. before at St. Gabriel Animal clinic in mandaluyong) test his blood. I informed Doc. Mavs regarding the procedure of VIP hospital re: distemper medications. As per my Vet, she will have 3 session shots of IMMUNOGLOBULIN, and ANTIBIOTIC INJECT & VIT.B1,B2,B3 INJECT. though the immunoglobulin is expensive at 2500/shot this would help fight the virus in his body. The Session started March 30,31 & April 1. Doc Mav, went to a homeservice together with Doc Paul, also from vet lane.
Im so hopless to see my dog Sting INJECTED for 4 times a day. im just praying that everything will be ok with sting. Now i just have his augmentin antibiotic intake daily plus the vitamins & dextrose powder in water solutions. his appetite increases a little bit but I still went through the spoon feeding for him. he will just eat boiled chicken liver mixed with soft dog food in can.
I love my dog so much, & even though I am financially broke, I still wanted to give my best to STING. even in to his last moment in life.
now my Labrador STING is still under medication. still fighting for his survival for distemper. Every time i am feeding him with his food, I realized that this is what a parent will do to his child. Kahit binabatikos ako ng Land lady ko at kabilang tenant because they are all against my dogs, I still defend my dog from them. Hindi lang basta labrador si STING kasi, I considered him as my son. I will be with my dog till the end. walang iwanan.
Dear Purpaul, if you want the chances of your dog’s survival to increase, I strongly suggest you go to Vets In Practice or any of their affiliates to get an NDV Spinal Tap if your dog has reached the Neurological Stage – when they are twitching. I am not a Vet, but from the research I have done and the experience I have been thru, the best way to fight distemper is the Tap or the Serum. Right now, your medications are only meant to strengthen the dog but not to stop the virus. That’s just the opinion of a non-vet so please please contact Vets in Practice. Or contact Mr. Ed Bond who has a worldwide campaign to help dog owners fight distemper, his website is edbond.com – he responds quickly to questions so please contact him asap and get his opinion on the matter…
Hi,
This could be my last shot! And i really wanted to thank you i came across to this post. I have my 3 month old Siberian Husky which was diagnosed distemper 3 days from now and was discharged immediately from the hospital. It’s been 4 days now in my care and I’m not giving up on her. I already cost nearly 15K just to make my darling come to her original form. So far i haven’t seen her twitching thou she has this irregular intake of food just like you experienced. One day she’ll eat this and after the next meal she wont. One again I so thank you for this….
God bless always.
Hi James, have you brought your dog to Vets in Practice yet? Hoping you can update me…
Hi Joyce. Moira here again. Hope you still remember me. I was the one who consulted you about my dog a month ago. Well, unfortunately my dog only survived a month after giving the NDV spinal tap. She was given the NDV last February. after that she showed some signs of improvement. Actually, it was a roller coaster ride for her…you may never know if she is improving or not. But nevertheless, we lost her after a month. Her immune system never gained back …though she did not show any twitches and she was on her respiratiory phase of infection, she hard a hard time to cope with her flu-like symptom…and her scabies started to show off. Well, it has been a very challenging experience and interesting battle with this kind of disease. What I have learned is that we really have to strengthen the resistance of our dogs by giving the right amount of supplements to support their immune system specially now that weather is really bad this time. It will be very hot in the morning until afternoon, and suddenly it will rain late afternoon or evening. It is really hard…but I have learned a lot really…I hope that every dog owner will be very patient in dealing this disease…and I mean it, it is so difficult to have this kind of disease on your dogs. Just give them all the love and affection and quality time…Thanks again Joyce for all your thoughts and advices…it helped a lot and more power to Bailey and wish you both all the best!
Moira
Dear Moira: My heart broke when I read your story
I am so sorry you lost your dog after such a loooong battle. And it was also an expensive battle but I salute you for trying. I feel so bad that it didn’t work for your dog 
so so bad. I don’t know what comfort to give you because I know what it is like to lose a beloved furry friend and it is just terrible. I had a Fox Terrier that succumbed to a heart murmur. We didn’t know he had been building up fluid in his body because of the murmur. We thought he was getting fat because of age. By the time we discovered, it was too late and the Doctor said all we could do was use medicines to extend his life for several more months. So we did that but even with the extension of life, parang kulang pa din. We eventually had to put Andy down and it was one of the saddest days of my life. I was so sad that I couldn’t sleep for 24 hours. And that’s a major major thing for someone like me who superly thrives on beauty sleep, LOL! But I have GREAT and WONDERFUL memories of Andrew Love and how faithful he was. I even have a song that we sort-of composed for him. And when we reminisce, we sing the song and laugh and remember Andy. My 2 year old Chihuahua Ramses has the same coloring as Andy – we bought Ramses precisely because he reminded us so much of Andy and yet looked like a different dog.
Anyway, my deepest condolences to you and I thank you for sharing your story, even if it ended with loss and pain. I am praying many pet-owners will learn after reading your comment and bringing their dogs to the Vet for complete shots – the best way to prevent illnesses like Distemper, etc. God bless you!
Joyce
I am going through the same battle with a dog as we speak. I have babied her in every way possible and she appears to be improving and her appetite is pretty good, but her hung legs are completely uncoordinated and she can’t get around. She is having the jerking but her eyes and nose has cleared up. I’m taking her back to the vet today and hopefully they will see improvements. I too didn’t get her puppy shots (the only one of our 5 who hasn’t had them) and I feel horrible about it. I am hopeful that she improves because she is a big baby and loves me just like the other rotten 4. Pray Gypsy survives like your Bailey and becomes my happy bouncy little girl again, please!!
Glad to hear yours survived!!!
If your Vet can do the Spinal Tap, it’s going to give your dog a huge fighting chance… please keep me updated. I’m praying your Gypsy rides this one through… I got SO close to Bailey when she was ill and even if I hate myself for not getting her her shots, the one good thing that came out of this Distemper illness was that we became so much closer to each other. I love her more now than ever before
Hi Moira , I was searching the internet for topic about DISTEMPER and it’s cures . My dog is exhibiting the disease , although the doctor ran out of the test kit to confirm it , nonetheless it’s very clear that he has one… I came across the treatment call NDV Spinal Tap… I read some of the posts here …Found out that it will cost me thousands of pesos for my dog to get that treatment . I am heart-broken since I cant really afford to pay that, I think I would need to ask my relatives and friends an AID , many thanks for posting this topic. God bless !
HOping your dog makes it. And I hope you find financial help because it is costly. The Spinal Tap is cheaper tho than the Serum FYI…
i really need help my foster pup had distemper she got the serum shots..its been since feb 5 2012 since she had them and she was doing well but now she is twitching horribly and she has lost extremly alot of weight.. and shes having trouble keeping food down.. i dont know what to do any advice.. u can email me a c a r e b e a r 4 u @ yahoo.com the email is all close together no spaces.. any help will b greatly apperciated
Hi. Just read your blog about distemper. My dog has it, and we just finished his serum injection (dog donor) this afternoon. He’s too weak to stand up. I just want to ask how did u assist your dog when every time he would urinate? Was he able to stand up and urinate during his recovery? Thanks a lot
yes, bailey could somehow manage to pee on her own. my question is this – is your dog twitching? because if he or she is, you need to do a spinal tap. the serum doesnt work once the dog starts twitching. that is what i understand from my vet… keep me updated…
Yes he is twitching just like bailey in the video. But the vet recommended that the serum is more effective than the spinal tap.. this morning was his last shot. And aftr that he was having a hard time standing up on his own.. Was it difficult to feed bailey? Just yesterday while i was feeding him, i noticed he was having a hard time chewing and his jaw is difficult to open maybe due to the twitching? How about bailey, was he able to chew his food well despite His jaw twitching? Thanks.
Our vet is also from vets in practice in mandaluyong.
Well, from what I understood from Ed Bond, he leads a huge network of vets fighting distemper, once the dog reaches the neurological stage (the twitching) then the serum is no longer effective. You HAVE to do the Spinal Tap. Please contact Mr. Ed Bond because he is the expert in this matter and I’m just blessed to have my dog survive it. Go to his website here and contact him.
Bailey had the Serum when she was already twitching. Two days later, I insisted that we do the NDV Spinal Tap and then we just waited, prayed and cared for Bailey until she slowly recovered. The Tap gives your dog a last ditch effort to stop the virus in it’s tracks. While many dogs respond, there are some that still lose the battle. But please contact Ed Bond asap because time is running out…
Yes, I need to second the two comments above. When a dog is neurologic, the sub-Q injection of NDV-induced serum will do nothing for the neurologic problems. This is because of the blood-brain barrier. It will block the treatment from reaching the nerve tissue where the virus is doing the damage. The spinal tap is needed. You need to either have the straight NDV injected or you could — as was performed in South Africa last year — have the serum injected into the spinal canal. More information is on our websites at http://www.kindheartsinaction.com/ or write me directly at ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com.
Hi Ed, wow, you can inject the serum into the spinal canal!?? Wow, and it worked? Awww, that’s amazing! THanks so much for being a Kind Heart In Action!
The vet in South Africa had misread the protocol, used the serum instead of the NDV vaccine in the spinal tap and the dog is doing well. The pup was also treated early, so that was another factor. Here’s the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n4ODyEEMUE
We have a distemper outbreak in our subdivision and I’m really afraid. I have 3 babies and I don’t know how can I protect them. Their shots are updated and I’m giving them vitamins everyday. I hate irresponsible owners who just left their dogs outside their houses, I can almost see dogs twitching. I tried to talk to them about the virus but they even laught at me. I don’t know what to do now. As of now there are about 20 dogs died
my dog woolsey was on colloidal silver when bailey was ill. i believe the colloidal silvrr protected him. im not a vet tho so please check with a vet familiar with colloidal silvrr. i gave woolsey a teaspoon in the am in his food and a tsp at night. colloidal silver is sold atvone of the health stores at legaspi market or at VIP.
your dogs’ shots should be enough protection tho. best is to keep them inside until the problem blows over.
For more advice visit Kind Hearts In Action online. Search on google
Hello Joyce,
Thanks for documenting Bailey’s distemper journey. It gives me hope that my dog, Ralph, still has a chance.
A couple of questions though:
1) How is Bailey now? ie- Did her twitching symptoms subside somewhat?
2) How much did the spinal tap cost as well as the NDV that they injected in her spine?
The reason I’m asking is because I need to make a decision as to whether to try the NDV spinal tap. Cost is an issue right now, especially since I have already spent so much trying other cures. Also, geography is an issue since I will have to travel from Marinduque. (Thank God, Ralph can still fit in his dogy crate.)
Any information is much appreciated.
Joey
1) the twitching is the same. she also suffers from regular seizures. she takes daily meds for that.
2) around 4k. the ndvirus is a couple hundred pesos. post ndv meds will cost 300pesos or more a day.
it is costly. i put my bill on my credit card, cried for ten minutrs then told myself its worth the gamble.
i can be reached at my office phone 09189593343
Thanks, Joyce. With all that I’m going through right now, it is incredibly nice when people, whom I don’t know from Adam, would take the time to help. Hope you are having a nice day.
Joey
so touching story ms. joyce…..this made me cry talaga…..bailey girl is so lucky to have a pet parent like you….wish there would be more dog owners like you who will love their pets unconditionally….God will surely bless for you had a kind heart….nakaka relate ako sobra kasi my dog suffered from pheumonia a week after her delivery…..a 5 day struggle is soooo long for me, i was about to give up, but God works in mysterious ways….she survived……i’ve posted your link in facebook para malaman ng lahat that distemper is curable…with the help of tlc and prayers……bless you ms. Joyce…..thank you so much for sharing….
by the way this is the picture of my dogs..http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=389182024443390&set=a.382873568407569.101891.100000547884514&type=3&theater
hi J, I checked out your dogs, they are so so so adorable! My pets are so important to me and I just love to go home to be with them. And I enjoy taking them out on the weekends! I thank God everyday for creating such wonderful companions
your story is wonderful. I am sure a lot of owners will now know what to do. I am a bit dissapointed that the Vets could not diagnose the disease early enough.
I have fighting back tears as I googled distemper….looking for anything to give me some hope. I came across this wonderful information you have posted.
I have a 14 wk old daschound that was saved from a shelter out of state. Within a few days of getting her she had horrible diarrhea. It would last a day or two then get better. I wasn’t too concerned knowing the stress of being in a shelter then an 8 hr drive to me. Anyway I noticed a little runny nose and eyes but wasn’t too concerned because it cleared quickly. The process started over last week. I took her to my vet who wasn’t sure, did rule out parvo. Her temp was normal. He have her meds for a bacterial infection in case that was cause the diarrhea. 5 days later I take her back. Coughing, severly congested, not eating etc. They sent test off for distemper. I am giving her 600-900ml of sub q fluids daily, gen/pen antibiotics, breathing treatments for her pneumonia. But, this morning I noticed some twitching. She will not eat or drink anything…the fluids are keeping her alive. I’m scared, I love on her continuously. I went to puck her up earlier and she screamed. It broke my heart… I’m thankful for you posting Baileys experience. I’m so afraid but now I have a little hope.
i feel your pain and hope that you were able to find a doctor vet who can do the spinal tap. your story sounds so much like mine and im praying that your dog will survive. please update me if you can, thanks!
Hi! My baby barney is experiencing exactly what bailey went through. He wast first diagnosed with pyelonephritis and was sent home. Later, it was blood parasites naman an he was confined for a week in the animal clinic. They said that he has arrhythmia also and that he has right ventricular enlargement in the xray. I noticed that he was getting worse so i brought him to Vets in Practice to seek for a 2nd opinion. At this point, barney had labored breathing already. He was such in bad shape. They even asked if i would want to ‘let him down’ but he’s been fighting since day 1. They gave me 3 options- the spinal tap, the poultry serum and the immunoglobulins to e given daily. I opted for the immunoglobulins as it was the safest and most conservative but after reading your blog about bailey, i would like to learn more about the spinal tap.. If it wouldnt be too much to ask, it would mean a lot if you could shed some light regarding this matter. I really couldnt lose barney
pls help 
they gave me antibiotics for his respiratory problem and some vitamins.. His breathing has improved a bit since yesterday..
if your dog is twitching then go for the NDV spinal tap. very very very few dogs survive distemper even with supportive treatment. you need aggresive treatment and the Spinal Tap gives your dog a bigger fighting chance to survive. Remember, this is my opinion
as a pet owner who has experienced distemper thru my dog. i am not a vet. there are some dogs who do not survive even after the tap. but there are more dogs who survive whrn given the tap. pkease visit Kind Hearts in Action to see videos of survivors and get more details. just search them in google. keep me updated
hi joyce. thanks for this het-warming and very encouraging story. one question i would like to ask, can you please provide source(s) that i can purchase the colloidal silver? thanks in advance for your reply..
sorry for my late response – colloidal silver is available at the Sunday Market 7am to 2pm at Legaspi St in Makati. Look for the guy who sells Kefir and Dead Sea Salt. He also sells Colliodal Silver. My second source is Vets in Practice at the Mandaluyong Circle. Text my office phone 0918.959.3343 if you have questions pa…
Hi Joyce! I just want to THANK you for this blog! This gave me so much HOPE for my dog Chico! He’s sick the past days and we went to the vet to check out! 10minutes ago, the vet called and told me that Chico is positive with canine distemper! I was reading blogs and searching about this disease and I was just hoping That the vet will give me negative results! Unfortunately, my dog chico is positive with the disease!! I was crying all day and night seeing him restless, and my heart broke when the vet told me about the results! I read your blog and I was really touched! I called the number that u posted immediately and inquired about the procedure!! Tomorrow my sled is to buy NDV spinal tap and hopefully get the procedure within the week! I don’t want my Chico to die,… By the way, how’s Bailey Girl now? I hope she’s better! Thank u again Joyce
Ayee hello! Bailey is okay but she needs to take daily meds to control her seizures. The seizures began in November or December last year. Praying that your dog will make it. You must guard fiercely against secondary illnesses that may show up during the post-Spinal Tap period when your dog will be prone to them. So the medicines after the Spinal Tap are SO important. Please keep me updated! God bless!
I am glad Bailey survived. Guess what? My 4 month baby toy poodle survived from distemper as well
Thank God. I prayed to Jesus and asked him for a new life for my baby poodle and the amazing God did gave it to her (: How’s dog doing now?
This gives me some much needed hope. My baby was diagnosed with this today. It has been a struggle, for first she had Parvo, then she supposedly had kennel cough. I know now that it was the beginning stages of distemper. She was put on a strong antibiotic, showed improvement- but not much. Meds ended, and she continued to get worse. She lay now a little skeleton in her crate twitching, and hooping of the eyes. I’m calling a new vet tomorrow to see if they do the spinal tap. I’m not giving up on my baby girl until she gives up. She really is a fighter. Parvo was no big deal for her, and with an antibiotic shot from the vets earlier, she seems to have already improved a little. Hopefully we can get her better. I’m scared to death. She is still the sweetest dog ever. I just held her today after the vet. She kept trying to lick my tears away. Poor baby. I love her so much. Her story is tragic enough- this can’t be the way she goes. When she was 2-3weeks old, she was found by a dumpster by one of my friends’ friend. He took her in, couldn’t care for her, gave her to my friend, she couldn’t care for her, so she gave her to me. After knowing this, I named her Hope. She really is as tough as nails. I’m praying she gets through this. Wish my family and I luck!
Lauren, your story made me cry! I just thank God there pare people like you who care so much. Please contact Ed Bond (via email – search thru the comments here, his email addy is everywhere here)for a vet in your area who can do the tap. He has a network of vets all over the world who do the tap. I am guessing your vet might not know of the ndv tap because he/she wouldve suggested it. The sooner you get the tap, the better. I am praying haaaaaaard for baby. Please drop me a comment to update me… Be strong and be brave for your baby!
Hi, Thank you and everyone for this most valuable information. My dog Amora is fighting distemper and I am waiting on a shipment of the Serum. I will start giving them to her 12 hours apart. I did the research and the Spinal Tap would cost me extremely too much. So I am believing that this will do it, even though she is having the jerking in her hind legs. I have a long story like you about this journey. I so do appreciate your information. I was told by my dog’s previous vet to put down all six dogs that were exposed. I refused. Three of the exposed puppies died. The momma(Amora) she is a fighter!!! I told her as long as she was fighting I would fight with her. She is a rescue animal and I didn’t know her vaccination record. She is a German Shepard/Doberman mix and she is one Bad Chick(LOL). On another note. I went to the fed store in the beginning and they told me to give my dog penicillin shots as well. Her vet gave her antibiotics. We were giving her one shot of the penicillin a day. I just figure it couldn’t hurt. She was already fighting a deadly disease. They seem to help so much!!
From what I know, once the jerking and twitching starts, the serum is useless. However, you can do a spinal tap using the Serum you bought. In my country, the Philippines, the Spinal Tap is much cheaper. Regarding using the Serum for the Spinal Tap, please search for Kind Hearts in Action on Google and do more research there.
A Vet in South Africa accidentally used the serum in the spinal tap and the dog was up and running about in a couple days. Visit Kind Hearts in Action – there is a video there of the dog.
HI gabby is doing pretty good after her spinal tap almost been amo i believe but she hasnt put on any weight =( what can i do or feed her to make her gain weight? she did have worms prior to the surgery and the vet treated her for them and done a fecal no more worms.. what else can i do ty
DeAnna, it took bailey about 7 to 8 months before she started gaining some weight. And even then, she is still not as full as I’d like her to be. But at least her ribs aren’t poking out anymore. Just keep on feeding your dog what she likes. I feed Bailey twice a day now. Three times a day and even more when she was post NDV Tap…
Thankyou will do =) i will start feeding her atleast 3 x and see if that helps
Hi,
I saw your success story about the distemper virus. I am currently looking for this serum to help my 3 dogs. I am currently in Aruba and is planning tomorrow morning to the states to buy the serum at a vet that is using it in Orlando. What are the advice you can give me when my dog is given the serum?
hello, please contact Ed Bond, he runs a worldwide csmpaign vs distemper. search through the comments in this blog post to find his email or search Kind Hearts In Action on google to find his website and contact hin through there. He can give you the BEST advice. please contact him asap. he is based in NeW York…
hello po. where can i buy colloidal silver and newcastle disease vaccine?
Colloidal Silver at Vets in Practice or the Saturday and Sunday Markets in Makati.
NDV from a poultry supply. the one i went to was on Quezon Avenue. call vets in practice to get the addy and number.
is your dog fighting distemper?
Hi Joyce,
I’ve read the story of Ms. Moira and I guess I’m having the same battle of survival for my dear Bella. I don’t know if I misinterpreted her illness before because as far as my research is concern, and as far as i observed her condition all I thought it was Kennel Cough so I bought a medicine for curing it. To my surprise it was Distemper which is a contagious disease of canines. I bought an antibiotic (Doxycycline – prescription gave of a Vet) and a soluble dextrose for ingestion and I guess it works (I hope). What she have now is a Seizure that makes my heart cries every time I see her that way. What else can I do to help her survive her illness? San po ba ang Vets in Practice and if my contact number po kyo ng clinic na yun…thank you…
-RJ
http://vetsinpractice.multiply.com/journal
that is the link to the site of vets in practice. Doxycycline will not kill the distemper virus. it will only protect from secondary infection. your best bet is the NDV spinal tap. its not a guarantee but it will give your dog a better chance of survival.
Hi,
I got the NVD serum. And my dogs got tap. My dogs have major improvements. We are still monitoring them because it was yesterday that they got the medicine.
okay, im glad that there are improvements! please update me again in the next few days. all your information and exleriences will help people reading this blog, so they too will know what to expect after the Tap is done. praying for your dog…
Hi Ms. Joyce,
My 4-month old lhasa, Ulyan, is diagnosed with distemper. With his current condition, i think it is best to do the spinal tap on him since he is already twitching. I called the VIP to inquire about the Newcastle disease vaccine and where to get it but they could not provide me with a particular supplier, so i would just want to ask what poultry supply in quezon ave provided for the vaccine you used for Bailey. Could you please provide me with the details such as the address and phone number of the poultry supply?
Thank you very much.
Rainier
Hi Ms. Joyce,
My 4-month old lhasa, Ulyan, is diagnosed with distemper. With his current condition, i think it is best to do the spinal tap on him since he is already twitching. I called the VIP to inquire about the Newcastle disease vaccine and where to get it but they could not provide me with a particular supplier, so i would just want to ask what poultry supply in quezon ave provided for the vaccine you used for Bailey. Could you please provide me with the details such as the address and phone number of the poultry supply?
Thank you very much!
Rainier
hmmmm… I really don’t remember the Poultryy Supply but I will do some research right now online….
Found a page online with addresses and numbers of Poultry Supply businesses. I tried calling some of them but it’s like 10pm now and no answer. Try calling in the morning. Keep me updated!
here is the page. Click lang here.
Thank you very much for taking time to help! I was able to find a poultry supply earlier; and Ulyan received the spinal tap from Doc Alison right away. Although the virus is already in the advanced stage, I am still hoping for best results. Your blog is indeed very helpful and pet owners like me surely appreciate this endeavor.
okay, could you supply the name and number and addy of the poultry supply? it will be very helpful to others with the same problem. thanks, Praying for your dog…
Farmbreed Poultry Supply – 316 Quezon Ave., QC (near Pantranco, beside Meralco – Q. Ave.) 372-5019 / 372-5027.
Apparently, there are two types of the Newcastle vaccine, B1B1 and Lasota. (the poultry supply will ask which one will you get) According to Vets in Practice the Lasota type is the one used for the spinal tap.
Sadly though, Ulyan didn’t make it. He was very weak and unresponsive as the virus was already in the advanced stage.
Oh Rainier, I’m sorry to hear that…
yes, if the virus gets too far, it’s bad. But I just want to thank you for trying anyway. I wish there were more people like you who are willing to go the extra mile for our furry best friends. Praying for your comfort… and thanks for the information, I think that was the same Poultry supply I went to before on Quezon Avenue… God bless your heart!
Thank you very much for the help and advise. I hope you continue the advocacy. While it is truly sad that Ulyan didn’t make it, there is comfort in knowing there are people who care enough to educate and inform fellow dog lovers on something like this. I’m sure each post and reply you make saves another furry life. More power to you!
hi ms. joyce,
I am desperate for my Chloe, he is fighting against distemper. He was diagnosed last Saturday showing symptoms of this disease. (conjunctivitis and unusual beats in his head) The vet told us that the virus already reaches the brain and there’s no cure instead they gave us antibacterial suspension medicine CHLOROMYCETIN that he will take for 14days combined with CEELIN. But I cant wait for 14days to see what that meds will do for my Chloe, We need an advanced treatment. Reading your story gives me hope for my 5month zsitzu. We lived in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. I hope that I can find NDV here in our place and a Vet that will help us to do the procedure. I am praying for my Chloe. Thank you Ms. Joyce for giving us knowledge and awareness about this illness. Godbless you always.
contact ed bond asap. he msy know of a vet in your area able to do a spinal tap with the NDV lasota strain virus. search Kind Hearts in Action and email Ed Bond thru that site. he has a worldwide network fighting vs distemper. if you can find a vet in your area willing to try a spinal tap, there is still hope…
Hello Joyce, I read your encouraging story and helps me build hope every day that pass for my doggie PEANUT, a 7 month old Lab that got distemper because of my procastination for giving it a second shot to prevent this horrible disease. I love the detail you describe your experince with it and Bailey. I did have NDV SPINAL tap on my dog, following your advice and ED BOND, and my dog is doing some progress… It’s still a long journey but I keep my faith and expectations high enough to defeat DISTEMPER… Is Bailey still doing better, how long did it took to see some of the sympthoms go away???
Thanks for your king response..
YOLO TARUT
bailey’s tap was march 22 ,2011 shes doing great except for grand mal seizures. she is under daily medication and it keeps the seizures away. she still twitches but can run, play, eat, have fun… please keep me updated on your dog because every experience that is put online will help other dog owners!
Hello there it’s me again Yolo, I wrote you couple moths ago after I had the NDV SPINAL TAP on my dog PEANUT, it’s been a long long journey but always keeping the faith that the treatment did something good. However today I’m not so high in my spirit since I have to face the horrible decision of putting PEANUT TO sleep, he;s is a fighter and has been trying to do his job in such a remarkable way…but I found out that his immune system is in such a bad shape that it’s kind of fighting against itself and no let it recover and killing his own red blood cells. I tried everything on my end and wad open to any kind of treatments. today I kind of regret not to take your advice all the way, I should have given COLLOIDAL SILVER like you do to your Bailey, i wonder if it would done a change to the end of this story and have like a happier aftermath like yours. My PEANUT has an infection that won its way in especially since its immune system is nOT doing its job. My heart is part broken because eI feel responsible my dog went through this living hell for procrastination. I think some much medication and chemicals weaken its system . My piece of advice is, use MILK THISTLE to detox the lever because seizure medicine is very aggressive in the long term, a lot of supplements to help on the recover. Today my dog can not get up and has lost its appetite and its just hanging in there but it is terribly sad and depressed. He was eating, running having long walks and trying to stay with me. I LOVE YOU PEANUT so much. Thank you for your helo and keeping this blog updated.
I have a puppy going thru this right now and would appreciate any help you can give me ASAP! My vet is. I help and wants to put her to sleep. She is a 16 week old Goldendoodle. Please help us. We are in South Missississipp and no one around here has mentioned that there is any possible way to save her!
My phone number is 228-424-3163 if u wouldn’t mind calling me.
Thanks so much for your time!
Sincerely,
Eden Rubenstein
contact ed bond, he is based in new york and has network of vets in the us who can help. http://www.kindheartsinaction.com/contact-us click on that to get to his contact page on the Kind Hearts in Action website… you have to move FAST. puppies are not as adult dogs when it comes to distemper…
eden, tried ringing your phone but no answer…
hi joyce i would like to know what is the procedure of NDV spinal tap? i have 6 months old husky and shows sign of distemper and would like to undergo to this procedure. how much will it cost? may i knw im frm cabanatuan city, nueva ecija and mandaluyong is far frm here so can u pls give me some idea hm money it will cost me so when i decided to go to mandaluyong i have enough mney to bring.. pls i really need your help. i already ask may vet no one here in Cabanatuan perform this procedure cause its very delicate. i wnt to save our furkid.. thank u
hi kathrine, sent you email… how is everything na?
yes how much it cost when doing the procedure sad to say my dog got that virus im from cebu i like to save my dogs it really help me a lot
the ndv tap is around 4k.. i tried emailing you, how is your dog now?
I’m very happy to hear that your dog is surviving. I was researching Distemper treatments and found your article.
My 5-month old Chibi (Chibi-Chibi on Facebook) was misdiagnosed to be suffering from Kennel Cough last June 23. We gave her antibiotics as prescribed by the clinic for six days, on the 7th day, her first seizure happened. We brought her back to the Animal Clinic and she was confined for two days. My husband and I read more information online and read about NDV Spinal Tap. Today, Chibi will be brought to VIP in Alabang — I talked to Dra. MayAnn and she said that it’s 70%-30% chance of survival after the spinal tap. Check Chibi-Chibi on facebook. She was a wedding gift last January and we loved her like our own baby. Hoping that she survives… She’s such a fighter.
Today, my mom-in-law updated me that she does not want to open her mouth anymore. Yesterday, she still enjoyed munching on pork/chicken liver with rice + beef pro dog food, but now, she refrained from eating.
I need your prayers. Thank you for the information and hope you shared.
you have to force-feed Chibi. Mash dog food or people food, or better yet, blender-ize it. Then use a syringe to force feed her. praying for chibi’s survival! please update me!
Chibi had her spinal tap yesterday performed by Dr. Jess of Vets in Practice, Madrigal, Ayala Alabang (846-7730 or 09175605859). We bought La Sota Strain virus from a poultry shop in Bayanan, Muntinlupa. After the treatment, she was so weak and as soon as we reached home, we force-fed her. Mashed beef pro and some bread. The food was coupled with Gatorade.
After a few minutes, she tried getting up. I offered her food, and she ate on her own! No seizures yesterday. And today morning before I sped my way to work, she moved out from her bed and walked to the kitchen… Still praying for my Chibi.
…will update via blog entry. Chibi-Chibi is such a fighter, and I know, she will make it.
I think my dog suffers the same.. but Im just a student and I cant afford to pay for the procedure..
((
Hello Ms. Joyce, did u give bailey a bath when she has distemper? what did you use to clean her eyes?
no baths at all. i didnt want bailey to catch a chill. but i wiped her down with wet wipes and covered her with a towel. cleaned her eyes with cotton in tepid water. very hard to clean her eyes so i just did the best i could. how is your dog? did you have the ndv tap?
not yet..i’ve used kanglove for his distemper and parvovirus..I bought one of each vial, but unfortunately only her parvo got cured. I searched over the internet for some hollistic approach and now i’m trying 4Life Transfer Factor on him. I brought him in our province so he can really be watch over. He is given supportive treatment there and also Polynerv. I’m really praying for him to be back on his feet. He is very sweet.
Last Saturday, his stool started to have form which I think is a good sign, he still have colds but no cough anymore. Just last sunday, he is very sensitive to touch maybe becoz he tried standing but fell.
I didnt do the spinal tap because I fear he wouldnt make it, and at that time i’m also sick and didn’t have enough money since I have to pay for his confinement. I just hope that he’ll be back on his feet following me wherever I go.
@Kim Vera
hi ms. Kim tanung kolang sana kung kamusta ang 4life transfer factor sa dog mo may improvement ba?
@Ms. JOYCE
Hi Ms. Joyce yung shih tzu ko na si Cotton halos mag 1month ng walang kinakain super thin na sya skin and bone na pero ngayon pinipilit ko talaga sya subuan para kahit papaano magkaroon ng laman ang tiyan nya, malakas naman po sya uminom ng tubig yun nga lang kahit anung food ang iaalok ko ayaw nya kahit pa bbq dati paginalok ko sya kumakain sya kahit isang laman ngayon kahit ano talaga ayaw nya, tyaka wala na din shaking/twitching ng legs and arms nya pero last april 22, 2013 around 1pm nung tinawag ko sya yung penis nya matigas tapos yung head nya nagseshake pero mild lang tapos yung jaw or mouth nya up and down slowly kaya natakot ako first time ko nakita na ganun, pero ni minsan diko sya narinig na umiiyak. Sa ngayon ok naman nakakatayo at nakakalakad at pag gusto nya uminum pupunta sa cr tapos tatahol dati sa timba umiinum sya ngayon gusto nya sa natulong tubig galing sa gripo. Yung mata nya pala minsan namumula at sa ngayon laging may muta sticky ng konti pero yung sa nose wet lang na parang tubig di naman sticky, anu kaya maganda gawin para magkagana sya kumain. Sobrang mahal na mahal na mahal ko Cotton ko dipako ready na mawala sya. Kaya ito laging naiiyak kapag naiisip na paano kung kunin na ni Lord si Cotton ko. Sobra sobra pa naman ako magmahal kaya sobra ding apektado ako sa ngayon.
Hi Richie… I wish i could help but i cant do much except tell u again that you need to get Cotton tested to make sure its distemper. from your description it sounds like distemper to me. are you giving your dog antibiotics? are u able to forcefeed?
My Baby Gabby had to under go another spinal tap this wk this past thurs this is her second one in the past 6 mo =( the vet is very patient and kind =) she was vomiting again and wasnt holding any food or water down.. lets see how this holds up ..she hasnt gained any weight yet..
a second tap? ndv tap also? but was your dog cleared of distemper?
Yes a 2 tap yes she was cleared of d istempter
Hi, i have a 2 and half month old chowspitz and right now suffering from distemper> she’s having movements on her head while sleeping, discharge on her nose and less appetite. Went to Vet yesterday and was given a serum for brain which according to the Vet will prevent from virus to reach her brain cells. Also anitbiotics and vitamins were given to her twice a day. I was wondering if anyone here can tell me how much would it cost for spinal tap every session…. We are not reach but doing my best to somehow save money for my Pheebie in order to save her life…I don’t want to lose her… If any one with kind heart give me information on how much would be the new castle virus and spinal tap, i will give my best shot to have that budget and bring pheebie Asap for spinal tap….
Thanks…………….=(
Hi, i have a 2 and half month old chowspitz and right now suffering from distemper> she’s having movements on her head while sleeping, discharge on her nose and less appetite. Went to Vet yesterday and was given a serum for brain which according to the Vet will prevent from virus to reach her brain cells. Also anitbiotics and vitamins were given to her twice a day. I was wondering if anyone here can tell me how much would it cost for spinal tap every session…. We are not rich but doing my best to somehow save money for my Pheebie in order to save her life…I don’t want to lose her… If any one with kind heart give me information on how much would be the new castle virus and spinal tap, i will give my best shot to have that budget and bring pheebie Asap for spinal tap….
Thanks…………….=(
the spinal tap is only once. it cost me less than 4k. there will be post tap antibiotics and neuromeds that are costly but only needed for a few days. is your dog twitching? if she is then go ahead with the tap. i had to use a credit card to pay for baileys vet costs so i know how you feel… keep me updated
hi.. i read your story and like others, my 2-month old chihuahua have distemper.. i would like to ask if you dont mind, how much is the spinal tapping in vets in practice? please email me the cost. tonijeanosoyos018@yahoo.com thank you
sent u email…
How is your Bailey doing ? I am glad that she was able to overcome distemper. Our dog Sushi, daschund had distemper last year. She had it the week she was to get her booster shot for parvo, distemper etc. The only thing manifested was that she had poor appetite and was getting lethargic and the pop had a bit reddish color. Day two I took her to the vet and ask them to do a blood test. There was abnormal results with the bun and creatinine . I don’t remember what they prescribed. Third day she was getting weaker so I asked that test for distemper etc be done. Positive for distemper. Antibiotics, b complex and I.V were given . Knowing that the only thing that could kill the virus would body’s immune system. I immediately gave her 6,000 mg of cordycep an immune booster. Fourth day 4,000 mg of cordycep. She was on antibiotics for nine days. Fifth day onwards was 1,000 mg of cordycep. She started eating again on the fourth day and started playing a little on the fifth day. I.V was removed on the fifth day. Full recovery was on the tenth. Got her booster shot after a month. Thank God for these immune boosting supplements. I get mine from green world for only 9 pesos per capsule of 1,000 mg.
bailey is doing fine!!!! but on daily anti seizure meds. glad you shared your story, hopefully dogs owners who are fighting distemper will find your story helpful! the more dogs saved, the happier we will all be
Please check out ionic magnesium, milk thistle, dandelion, probiotics, taurine, ashwghanda, bacopa for dog seizures.
thank you for this info! currently im suspecting that my dog OTSO (he is an Aspin) got distemper, all of the sudden he couldn’t walk and lose his appetite. I did some researching today, found out that distemper is highly contagious. Im now living overseas and i only got report from my brother and relay to me that about 6 dogs in our neighbors has died, same sign what Otso got. I told my brother temporarily to give Otso an antibiotic and some vitamins, and advice them to bring immediately in UP vet. Im too worried, Otso is a dependable and very kind dog. Im also worried to my other 2 dogs (Lucci and Odette), they might catch the same virus..
before anything else, you need to test your dog first. baka hindi naman distemper. you can protect your other dogs with colloidal silver. i used it to protect my one dog from catching distemper from Bailey. Antibiotics dont really work vs distemper, btw…
Sinong vet ang kayang magspinal tap dito sa philippines? thanks
Vets in Practice and their partners have vets who can do the procedure, contacts are below:
Vets in Practice Animal Hospital 63 Maysilo Circle, Plainview, Mandaluyong City 5311581, 5337965
For Alabang: Vets in Practice Animal Hospital 102a Alabang Business Tower, Madrigal Business Park, Alabang, Muntinlupa 8467730
Partner Units:
Animal Care Specialists, Tiendesitas, Pasig City (026356895) – Dr. Siday Penaranda, Dr. Christian Guno, Dr. Sheng Ordinario, Dr. August Michael Basangan
CARVELDON Veterinary Center, Cartimar, Pasay City (025562885) – Dr. Nicolas Carpio, Dr. Herbert Ferandez, Dr. Ramir Morales
Vets in Practice Alabang 102a Alabang Business Tower, Madrigal Business Park, Alabang, Muntinlupa (028467730 / 028428379) – Dr. Lester Lopez, Dr. Jess Aycocho
Hi Joyce, thanks for your article. our two month old dog Venus is now sick with distemper. My daughter was surfing the internet to check on distemper cure and she read your experiences. Your blog is a GREAT. We are so worried right and my daughter had been crying so hard but when she read your article, she was pacified, giving her hope, that like your Bailey, Venus will survive.
Please pray for Venus.
You’re heaven sent to us! Thank you
Hi Luz, move fast on this. Your puppy is not as strong as an adult dog so the sooner you get treatment, the better. If there is no twitching then do the Serum. But if there is twitching have the NDV Spinal Tap. For the Tap You will need to buy a bird virus and I’m worried that poultry supplies are closed due to the holidays. Anyway, when you buy the virus look for the Newcastle LaSota strain. Then bring dog and virus to VIP in Mandaluyong. Call them first because not all the vets can do the Spinal Tap.
And to protect your other dogs, give them Colloidal Silver. That’s how I protected my 6month old puppy when Bailey was fighting distemper and they were in the same area of our garden. If you need Colloidal Silver I have some at home and can give you a small spray bottle. Colloidal Silver will be good too for your dog…
For the serum, it’s more complicated – you will need a donor dog to donate blood then they have to make the serum with the blood. Ask the Vets for advice. I made the mistake of doing the Serum when Bailey already had twitching. Its too late when Twitching is there na. Only the Tap can work. With the Tap your dog’s survival rate jumps up 60 to 70%. Praying for Venus…
I am so inspired by your story.. I have a chow chow that is only 2 months old. He has only 1 shot of vaccine done. And now fighting for distemper. Vets can’t give him shots because he is sick. ;( Your story gave me hope and motivation to not give up. What should i do. ;( Please help me. I love my dog so much.. Please reply. Thank you so much..
And can I have your number? He is my first dog ever. I’m just so nervous. ;( Please help me. ;(
email me at jaedeelight@yahoo.com im always online drop me a note, leave yoyr number or email addy there. but bring your dog asap to vets in practice. i put all their contacts in a comment on this post, look for it. email me asap and we’ll talk
I’ve already emailed you. Thank you so much..
Hello! My boyfriend has 5 puppies who are all positive for distemper.
One of them was put to sleep already a few days ago. The remaining 4 are still active but are already showing signs like hard pads and runny noses. Only one is twitching right now. I am so sad because he might just lose them all. 
And if we administer the Newcastle vaccine to all of them it will be extremely costly. I just want to know how much you paid for the vaccine and the spinal tap. Thanks!
For dogs not yet twitching (distemper is not yet neurological) you will need a donor dog to donate blood. they will make a serum with the blood to be injected into the ill dog. three shots are necessary, 12 hrs apart. Each shot is around 4k. very expensive but it works. my friend’s puppy, an Ovcharka from Russia had her three shots a couple weeks ago and is distemper-free.
For dogs that have reached the neurological stage and are twitching, then you do spinal tap with the lasota strain of the newcastle chicken virus. The whole process will cost abt 4k. the tap is cheaper.
Both treatments are not 100% sure but they do increase your dog’s chances of survival. puppies dont do as well as bigger dogs.
i am not a vet btw and am only speaking via experince. its best to contact the vets at vip or email ed bond of kind hearts in action. search him on google and you will find his websitr and contact details.
you can try giving the pups colloidal silver asap. vip sells it. i get mine from the saturday market at legaspi st in makati…
We rescued a dog we named Daisy due to a torn belt around her neck with the name Daisy. She was in a gassing shelter in Oklahoma 5 hours away. She had Parvo and worms and parasites. They immediately took her in a few days @ our vet to overcome the parvo and she has been wormed several times during the little over a month we have had her. Daisy was back in the vet hospital almost immediately @ 12-16 weeks old for 2 more days. She was then diagnosed with Kennel Cough. The coughing after treatment disappeared but dry nose with boogies and eyes red and seeping still remained. We had been also using saline in a neb 3 times a day since all started including eyes and nose directly. She looked worse and seemed to have more trouble breathing so we called our vet on a Sat and they said to see how she does over the weekend which includes they are closed on Monday. By sat nite we were in the Er Vet and they said she had pneumonia. She was then put on Ciprofloxacin again she seemed to do better and called our vet yet again on a Sat right after antibiotics done and were told to see how she did over the weekend. We went back yet another Sat nite to Er. This time they did more chest x-rays to see why the pneumonia was back. We were sent home with same drug and Cephalexin. She swelled some in the face which prompted internet search. Our baby is a golden/Pyrenees mix going to be very large. She looks a lot like Bailey. Except smaller snout. Ciprofloxacin is not FDA approved for dogs and should not be given to dogs under 28 weeks not just one site but all I saw. I immediately called ER vet and questioned this and she disagreed that our dog was going to be a large breed even though thru all this she put on 7lbs during our month so far. I searched and searched for another vet @ this point and Petsmart is a 7 day week vet so we went the very next day. Low and behold she has a Pyrenees @ home and disgusted Daisy had been given this drug. Daisy has always had sub or vein IV @ each visit. She has me bring her in for 2 days of IV and unfortunately they cannot stay all night. By this time we start to notice balance problems and some falling so we call the next day to see another vet there. The nurse looks through all our records and to our surprise and hers Daisy has never had any bloodwork. I have always taken records and meds to all visits. Daisy stays the day and bloodwork is done a mere $115 compared to what we have spent this far. After our internet searches we even suggest distemper which is totally possible or Cipro from what we are now experiencing. Daisy wags her tail and wants to be near everyone barks @ all very protective. She is totally precious and since she looked like the rib picture you had when we got her @ 16lbs we were hoping her outcome was getting better. Body weight is good now all organs functioning well in blood work except red blood cells and cannot get enough food. Water is not very appealing now but she will drink a little. I have fooled a few times during all this into drinking water by continually adding to white rice & chicken broth or canned food during the process of eating & syringe @ lowest point. She also had gatorade mix or pedialite @ points. She now drinks a little water and is strictly canned food for extra fluid. When we brought her home yesterday she was red blood cell deficient and is now taking Hi-vite drops for anemia & also Tobramycin drops in eyes 2 times daily but she came home and cannot walk but a few steps now. She has to be carried out and fell out of bed so is now blanketed to floor. She wags that tail and tries to move all over the house due to wood and tile only she can move. I think we are past neuro but are in a waiting period now. Unless she wont eat or drink she is @ home with us as of today vet said and just hope she continues to get better and is able to be that bouncy baby we have seen thru even the sick times.
what a crazy experience!!! but i am hoping daisy makes it thru… it is just amazing how our pets can reaaly affect us. im with you on this one, praying for thr best …
Thank you for your prayers. Daisy was rescued from a horrible shelter and was not able to get pet insurance due to the fact she was already sick. She continued even after spending thousands of dollars to decline as she was only 4 months. She lost total use of all legs and bladder function. It was so hard but last Tuesday she had to be put down. I am still battling the feelings of guilt on the what if’s and my husband and daughter’s going thru this with me. I feel like It was my fault they had to go thru all this by rescuing Daisy from a horrible gassing shelter with a quick decision. I could not even look @ everything and only cleaned the towels not all the blankets yesterday. I cry daily because I know there will never be another Daisy!
Hi there… i know how the guilty feelings can creep up on you. But you have to fight them because they don’t do you no good. They won’t save the life of another dog, that’s for sure. While it is painful to lose a furry friend, it is sadder when you lose one because you didn’t try. Be comforted that you tried. The pain, I hope will fade and the thought of Daisy in heaven… well… may that bring you comfort… we need more people like you who care!
She definitely has rear leg problems but now I am searching for some type of dog sling to hold the rear legs up and see if they recover.
Hi Great article, i have an 8 month old siberian husky who has not been eating for 3 days, took him to the vet today September 10 (Animal House) and the vet said she’s suspecting distemper (i also kept on delaying his vaccines and he only had 2 shots). She took some blood test but no results yet (she said she’d give us a call within the day). I worry and hope that it’s not distemper but I’m happy about your story. I’m wondering how much did the spinal tap cost you? And how much money do i need to prepare
a distemper test looks just like pregnancy test. two lines means positive, one line is negative. you can get the results in minutes. if your vet is making yoU wait to get the results of verrrrrry simple test then get a new vet. i dont want to sound arrogant but its the life of your pet at stake. if its early distemper then dont do the spinal tap. do the serum treatment. you can get info by searching on google “Dr Sears Distemper Serum”. also visit the website of Kind Hearts in Action to get all the info you neef on the serum. wishing you the best!
Thanka for the quick reply. Well the vet didnt give us a call as she promised re the results of the blood test but gave my ion a flu shot yesterday and anti viral meds. he is feeling a lot better today running around d house and has been slowly gaining appetite but not much. still crossing fingers that its not distemper and d vet is just over reacting.
if your vet didnt call as promised then thats another good reason to change vets. distempers signs – runny nose, weak appetite, nose pad and toe pads start to thicken… sometimes the eyes look red and sore. if you see some of those symptoms then check for distemper and other common canine diseases… wishing u the best
The results finally came out. Thank God it’s not distemper but of a low platelet count.
i am so relieved!!!! distemper is such a devastating disease. make sure you complete your dog’s shots
and thanks for keepingvme updated !
Hi my 2 year old dog bryce is currently sick.. I’m treating him with antibiotic for blood infection as his vet told me.. After 4 days of treatment he already looks fine and already doing good although a little bit weak so I decided to give him 1 day off from his med because he was already traumatized.. After that day he suddenly stop eating again so we went to his vet and his temp was checked and found that it was moderately high about 39.9 c. I also noticed that he was breathing rapidly.. I haven’t noticed any twitching as of today but I’m not really sure because I.m working on a day shift so I just attended to him after work. I hope you can help me to decide or any treatment possible.. Maybe we will visit tomorrow for distemper test. Thanks
fast breathing was one of the symptoms before the twitching began. get a distemper test asap. i forgot the cost of the test. several hundred pesos. it is like a pregnancy test but u use blood instead of urine. do that first so you know what you are up against.
Just additional inquiry how much is the distemper test? Thanks I’m really glad if I see your name in my mailbox thanks again…
the test is not cheap but i really cant remember. you can call vets in practice and ask. search them online or look thru my blog post and comments. i have it listed somewherr here. hoping for the best for bryce! praying that its not something bad…
Hi hope you can read my comment
just woke up and saw your comment. my phone is connected to this blog and i get a message everytime someone posts a message. as long as im not in recording, hanging out with family or fast asleep, i keep an eye on my phone and reply to distemper messages as soon as i read them. so if u have furtger concerns, leave a msg here..
Just want to share, sorry for the long post.
Me and my wife are dog lovers for at home we have a male mix Labrador Dalmatian and two female Aspins namely, Mausy and Meow, weird names ? ask my 4 kids they are the one in charge in given them names. Of my 3 dogs Mausy was the bravest for she was always on the guard. One time there was an intruder who attempted to break into our neighbors house, Mausy bark and bark like there’s no tomorrow. It caught my attention and so did my neighbor, who step out and saw the intruder already on the top of their wall. The intruder must have seen my neighbor already out with a baseball bat so he ran without looking back.
Last July 2012, Meow gave birth to 2 wonderful and after a week Mausy also gave birth to 2 beautiful puppies. But for reasons beyond our control we lost Mausy, my wife was devastated and she cried beside Mausy’s body . We buried her at our backyard and my kids put flowers on her top of her grave. Now we faced a new challenge, to raise Mausy’s 2 puppies, namely Siomai, and Sugar. At the first, Meow breastfed them together with her litters, but after a week her milk runs out. So we bottle feed our new puppies. Me and my wife literally moved into the living room our beds was the sofa and a rusty folding bed. Woke up 3am in the morning and we took turns in preparing milk formula ( Puppy Love Milk) and then bottle feeding our beautiful puppies. Lost a lot of sleep but it was a very wonderful experience.
Two month have past and the puppies have all grown up, Siomai was already 6kg , very big for an Aspin. She was the very energetic and very hyperactive. At school days after my wife open the stairs barrier to cook breakfast. Siomai would rush upstairs and go to my kids room to wake them up. She would jump all over them until they are up and get ready for breakfast. How to reward her , she love belly rub…give her a belly rub and she will fall asleep…
Also on their 2nd month( August) we took them for their first vet visit. They all got de-wormed but because of we need funds for the repair of our house in Manila which was damage but the recent Monsoon floods, only Paw-Paw the smallest and weakest among the puppies got vaccinated. Was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. Last week of August, I found a vet clinic who accept credit card, so I have Siomai vaccinated. We were about to return for her second shot when a stray Aspin ventured inside our yard, and there was a series of gaps between the fence, it was big enough for the Aspin enter our yard. Siomai was the first to see our “visitor” and maybe because of her curiosity approach and tried to play with the stray Aspin. According to my daughter she saw Siomai licking the stray Aspin’s face and when she approaches them, the stray Aspin run away.
Within a week, we notice some changes in Siomai behavior, she was always sleeping and ate little. She seldom climb to my kids room and just stay in one corner and sleep the whole day. I notice some yellow “muta” in her eyes and she was losing weight. Last Saturday, while my wife was at the dirty kitchen doing the laundry, Siomai went to her and lied down near her when all the sudden Siomai had a seizure. It lasted for about 30 second and foam of saliva came out from her mouth. My wife panic and call me, we though she had rabies so I put gloves on and we rush her to the vet. Our vet told us it was not rabies and she need to do some test, after a few minutes, she sadly informed us that Siomai have Canine Distemper and there was no cure presently available. Again we were devastated, our Vet gave her some anti-biotic shots hopefully it will give her a fighting chance. She told us to give Siomai some vitamins to help boost her immune system and not to lost hope for even if the chance is slim, she might able to survive this. Heartbroken, we took her home and isolated her , my wife got some pillows and blankets and put them inside her kennel and we let her lie there. My wife began to cry and she began massage her neck and told her that she will be fine and she will never leave her alone.
Hardest part was during seizures, her whole body would shake and shiver then she would give a cry-like whimper full of pain, we have to hold her while she’s in a seizure. My wife will call out her name and to massage her neck to calm her down. Both of us need to wear latex gloves so that the virus will not speared to the other puppies. It was the longest night for me and my wife, we gave her Cerelac, vitamin B complex and Ceelin and anti-biotic prescribe by our Vet. We took turn in watching over her, while my wife was sleeping, I went to her and gave her some water, she wiggle her tail and tried to stand up, but then she had another seizure, I held her head and tried to calm her down by rubbing her belly, and told her that she was going to be ok , coz we love her so much and we are not going to give up on her. I told her “ Girl you please don’t give up ok ?, mahal ka namin, di kami mag give up sa iyo ? dito lng kami ,lam mo ang cute cute mo noon baby ka pa ..after you recover will go to the park ok ?.. please don’t give up, fight and we will win this together…please don’t give up.please” then this old man began to cry.
Day 2 – we saw some improvement, she was able to stand up and drink water from her dish. She finish a dish of Cerelac and we had high hopes that day, but it was a false alarm, Siomai had another seizure and this time it lasted for about a minute. I held her head , while my wife massage her body and began speaking to her “ you are going to be OK baby, mommy is here”. After the seizure, she just slump there and give a crying moan like she was in deep pain. She was unable to stand up or move her head. That night we need to use a syringe to feed her. It was a very painful experience for both of us. We slept again in the living room and every time we hear her crying , me or my wife would rush to her side to make her feel that she is not alone. At midnight I heard her giving a deep whimper, I went beside her and started rubbing her neck and comforted her, she then closed her eyes and fell asleep. It was past midnight I was still awake so I started to surf the internet , I was trying to look for other solutions. It’s when I found this site. I read and read and kept on reading and I learned about the NDV Spinal tap. I tried to call some 24 hours vet clinic here and ask if they do Spinal Tap, but I got no answer.
Day 3 – did not report for work and stayed home that day, I was determine to find a Vet Clinic who can do Spinal Tap so I went to our local Vet, but on my way I got a call from my wife. Siomai had another seizure and this time it was fatal. I rush back home and I saw my wife crying beside Siomia, she passed away after the fatal seizure. I give my wife a hug and I began to rub Siomais belly for the last time, after which we clean her body and wrapped it with a blanket. And buried her next to her moms grave. It was a very very sad experience for us. . And my wife is still in a state of depression.
Goodbye Siomai, thank you for the wonderful memories you gave with us especially with my kids. We will miss you belly rub princess
Thanks for sharing your story. I read it and felt your pain. It is not easy to care for an ill pet and then lose them. THe only clinic I know of that does the Spinal Tap is Vets in Practice. You can search them online and if you look thru my post and comments, you’ll see their phone number. I am repeating this information just incase one of the other dogs somehow catches the virus. I hope not tho. But I was able to protect my 6 month old puppy from Distemper by giving him colloidal silver everyday. Na-expose ang puppy ko kay Bailey and I could not move him to the back because i had dogs there and I couldn’t put him inside the house because i had a dog there too. I am not a vet and I have no proof but I believe that the colloidal silver protected my puppy.
Anyway, I hope more and more people learn how to love their pets like you do. Willing to spend for them even if they are Aspins. May God bless you for your kindness!
I’m watching my dog now… She might be leaving in a few hours or minutes….
:’(
Help please?? My female shih is infected with this virus she got it from my male shih That died last sept. 24. We had him check and the first vet told us it was urt (upper respiratory tract) infection. There was no progress on the medicine that was prescribe to us so we took him to another vet then it was confirmed that he had distemper but it was too late. He passed out two days ago..
Angel our female shih is infected and her eyes became swollen. We took her yesterday to the vet and the Vet gave her antibiotic Ciprofloxacin 500mg 2x a day. She eats well today. I’m worried that she’d looses her apetite like wynwyn our male shih that died. We will do anything and never give up on her.
Can you give me some advice? The things you did to save bailey?
bring her asap to vets in practice. search them online or look thru the comments here to find their number. they have an experimental treatment – the Serum Shots for early distemper or the Spinal Tap for the late distemper cases where the dog is already twitching.
you can learn more about the experimental treatment on the Kind Hearts in Action website which you can search online. it is not a 100% cure but rough reports say 40% to 70% of dogs that have either the shot or the tap end up surviving.
please keep me updated. wishing you the best…
What an incredible story!!
Last winter, I was living at my grandparents out in the country in Illinois (as I was just out of high school) and I had several dogs. 3 two year olds, 4 six month olds, and a litter of 10 five week old puppies. I, too, never worried about getting their full sets of shots, because they were all healthy as could be. I never even heard of distemper, let alone worried about it. Until some of the puppies started having seizures along with other signs of distemper. I called the local vet as soon as I noticed, and they told me once they started having seizures, there was nothing anyone could do. So we had a majority of the pups put to sleep. Luckily, a few went to new homes and are happy and healthy as ever (full shots and everything). It was so strange though, because a majority of the puppies got it but 2 didn’t. Even the ones who went to new homes, ended up sick, but got better within a few days. One of the six month olds, Chico, wasn’t as lucky though. He got distemper, and he got it bad. He was every bit as skinny as bailey, head wobbly, couldn’t stand at all let alone walk. The vet told me there was nothing they could do, so they told me to take him home, make him as comfortable as possible, and pray for a miracle. Although, they did give me some sort of liquid medicine to help with the snotty nose and eyes, and told me to go get vitamin c I believe to help his immune system. And that’s exactly what I did. I had back and forth decisions about having him put to sleep as well. He was like my baby, and I just couldn’t do it. I would take him out to get fresh air, held him up while he peed, taught him to walk basically again, held his food for him like you did baileys. Then, just as quickly as he got sick, he started getting better. he was still super wobbly, but he was starting to eat on his own, starting to walk a little bit on his own, and I’m more than happy to say, he’s fat today, extremely healthy. Only, the vet said the distemper could leave him blind, and with permanent brain damage. He’s not blind, he just can’t see as well as he could before. And he’s not extremely brain damaged, he’s just wobbles from time to time, and he doesn’t seem to be as fast as the others. He’s still my baby and I’m so glad God answered my prayers. The survival rate of distemper is very slim, but I think it’s even slimmer to those whose veterinarians said they couldn’t do anything to help him. I would love to share a couple of videos and pictures of him, I’m just not sure how.
Anyway, again, AMAZING story!
Definitely incredible stories we both have! Thanks so much for sharing yours, and I’m just so glad you got your miracle. Its amazing how much love comes out of us when it comes to our pets. You can share your video by uploading it first on Youtube then you can copy the URL link and paste it in the comment box here so we can all check it out! I would looove to see videos of Chico! You can email me photos too my addy is jaedeelight@yahoo.com and then I can post it up here…
estoy pasando por algo parecido con mi perro taz es el amor de mi vida y hoy le diagnosticaron distemper desde el lunes comensara con n-acetilcistene dioxiclina espero todo salga bien tu testimonio me aydo a saber qe qisas hay esperanzas de recuperacion afortunadamente aun no empieza con convulsiones tengo miedo pero a la vez esperanzas
Translation: I’m going through something similar with my dog taz is the love of my life and today distemper was diagnosed on Monday with n-acetilcistene comensara dioxiclina hope everything goes well your testimony aydo namely qe me no hope of recovery qisas fortunately still does not start with I have seizures scared yet hopeful.
hello Romina, try to email ed bond of kind hearts in action. just search Kind Hearts in Action on google and his email is on that site. he might know a vet in your country who can try to help you and your dog. its worth a try. ed bond has a worldwide network of vets who can do the same procedure to your dog. wishing you the best!
hi, i read your blog about distemper and this gave me hope for my 5 months old pup. she had her spinal tap yday. would like to ask if it is really normal that she’d feel weak after the procedure? she has been crying at times, would try to stand but could not. did bailey experienced the same? im really praying for my pups condition.
I assume your puppy is being given medication? Neurontin, which is what they most likely prescribed can make your dog very lethargic. But its necessary for your dog to take the meds during post-tap recovery. Ask your vet when you can stop giving Neurontin and hopefully your puppy will perk up. Its a little harder for puppies to survive but i just met a 6 month old puppy who made it after going thru the Serum procedure which is used for cases caught early. Give your puppy lots of tlc and force-feed if you have to. i alao recommend giving Colloidal Silver which you can buy at the weekend markets in Makati (Salcedo and Legaspi) or at Vets in Practice. I gave it to Bailey and to all my dogs at home to prevent them from catching the virus from her. Look it up on google…
Back in June 2012, our 3-month old dalmatian, all of a sudden started pooping with blood, and lost appetite. I was at work, so my partner rushed the puppy to the vet where she was asked to have the pup tested for basically a lot of things, all the works (blood, virus, stool, etc.). Ended up with a diagnosis of “distemper”, meaning by the looks of it, the pup would have a very little chance of survival. But, after spending over PhP5,000 initially on the pup, and we don’t really have more, we were forced to take the pup home without any further vaccines or tests. Although we asked for other options, most vets would give us a quote for the lab works, and we won’t be able to afford more. Back at home, we forced feed the pup, forced fee the pills prescribed, and after a month, the pup slowly returned to being overly-active and makulit. So, my partner and I decided to forget about the fact that the pup have distemper and if the pup goes, then it goes. It’s been over 4 months now after that emergency incident, and our dear pup is still with us and very active, like nothing happened. I could’ve wished I have more cash on hand so we could have those vaccines recommended. And like those of Dr. Sears, which I’ve also searched over the net and how that helped other pet owners. But, that’s okay, as long as the pup is still with us, we’ll make the most out of it.
Thank you for posting your experience on this blog. I haven’t brought my dog Egi (Beagle) to have the spinal tap yet but hopefully I’ll be able to. I don’t have enough resources but I do hope my friends and family can help out. I’ve also added Mr. Bond’s facebook page and encouraged my friends to support the cause. God bless you and I hope that more dogs will be helped through this blog.:)
hi Angeline, i cried so hard when i realized how much it would cost but i have no regrets. keep me updated!!
hi there! im ana..our labrador NOTIE was diagnosed with distemper virus 2 months ago. it was in the late August when we first saw signs of distemper appear to our dog. lost of appetite, dry cough and lethargy. we brought him to our vet and had him check-up…it was in in the 3rd time we brought our dog, when the distemper was diagnosed through blood test..it was already in the 2nd week of october. distemper is hard to diagnose. it took 3 weeks for us to really be informed about the virus our dog caught up. the vet gave us prescriptions for the bacterial infection caused by the virus. after 2 weeks of medication, i notie surpass that stage (development of complications from secondary bacteria). So we are hoping that he is going to be fine, but after few days he develop twitching of muscle, after a day it worsen. from his leg it went up to his arms and worst is to his head including the eyes. he even find it hard to stand and walk..i read a lot of articles/blogs/researches about distemper virus and its treatment so We took him again to our vet and the doctor advised us to have the vaccination to “contain the virus”. (i’m not sure what kind of vaccine it was. they gave it in 3 shots in 3 consecutive days – 1 shot everyday)..i have read your blog and informed about the NDV spinal tap so i’m guessing it was the treatment that the vet in our place gave to our dog….after the shots were given we don’t see any sign of improvement from our notie..seizures were the same, he couldn’t stand anymore and now he couldn’t open his eyes, we only fed him by forcing him to open his mouth and let him swallow the food. we gave him medicine by directly putting it his throat to make it swallow..he couldn’t move his tongue to get the food….basta! paar lalong lumala si notie after the vaccination given to him…he’s still fighting. kahit paralyzed na he still manage to fight the virus. I’m planning to take him in vets in practice but isn’t too late? and im thinking that he has still the other vaccine injected to his body. right now, all we do is continue his meds given by the vets here and make sure he has strong immune system. but its getting hard for us to do that. . .he’s becoming weak everyday. =(
hello ana, im so sorry about all the pain you and your dog are going thru. The NDV Spinal Tap is a procedure where they remove a small amount of fluid from the spine using a needle then replace the spinal fluid with the NDV Virus. The Virus stops the progression of the virus. It is 40-70% effective so some dogs still die, but many continue to live.
Your dog is in the neurological stage and i suggest you move fast!
1) Call Vets in practice and ask to talk to a vet who can do spinal tap.
2) ask the vet if thet have the NDV Lasota strain virus available.
3) if not , you will have to buy the virus yourself from a poultry supply. go through the comments bec i have a link to a website that lists all the poultry suppliers in mm and their phonr numbers.
4) Bring virus to vip for the spinal tap. be ready to spend because it is a bit expensive. the virus is cheap but the Tap is not.
Recovery is not certain tho. the tap is supposed to give your dog one last fighting chanc. 30%-70% chance of survival.
Should you finish the three shots? im not sure, im not a vet and we dont know what vaccination it is. its best for you to call VIP asap…
i hope and pray that notie will be all right. distemper is a terrible disease and difficult to fight.
keep me updated. read thru the comments, there is lots of info in the comments that might help…
hi guys! =( it’s sad..our NOTNOT died just tonight due to distemper…he didn’t make it..i think the virus reached the brain leaving him paralyzed and blind..his last breath was when i’m spoon-feeding him. he gave his final breath just like sleeping..its hard to accept that despite of all the efforts, medications and TLC he didn’t make it…we’re full of hope seeing him recovering from secondary bacteria complications. but when the twitching appears and seizures was evident, it worsen the condition of our dog..having him the “3 shot” which i failed to know the name was our only hope back then (thinking it was the serum or the one used in spinal tapping). we could have save his life if we have done the spinal tapping sooner after recovering from the complications…im missing him sooooo much. it would take 2 months or more for us to have another dog..sad =’(
i dont think its the Serum treatment for distemper because you need a donor dog to donate blood. they will inject the donor dog with a virus then they will extract blood from the donor dog. the blood is turned into a serum overnight using a centrifugal separator then the serum will be injected into the sick dog every 12 hrs for three times. its a very expensive procedure and looking for a donor is hard because it needs a lot of blood.
anyway, your dog is free from pain now and we can learn a lesson from this – have all our dogs vaccinated against distempervand other diseases …
hoping you find comfort even as you mourn your dog’s death…
The same condition which my dog, Pap pap, is also going through right now brought me to your blog. I’ve been searching for information about prognostic factors about dog distemper but i just couldn’t find any conclusive one. Our vet gave us insights about what to expect but i just couldnt find it in my heart to expect the worst. My dog had most of the signs and symptoms except for seizures. It’s been over a week now since he was diagnosed with dog distemper. As of now, we are doing symptomatic treatment and dog care that our vet advised us to do. Right now, feeding him is the only main problem. Control of secondary infection is quite easy for me. But as a doctor myself (for humans), i understand why our vet has always been realistic and straightforward when discussing possible outcomes to me. He told me he didnt want to overpromise knowing that canine distemper is quite unpredictable and quite fatal for most dogs. Still, i kept looking for information online about the disease prognosis (veterinary medical journals and other scholarly publications). But the most helpful for me are the stories, just like what you’ve written about Bailey. I feel we, pet owners, are all on the same page and know exactly what the others are going through.
Although my dog isnt as active as he used to be, i’m quite hopeful that he could be one of those lucky cases who will survive this viral disease. He still responds to me when i call his name, even follows me around the house half the time when he’s awake albeit with slower gait. Oh, and he’s got hyperkeratotic foot pads now i guess. His conjuctivitis is also improving with regular eye care and antibiotic eye drops. He still has some nasal discharge but not as thick anymore as a week before. The only neurologic symptom he has is head bobbing, like he’s biting down every few seconds. As i’ve said he never had any seizures. And i’ve also never observed any signs of disorientation, extreme weakness, wobbling of hind legs, and other neuromuscular problems that i often read about in most websites about canine distemper. Does anyone know if these are tell tale signs that he may recover completely from this viral infection? Do some of you guys have the same experience with your pet dogs?
By the way, i really admire the author of this very informative blog for her incredible dedication to bring about the recovery of her pet, Bailey. Thanks for sharing your experience. Most stories i read didn’t have the same happy ending. But Bailey’s story brought me more hope. And I can’t thank you enough.
Im truly sorry to hear that Pap pap has Distemper. Are you planning to try the Spinal Tap? Do it asap. Bailey never had seizures until 6months after surviving distemper. A better resource for you would be the website Kind Hearts in Action. You can email the author Ed Bond who.is based in New York and has a worlwide network of Vets who do the spinal tap. Please keep me updated on your dog. im.praying for the best…
Again, thank you so much for the advice. I’ll look it up. Hopefully, my dog would be as lucky as yours.
First of all i wanna say thank for posting this and sharing your experience with distemper.
I have a 3 months old Lhasa Apso, ( by the way, he’s name is Magic ) who just survived Distemper a week ago. I would like to share my experience as well and how he survived this turmoil. When we bought him from the pet shop, he was very active and playful .He stayed the same for about a week so we decided to bring him to his vet to take his vaccine. After two days, he started to gag like several times that day and we thought that he just swallowed some of his hair and he’s just trying to spit it out. We ignored his gagging assuming that it will stop after few days once he excrete it through his feces( that’s what his vet told us ).
After two days, we noticed that he’s gagging did not go away and worst, it even became so often that it was very annoying to hear. We know that his gagging was caused by something else so we have decided to bring him to his vet the next day.
His Vet confirmed that he has Kennel cough which is very common to puppies and small dogs. She prescribe him with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs to be taken for 10 days. His vet was worried that he might develop Distemper that is why she told to observe his behavior few days after and notify her if he will show signs of Distemper ( like loss of appetite, nasal discharges, fever)
After two or three days after, Magic started to loss his appetite and just ate a very small amount of his food. The next day was just the same. He just sleeps all day and only drinks water but not taking any food at all.
We are not very much alarmed because he can still lift his head, stand up and walk around the room and wiggle his body. But even so, we decided to bring him to his vet that night. His vet told us that she will test if he already developed Distemper and he was positive.
I have researched about Distemper and i know that most of the dogs that develops that disease dont survive so i was really sad knowing that we wont be seeing Magic anymore.
I ask his vet on what are his chances of surviving it and she told us that it is up to his Immune System on how he will survive. We confined him for three days and he was in IV fluids to keep him hydrated and of course he is still with antibiotics for his cough.
i researched again on how to treat Distemper and that’s how i found this site and about the Spinal Tap to treat the disease. When we came back on the third day, i told his vet about the Spinal Tap, she said that it wont be necessary for Magic because his Distemper is not a severe case and Spinal Tap can only be done with severe cases.
By the way, Magic is already showing good signs because his appetite’s back and his feces became solid again and he he doesn’t have fever anymore. she just told us that he will just continue his meds at home until his cough are gone.
As of now, his cough is not that severe anymore, he doesn’t gag that often and when he does, its not that like he will spit out everything that is inside his body.
i just noticed though that he still sleeps almost all day and his appetite are becoming low again. We cannot bring him to his vet during weekdays because of work and her vet is not answering our text messages or calls to tell her about the situation.
i am concerned right now on what he is showing that he might have some illness again or some sort. He is on a recovery food as what his vet prescribed to us, and we are thinking that he might be looking for some other food.
Does anybody experience the same way out Magic is going through? I am afraid that he still in danger. any advise will be highly appreciated
hi jon, could you describe the test used to determine if your dog has distemper and if you had another test to see if your dog is truly distemper free? I am not a vet but from what ive discovered there are two ways to treat distemper – for early distemper the vet needs to make Dr. Al Sears’ Serum. For late Distemper its the spinal tap.
My suggestion is to bring your Dog ASAP to Vets in Practice at the Mandaluyong Circle. From what i understand, They are the only ones who know how to do these procedures, IF it is indeed Distemper. Today is a holiday, you should move fast on this. the Serum and Tap, you have understand, are experimental trearments which increase the chances of your dog’s survival. it is not assured your dog will survive.
to see more details on the survival rate of dogs treated withe serum or tap, search Kind Hearts in Action. Thats a group that helps dogs and their owners fight distemper. you can email Ed Bond, he runs the website and is based in new york.
But dont wait anymore. Bring your dog to vip. the vets therr are better able to answer your questions…
The test was like the pregnancy test wherein the dog will be positive if it will two lines and vice versa. according to his vet, he will have Distemper forever but wont show anymore the signs because his body already developed the antibodies to fight the same virus. But it seems he is not really out of danger yet because he hasn’t come back to how he was before.
We will bring him to VIP for second opinion and to know what is needed to be done.
Thanks again.!!
Bailey is not the same either. She perpetually twitches. It takes a couple weeks (maybe a month) for the dog to completely shed the virus so keep your darling away from other dogs. did you take a second distemper test to see if your lhasa is ok na?
Best talaga, get a 2nd opinion from VIP…. praying for the best!
Hello there!
It’s such a heart warming story to hear. I’m truly happy for for bailey. My dog – Gabbar singh – Named after a very famous Bollywood Villain – http://goo.gl/E1R8a – was affected with canine distemper. It took us a lot of time to figure out what had happened to him. It was when his left leg entirely collapsed that we had to rush him to the doctor and his case was found out. He was only seven moths then. The vets told us he will die in pain in three days… he administered a dose on injections and said that since he is a puppy, his chance of survival in 1 in 100. Regardless, he asked us to come for three days of injections – No spinal jabs or anything of the sort that you mentioned – Gabbar singh was taken to the vet fir 3 days and given medication – gabantin and a few others… he only got better in 3 days and his left leg regained strength. The doctor was amazed by his recovery.. it has been a little over a year now and Gabbar singh is fine. except for a slight limp in the left leg when he runs, twitching of the left side of the head and leg. a very light jaw snapping. he had a problem in his left eye – a forming of a thin layer – which was subdued by eye drops – ciplox d. Gabbar singh turned 2 two months ago.
I only have a few questions for you – Does canine distemper have the potential to come back?
2. Has the twitching and wobble in gait remained with Bailey?
3. Are there any practices that one needs to follow through out post the recovery from canine distemper?
Eagerly await your response.
Love from India, for bailey and your family.
I am so happy to hear that your Gabbar Singh survived! You are soooo blessed because is is VERY rare for puppies to survive. I am not a veterinarian so my answers are not to be taken as coming from a medical expert. THis is just based on my experience. You can contact Ed Bond thru his website Kind Hearts in Action (search it online) and he can also give answers, better ones than mine.
1) I have heard that Distemper can return but is EXTREMELY rare. Bailey has to have annual shots now to protect her anyway.
2) TWitching is perpetual, even in her sleep. Her gait is sightly wobbly when she walks but when she runs, it’s less obvious.
3) They recommend Vit C. I just buy Dog Treats with vitamins in them. Bailey started having seizures about 7 or 8 months after her recovery from distemprer so she is on anti-seizure medication everyday and has an emergency muscle relaxant in case she has a seizure anyway. Sometimes we forget to give her her medicine but very rarely because she ends up having seizures without the meds.
THanks so much for sharing your story with us.
Love from the PHilippines to Gabbar Singh and your family!
Thank you so much for the response:) Gabbar Singh is indeed lucky. and so is Bailey. Keep the doggie love going:)
On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 6:47 PM, Adventures of a Beauty Queen wrote:
> ** > adventuresofabeautyqueen commented: “I am so happy to hear that your > Gabbar Singh survived! You are soooo blessed because is is VERY rare for > puppies to survive. I am not a veterinarian so my answers are not to be > taken as coming from a medical expert. THis is just based on my experience. > Yo”
Interesting news. Bailey looks pregnant. Culprit could be my Schnoodle. I had asked the Vet if she could get pregnant considering her condition. Would it be safe for her and the puppies? and I was told it should be okay as long as we bring her in for regular check ups if she is indeed pregnant. If any complications arise, they can do a ceasarian. I am excited… but not sure yet. She could just be getting FAT, aahaha!
My next question would be, if she IS pregnant – could the puppies have some sort of immunity to Distemper? They say once a Dog has had Distemper, they are usually immune. However, I have heard that there are rare cases where dogs get Distemper again. Anyway… it would be VERRY interesting indeed if BAiley is going to have puppies!
Hey that is just great news! I do hope she is pregnant and delivers healthy babies. It is one question i forgt to ask – would gabbar be able t get pregnant? There was this period when she loked like she was pregnant.. with the underbelly growing like a pregnant dog’s.. then suddenly, it began to disappear.. and soon her underbelly was like before. To be honest, at the time i was hoping she’d never get pregnant considering her situation…Now that you say it’s OK, i’d love for her to be pregnant sometime:) Also, i wanted to know if bailey goes quiet and shivers when the weather gets cold? Gabbr singh reacts very strongly to cold weather, almost going weak… anyways, congratulations on possibly becoming grand mommy to bailey’s puppies:)
On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 8:15 PM, Adventures of a Beauty Queen wrote:
> ** > adventuresofabeautyqueen commented: “Interesting news. Bailey looks > pregnant. Culprit could be my Schnoodle. I had asked the Vet if she could > get pregnant considering her condition. Would it be safe for her and the > puppies? and I was told it should be okay as long as we bring her in for > regu”
I’m so sad, it looks like my puppy has been infected by the same canine distemper virus.Unfortunately, we don’t have vets or animal clinics here in our town. I’m so sad right now for not being able to help my poor puppy. Plus the fact that we don’t have the money, I’m so frustrated….
sorry late response. where are you living? im sorry to hear about your puppy and the situation. distemper is really a devastating disease. but some dogs survive. what is your town or city?
Hello,
Hi my name is amanda I currently found out today there is a huge possibilty that my teacup chiuaua who is about 3months old has distemper. I have been reading many informotion given on websites about this virous ,many say there is no cure . I saw your website nd decided to read I thought that I could use a good storie a miracle encourgageing one and you story was yoiu were blessedand so was baily. I have been an emotional rect all day thinking what can I do for my poor little guy. Allthough I had him for to months I became attached and everything is so pricey. Im 16 years oldworking a weekend job . I would do anything for him.i noticed a few days ago his eyes began to swellup I was usen a warm rag then it started
to get puss I thought im going to have to bring him to a vet.so today when I woke up I llrealized something was odd my dog wasnot crying to wake me up. I looked ndhe was in his bed nd would not come outso I carryed him nd put him on his wee wee pad .as he walk off he.collapsed I panniked nd brought him to a vet the think its probly destemper . They said he was dehydrated so they injected fluids in him and they perscribed me antibiotic cream for his eye and some type of liquid I have to give him in his mouth.. They did not run no test but they assume and as I been reading it seems as if this is what he has. .. All I can do is prayy prayy pray .and hope any of this medication works tomarrow he has yto return to the vet and im still worried sick.i keep wispering to him that he is loved and he needs to be strong .. . Any ideas on how to confort him and well on what I can do.i will arriciate it.. You can emial if yu can.
Thank you so muchhh
-amanda
amanda? are u in the US? PLEASE get in touch with Ed Bond asap. he might be able to help you find a vet in your area who can help. ed has a worldwide network of vets that fight distemper using a serum or spinal tap. search Kind Hearts in Action on google and youll find Ed bond’s email there. he is based in new york and devoted to fighting distemper. he gave me good advice and is partially instrumental in saving Bailey’s life… keep me updated. i cant bear to think of your sweet teacup chi in pain
Hi there. My beloved Shih Tzu has just been diagnosed with distemper and i really want to do everything for her. Basically the vet in Animal House already gave her 2 weeks and if she can’t survived that i will lose her. I don’t want to just wait. Actually i already spent more than 10k on two vets. May i know how much the serum and spinal tap will cost? Is that the same or are they 2 different treatments? Thank you very much. This thread is giving me hope right now.
Michiko, the Serum is used on dogs that havent reached the neurological stage. the Tap is for dogs in the neurological stage.
How to tell if the dog is in neuro stage – if he/she is twitching continuously. thats the main sign.
The Serum is expensive. First you need a dog donor to donate blood. they will make serum from the blood. it costs Around 4k per shot
and u need three shots administered every 12 hours.
The tap is around 4k but you need to buy the Chicken Virus called Newcastle Lasota strain from a poultry supply store first. that about p200 more or less. bring that to vets in practice.
please move fast on this, every second counts. altho the serum and tap are not 100% curative, they will increase the chances of your dogs’ survival.
search the site Kind Hearts in Action to get details on survival rates of dogs treated using the tap or serum.
wishing u the best…
i am not sure if you have to pay extra for the donor dog process. they will inject the donor dog with the distemper virus (i think) and then withdraw the blood. they need to knock out the donor dog. a couple months ago my friend’s ovcharka had distemper. the donor dog , her malamute, had to go thru the process which is safe naman daw. both dogs are fine today.
We tried to buy the vaccine from the poultry supply shops but since it’s Sunday they are all closed
will buy it tomorrow and i’ll bring her immediately to the VIP. She’s in the advanced stage already and i can’t stand seeing her twitching and having a seizure. She looks very tired but fighting. The person i talked to on the phone from VIP informed me though that she needs to be sedated and she might not wake up from that. did they tell you the same when they injected the vaccine? I’m afraid about that added risk 
Hello! How is Bailey now? Is she faring fine? My dog Nancy was diagnosed two days ago and is now having respiratory problems. I am so sad. I don’t have the money for the serum and I live in the south so a trip to Mandaluyong everyday for 3 days isn’t feasible. I am so sad.
I wanna know how Bailey is, it warms my heart when I hear stories about dogs surviving distemper. You take care.
You can still save your dog with the Spinal Tap. That’s just a one day trip. It’s cheaper than the serum but still costly. Is Nancy twitching? I also didn’t have the money for it and just used my credit card. Was crying so hard over the money but my hubby, he was so supportive, he said – we made the decision to spend so stop crying and lets start finding ways to earn the money back so we can pay the credit card kaagad. It was good advice, I stopped crying, took care of Bailey and then looked for opportunities to earn extra to pay off the debt.
Bailey is fine today, she has her eternal twitching, even when she’s asleep, but she’s happy and bouncey and can run around and play. The one problem is that she has seizures and needs to be on daily medication to prevent seizures. Accor to the vet, forever na siya on daily medication. Thankfully, the meds are not so expensive so okay lang. But eventually, the meds will take it’s toll on her liver (or kidney, I forget) and we may have to start giving her a liver tonic to help keep her liver healthy. Aside from that, Bailey is happy, she sleeps with me in my bedroom every night.
she brings me so much joy! And although it was a big risk at the time (not all dogs survive kahit nag-pa-Spinal Tap sila), I am GLAD I spent to help her fight distemper!
If you do the tap make sure you buy the Newcastle Virus, Lasota Strain, from a Poultry supply shop first then bring it to VIP. Poultry shops are closed on Sundays, so take note of that.
hi im michelle from manila espanya,
i have 4 puppies labrador, 2 of them positve in distemper.. my mga gamot n binagy para sakanila.. pero hinde n nmen kaya ung mga gastos 
i dont know what to do but to cry :’( madme kameng breed ng dogs like chihuahua pomeranian shih tzu siberian husky, natatakot ako n baka mahawa din sila.. super loves ko mga labrador pero hinde n namen alam gagawin.. nag kataon din kasing nakunan yung chihuahua namen kaya sunod2x yung gastos.. if meron gusto mag ampon sakanila at mapagamot bibigay na namen sila 
sobrang naaawa kame na nakikita namen sila na ganon pero wala kameng magawa.. all night umiiyak kame ng family ko :’( matataba sila pero tinamaan sila ng ganun.. pwede nyo check yung facebook ko nandun mga pics nila.. if meron mabuting tao na mag ampon sakanila at mapagamot please contact nyo po kame 09283920007 thankyou 
we dont want to lose our hope .. :’(
this is my email address misheru_monokurubu@yahoo.com
9 litters sila, pero namatay na yung 2 pag labas palang sa mader nila.. tas yung 4 puppies lab, tinamaan n ata ng distemper
please contact nyo po ako agad.. habang maaga pa.. :’(
gusto ko lang din malaman pwede ba ako na mag test sa mga dogs ko kung meron nga sila distemper , saan nakakabili nang canine distemper kit.. yung ibang dogs ko po kasi nasa batangas malayo sa city .. gusto ko sana ako nlng mag test kahit 1 box .. please kung my alam po kau paki response dito.. thankyousomuch.. nag search na ko sa net pero wala ako makita na my nag bebenta dito sa phil..
I know of no distemper kits. I sent you email btw. I’m in Thailand right now and can’t call… but will contact you when I get into town..
hi….my dog is suffering d sme case as yours…..and she s 5 years old already…..she is in d animal hospital ryt now in ioilo….i wonder f there’s NDV spinal tap here….i’v done d best thing to mke her survive…i really cry a lot…i just want to ask f how much…dhil khit hindi kmi maykaya gawin ko po lhat mabuhay lng sxa…mhal n mhal ko po yun..and i really pray…and i’m not giving up…that even in a small chances..i believe in miracle of God.pls.email me mam at jed214janeter@yahoo.com
My dog Wasabi just died yesterday. We were late to get a vet to visit him so at the day when he was diagnosed, he also died. Too heartbreaking to hear the news, but so much more devastating to see him twitch and die.
It is also correct that Distemper is difficult to diagnose. Wasabi was first diagnosed with Eurlekia- blood parasite and had to give medications for that. After giving medications for more than a month, he regained his strength and became more active again. I left him for a week and when I came back he was a different dog. I immediately called the vet and he said that it’s definitely distemper- terminal stage. He was twitching like crazy but I spent time with him, making the most out of the day. He would follow me everywhere and when his seizures get out of control I’d calm him down. When I got back home after buying some of the prescripted meds and vitamins, he’s gone. I’m now trying to move on from what happened. I learned a lot from my dog. He’s pure love and joy. I hope all dog owners would be more aware about this deadly disease so that they can avoid it. Thanks also for posting this inspiring story. Kiss Bailey for me!
hi kay, im sorry this had to happen to wasabi. even if ill, your dog would follow u around, that is so sweet….
distemper is indeed terrible and sharing your story is a good way to warn dog owners about the disease. to my readers with pets: Get your dogs vaccinated before its too late!
Hi ! My puppy died last november 12 due to dismper. We only had him for 5 days. If only i saw this earlier , I could have save his life.. I spent thousands just to save him but i think what we did was not good enough. I just would like to ask , is it already safe to bring a new puppy to my house? I really need ur advice.Thank you!
I hope our dog too will survive ‘coz the vet said she has distemper virus and said there was no cure…and I was searching about distemper and i found this article.. i hope she could survive Ilove that dog :’(
Andrea, the Spinal Tap / Serum are not cures but they give your dog a better fighting chance by restarting the immune system. It’s like a reboot. But there are a few dogs who survive Distemper and I’m hoping that your dog will!
Thank you for this blog, ms joice. I lost 2 beagles a few months ago because of parvo and now may baby girl Iyesha is suspected to have distemper (her vet said yesterday). I’ve cried a lot na coz yesterday I was hopeless and so thinking of putting her to sleep coz it’s so unbearable seeing her so near death. But aftr googling about distemper and read your article up to the last comment I called the VIP and decided to take her there as soon as possible. I will do whatever I can to help my baby girl even if I don’t have the resources. i just hope it’s not too late coz she’s been having that twitching thing in her head 3 days ago. Thank you thank you thank you.
Ok don’t forget to buy the Newcastle Virus from a poultry shop – the Lasota Strain, before going to VIP – unless the vet says they have in stock. So check ka muna. And update me on your baby’s progress, i totally know how you feel. Am praying for Iyesha…
I’m goin through the same situation with my 3 month pug puppy. I just want to know if your dog is fully recover now after the procedure? did you guys took a new test and showed a negative result for canine distemper?
Bailey recovered but has continuous twitching. if you catch it early and use the serum method, survival is high. but if it reaches neurological stage like bailey where there is twitching then the tap is used but chances of sirvival is a bit lower. but its still better than just letting your dog go thru it. if u have more qiestions my email is jaedeelight@yahoo.com please please contact me, i care about all dogs…
how much did it cost you wit the tap procedure and the new castle virus? i live in Cebu city, Philippines and I’m just hopin that they have that procedure here in Cebu
not sure if they do it in cebu. but email ed bond thru the website “Kind Hearts In Action” search them.online and you will find ed bond’s email. he has a worldwide network of vets who do the serum and tap procedures and might know a vet in cebu. email me too jaedeelight@yahoo.com
I just messaged u on ur email… just reply to me via email
will be waiting
Can you give me an idea on how much youve actually spent on the last treatment, the one which had a real effect on your dog? I have five dogs, my lab-beagle mix recently got distemper and I am afraid the rest have been affected by his virus.
The first procedure (The Serum) did not work bec Bailey had reached the Neurological stage. The second procedure (The Spinal Tap) worked. A year and a half ago i paid more than 4k. But you need to buy the Newcastle Virus (Lasota Strain) from a Poultry Supply before u do the Tap. i think its under or around P200 a vial.
If i were you, id try to protect my other dogs with Colloidal Silver. i gave my dog Woolsey a tsp in the am and pm after he was exposed to Bailey. He never got the disease.
im not a vet so im speaking strictly from experience. the Tap is not a cure but it reboots your dog’s system for one last fight vs the virus. Survival rate is higher compared to dogs who dont get the Tap.
visit the site: Kind Hearts in Action for more info.
keep me updated. my email is jaedeelight@yahoo.com
My Coco, a shih tzu, also survived distemper.He is blessed to have a competent doctor from fil chinese group of animal clinic along Pasig Blvde. We didn’t have to spend a lot. Just some anti biotic and strong food suppliment witu lots of love brought him back to life.
The clinic charges fair. No consultation fee (200) on follow ups.
im am so happy that your dog belongs to that tiny percent of dogs who survive distemper! i did not want to take the chance that my dog would die so i decided to spend the money on the Tap. and i dont regret it! our dogs are both blessed
Hi! My 3 month old Pomeranian puppy, Toffee, (turning 4 on new year) has been diagnosed with distemper last December 22. He was given Canglob-D shots by his vet. And because it’s a holiday season, she recommended me to VIP in mandaluyong. He lost his appetite twice for the past 3 days, but the rest he eats and finishes it naman. I never had to force feed him yet. He already started to show some signs like runny nose, rough nose and paws, rapid breathing, and he always sleeps a lot. He is not as playful as before
so, I visited VIP last Sunday and was hoping to get his spinal tap. But Doc Mau diagnosed him with worms and corona virus, so he said Toffee might not wake up anymore if the procedure is done. He prescribed medications and colloidal silver is one of them. I take him to VIP for his Canglob D shots, later will be the last. Right now, I’m keeping him hydrated with ORS believing it would eliminate virus. and I nebulize him with colloidal silver to ease his breathing, (I have read it’s also good For pneumonia). I’m just too scared that he might not make it. But I know he’s strong and I’m giving him all the love he needs. I sing songs to him and make him feel loved. My brothers take extra care for him as well. I’m just not sure if I should Risk him for spinal tapping now. 
Just so you know, your blog gives me hope. And I will not give up on my puppy. Even though there is little hope, I will still cling into it coz i love my puppy so much. He’s the sweetest puppy I’ve ever had. It just feels so comforting that there are many people out there who doesn’t or didn’t give up on their lovely pets. Right now, I just want to share my burden to fellow pet lovers like you.
thank you so much.
Just this morning, he started to do the kind of a head bang and his salivas were dripping as he does it.
does this mean that the virus is on it’s way to the nervous system?:( I’ve already seen him twice today.
i have st.bernard 7months old female for last 7days she is being suffering from distemper according to the dr.she is also getting fits frequently. tlc is very low doctors have given hope. my children are crying a lot .in india the treatment is very expensive cant afford it pls help
contact Ed Bond of Kind Hearts in Action. Search Kind Hearts in Action online and you’ll find his email there as well as resources on fighting distemper. he may know of a vet in india who can do it at a discount. i hope this helps…
hi. today i put one of my dogs to sleep. she was a stray i picked up from edsa about three months ago and was housed at my sister’s house. she had demodex, erlichiosis, and distemper. anyway, i have three shih tzus who were exposed to her. one shih tzu is the one staying at my sister’s house. he has a complete set of shots. the other two shih tzus are mine and exposed to her when she was already gravely ill. i did not know any better because she was confined at a vet clinic for a week and no diagnosis was made by the vet. it was only when we took her to another vet this morning that we got a definitive diagnosis. but at that time, she already had contact with my male shih tzu. anyway, my shih tzus are both on heart medications and have been previously treated for erlichia. tonight, bogie, the male shih tzu, kept throwing up. i fear he may have already caught the virus from epi, the dog who died. we paid almost ten thousand for the tests they ran on epi so i am now running low. how much was the ndv spinal tap treatment. at vets in practice? how much should i be prepared to spend? i don’t like vets in practice. i go to animal house because when my vet left UP Vet, i went to vets in practice and had a really bad experience, so i went to animal house and discovered that my favorite vet from UP VET went there. i dont know if they do the ndv spinal tap at animal house but i’d get it anywhere i can if it will save my dog’s life. i read that it has no harmful effects even if the dog doesn’t have distemper. bogie has a long history of illness so i really fear waiting for other symptoms to appear. it has only been two days since he played with epi but his immune system does not have a great track record.
i really appreciate the information i got from your bailey. thanks for posting this, it is really educational. by the way, my shih tzus do not have complete shots, i bought them when they were 4 months old. one had just one shot. when i took him to the vet (the same one who cold not diagnose epi), he did not recommend starting over the vaccine cycle (which i should have done). so we just did the shots once a year, the other had three shots of distemper but not within the prescribed period.
i’d appreciate any advice. thanks again for the information.
im sorry to hear you had a bad experience with Vets in Practice but what i know is that theyr the only ones who do the serum and tap to battle distemper.
my suggestions – put your dogs on colloidal silver. you can buyc at VIP or at the Sunday Market in Legaspi Vill Makati. its cheaper in the Market but. youll have to wait til Sunday.
research on colloidal silver first and ask your vet abt it. i gave CS daily to my 6month old dog Woolsey when he got exposed to Bailey and Woolsey never got sick.
Get your 3dogs tested for disctemper asap.
The Serum is more expensive but effective for Dogs that havent reached Neurological stage. The Tap is around 4k or more, you will have to check with VIP on that for the exact price.
Contact me if u have questions. Here is my email – jaedeelight@yahoo.com
very sorry you had to put your epi down. im praying your three other dogs are distemper-free…
thanks. i emailed ed bond and he suggested that if cost is an issue, i should just go for the NDV iv injection. the only symptoms i see right now with bogie is the vomiting and the sudden lethargy ( when he’s sick with erlichia, he goes down fast, platelet would be 165 today, tomorrow 14 and the symptoms are pretty much the same as distemper) so i really want to nip this thing in the bud. we’re bringing in the dogs to the vet for testing this morning. actually my female shih tzu never went near epi but she sleeps with bogie so i am just being rightfully praning.
it was hard putting epi down but with all three illnesses going on, and her platelet count way below low, i felt i really had no choice. it was only when we were informed of her illness that my sister and i started looking over the internet for information on distemper. had i read your blog before i had epi’s diagnosis, i would have chosen another path. she was not twitching or showing any neurological signs.
it was always erlichia i was worried about. bogie probably took doxicyclene on and off for the last 4 years (he’s 5) and his last bout was in April. eight months is the longest he has gone without erlichia so i have been keeping an eye on him (vomiting, limping, head siezure, and inappetence but once you get the platelets up, the symptoms disappear. but getting the platelets up is soooo difficult once it dips to two digits). i hope you never have any experience with erlichiosis. blah.. i hate the disease, now i have distemper to add to my hate list.
thanks for the info and advice again. i have not slept at all staring at my dogs for any twitching .
what a crazy time for you! but you are doing the right thing.
regarding the twitching, in Bailey it began as fast breathing, like she was panting, but with mouth closed. weird. it would cause her belly to pump up and down fast. like it was a half-twitch. then it became a full-blown twitch.
she twitches to this day, even in her sleep.
anyway ed bond is fantastic, a gift from God to dogs and dog friends like us.
keep me posted on your shi-tzus!
cbc’s ok, tested for distemper (kinda like the pregnancy kit, as you said) negative for distemper so far. so right now i was just told to monitor them for any symptoms. no vomiting today. haaaay….hope the negative results hold until the next test.
thanks again.
Thats a relief! I will continue to push Colloidal Silver as a means to protect your dogs…. when is the next test?
i’d probably have the tests redone within the week. the female shih tzu started sneezing and coughing about three days ago. she was tested again yesterday, negative. but she’s active and still makulit, although would only eat from my hands. my beagle, who was not exposed at all to epi…started coughing today, no vomitting, good appetite, active. he was also screened for distemper but he was negative. although his cough is consistent throughout the day. he has complete vaccinations, was always healthy but his cough is more bothersome than the cough of the shih tzu. i have been giving them vitamin c and a. ayayayay….
Dear me. Coughing is not really a distemper sign. Colds are. But the distemper tests are coming out negative, which is a relief. Have tried asking a different vet for another opinion?
yes…went to my favorite vet this time, graveyard shift, makati…took the long drive at 12 am and had my beagle tested. negative. he’s been hacking all day. my vet said it could be an upper respiratory infection (uso daw ngayon) which could clear up or which may lead to pneumonia. he was active and makulit last night so i was advised to take him home and was told to monitor for difficulty breathing. hay…kennel cough is better than distemper though.
Yes Kennel Cough ANYTIME over Distemper! Just monitor nga and medicate and hydrate and TLCate!
I have a 7 year old mutt who has been diagnosed with distemper since December of last year, she’s not twitching or anything I’ve read above and she’s eating incredibly well but she’s coughing horribly about 4-7 times a day. Vet says she has no signs of neurological symptoms yet and is on the road to recovery. Like the original poster, I didn’t give her the proper annual shots and she’s a fairly healthy dog overall – until now.
I’ve been administering several medicines (some of them are medicines taken by humans already) as well as vitamins for almost a month as per the vet’s advice as well as having her take a few shots yet I am worried about the slow progress of her recovery.
Does anyone here know or heard about the Ormanes Veterinary Clinic from the South? Thanks again.
Hi haro, I have not heard of that Vet clinic, and I don’t know too many of them to begin with. But i am hoping your dog continues to do well! Distemper is a slow disease, both the ‘getting sick’ part and ‘getting well’ parts normally take days, even weeks. I think you need to get your dog tested again for Distemper to see if he/she is really clear of the disease. Keep us updated on your progress, maybe you can also give us a list of the medications you are giving your dog…
Hello, Do you think I should seek another vet’s opinion just to be on the safe side? By the way here are the medications I’ve administered to my dog as per my vet’s advice.
Week 1: PAPI Broncure + multivitamins
Week 2: Solmux Broncho syrup + Vibravet tablets + multivitamins
Week 3: Vibravet tablets + Prednisone tablets + multivitamins
Week 4: Bisolvon capsule + Marbocyl tablets + multivitamins
Week 5: We stopped medications for 4 days to detoxify the dog + multivitamins
Now: Ascoff Lagundi tablets + Co-Amoxiclav capsules + multivitamins
So far my dog is eating well, moves fairly well and doesn’t have any sign of neurological or nervous breakdown but has persistent dry cough.
The vet also administered Bromhexine and Marbocyl shots about 7-8 times already throughout the duration of her sickness but not more than three times in succession.
Wow, thanks for the list of medications, valuable information there. Seeking a 2nd opinion is okay if u feel in your heart that your dog needs one. a distemper test would also confirm if the virus is gone. but i hear distemper survivors shed the virus for weeks after the illness is over…
Last Jan 5, I just found out our 2 1/2 month old puppy, Asha had distemper.
This distemper is such a sadistic disease.
Awake, she can barely breath because it attacks her respiratory system: She also has coughs & colds. Asleep and relaxed, that’s when the seizures happen.
After the initial shock and bewilderment, I turned to the internet. From my readings about distemper, dogs affected with it would lose their appetite and cannot even walk. Asha remains a healthy eater and relatively active.
I cannot accept that the only recourse was to wait for her seizures to worsen then have her euthanized. I wanted to give her a fighting chance.
Luckily I found your blog and kindheartsinaction.com. Wasting no time, I had her get a Spinal Tap at the Vets in Practice in Mandaluyong to give her a another tool to try and bit this disease.
I’ve am constantly monitoring and nursing her now and also praying that she will pull through. Right now I can’t say if she will hurdle this or not. Even if she doesn’t, the fact that there’s this NDV Spinal Tap as an option really eased the emotional burden on me.
Thank you for posting this. You have given Asha a glimmer of hope. Just a glimmer. But we’ll take it.
.
Hi Eloisa, i was in your shoes two years ago. Same situation, same feelings. It seems like u moved fast after discovering its distemper. Thats the key really, fast action. Recovery is usu slow but im praying Asha will recover sooner than later. Thank you for sharing your story, please keep me updated on her progress and what her recovery period was like. Such information will be very helpful for other pet owners!
Hi Joy,
I just read your story about bailey and I was happy that bailey is clear of distemper virus. My snoopy died of distemper virus recently, I was too late to discover your site. She was confined in Vets Nook in Bacoor Cavite last January 02, 2013 and she died on January 04, 2013, the vet did not inform us about the spinal tap thing..
Hi Gelyn, i am so sorry to hear about your dog
Distemper is really a heartbreaking disease. As regards the Serum and Spinal Tap treatments, you need to know that these are experimental treatments not approved by any of the international vet societies. They refuse to accept the treatment and we believe its because a simple agri vet in the US accidentally discovered it and since hindi siya bigtime, they ignored his findings. So a group of people formed an org called Kind Hearts in Action (seaech mo sila sa google) to spread the Serum and Spinal Tap as trwatments for Distemper. Remember these are just treatments, not cures. But they do increase the chances of your dog’s survival.
Since it is experimental, im not surprised that vets in the Phils do not know about it. if they do, im sure many are not willing to learn how to do it. Few professuonals are open to trying new, experimental things. But i think that the people at Kind Hearts in Action can teach vets how to do the procedure. They teach it thru Skype, if im not mistaken.
Right now, the only vet group that does these procedures in the Phils is Vets in Practice. i would love for more pinoy vets to be willing to learn it so that more dogs will have a better fighting chance vs. Distemper.
Hi! We are going through post spinal tap trauma now. But I’m smiling. Why?
I almost put Asha to sleep yesterday.After the NDV Spinal Tap, she had non-stop seizures that I thought the only option was euthanasia. After making the decision, while getting ready to go to the vet who will perform it, she yelped and struggled to get up.
WOW. i was dumbfounded. I cannot ignore such a fighting spirit!
The seizures have lessened. I think they stopped completely but it’s too soon to say. I have been trying to look closely for tremors but I couldn’t say for sure.
Right now the struggle is her difficulty in moving around. She can’t open her mouth to eat or even bark, she can’t stand up/keep her balance. I’m helping her by feeding her by syringe, then do some gently massage on her and assist her getting up.
She’s so pissed that she can’t even stand straight. She has to lie all day. I just change her position as often as I can. I’m getting her a harness for her front & hind legs to help her work her legs. Fortunately now, she can open her mouth enough to bark her annoyance.
It’s day 3 post Spinal Tap. I hope she gets back the use of her legs & mouth soon because if not I have to consider putting her to sleep again because it’s cruel to have her live paralyzed.
I think the hardest thing for owners to deal with at this point is deciding which is the more humane option: keeping them alive with in such a state or stretching out the misery in their lives.
But since Asha still fights, I will keep supporting her.
THe recovery for bailey was also very slow. The rule is – every day she lives is a good sign. So take it a day at a time. We only started to see improvements 2 WEEKS AFTER the tap!!!! It took that long
it would be one bad day then one good day then two bad days and one good day etc etc.
ANyway, can Asha pee and poo on her own?
REgarding seizures, they reportedly don’t hurt the dog, they don’t remember anything or feel pain. But each seizure kills brains cells (i think. I’m not a vet, just repeating info that I’ve heard) so you need to dose her with phenobarbs. I think they already prescribed phenobarbs, if not, ask for it. And the other danger with seizures is when their heads start banging, it can cause trauma to the head so you need to have a pill ready nearby to put under Ahsa’s head during a seizure. Bailey seizes up to now, every two months she’ll ahve a really bad day with like 3 to 5 seizures. We have to up her phenobarb dosage for a few days before lowering it.
Keep up the good fight.
Hi.
Asha just died.
Her young body could not handle the stress of the disease. i am still grateful for the time I had with her.
We had her for less than a month.
The important thing I learned about this is to never buy from an online seller again. No matter how much love and care you give to your pet and no matter how much fighting spirit your pet has, if the kennel where she comes from is contaminated, this vicious disease, distemper, will traitorously cut short the time you have together. ;(
I’m still glad we did the spinal tap. It would’ve done her great injustice if we did not even honor her will to fight.
Oh Eloisa, i am so saaaad to hear this! It is so heartbreaking to see our pets suffer and then die. But I still believe that you did the right thing. For the little time that Asha had, she felt your love and there is nothing more precious than feeling loved.
Regarding online pet purchase, i found my schnoodle and chihuahua online and both are fine. I think you just found a disreputable animal owner. Nevertheless, i am glad you took Asha out of the hands of that creep because I’m sure he/she would’ve just let Asha die alone and unwanted.
One more thing… it is harder for puppies to survive distemper because their systems are still not as strong as adult dogs.
Thank you for not giving up on Asha even if it ended this way. Her suffering is over and even thru it, she had you along the way. And i truly believe that our pets who have passed on are waiting for us in Heaven…
Yes. The journey was still worth it. And thank you and KindHeartsinAction (Ed Bono) for the information. It greatly helped me go through it.
Thanks too for sharing your story…
Hello there it’s me again Yolo, I wrote you couple moths ago after I had the NDV SPINAL TAP on my dog PEANUT, it’s been a long long journey but always keeping the faith that the treatment did something good. However today I’m not so high in my spirit since I have to face the horrible decision of putting PEANUT TO sleep, he;s is a fighter and has been trying to do his job in such a remarkable way…but I found out that his immune system is in such a bad shape that it’s kind of fighting against itself and no let it recover and killing his own red blood cells. I tried everything on my end and wad open to any kind of treatments. today I kind of regret not to take your advice all the way, I should have given COLLOIDAL SILVER like you do to your Bailey, i wonder if it would done a change to the end of this story and have like a happier aftermath like yours. My PEANUT has an infection that won its way in especially since its immune system is nOT doing its job. My heart is part broken because eI feel responsible my dog went through this living hell for procrastination. I think some much medication and chemicals weaken its system . My piece of advice is, use MILK THISTLE to detox the lever because seizure medicine is very aggressive in the long term, a lot of supplements to help on the recover. Today my dog can not get up and has lost its appetite and its just hanging in there but it is terribly sad and depressed. He was eating, running having long walks and trying to stay with me. I LOVE YOU PEANUT so much. Thank you for your helo and keeping this blog updated.
Im so sorry about Peanut
it is so hard to see such a sweet baby suffer when they deserve to run and play and just be happy. The regret or guilt you soeak of, i hope, will turn into good action instead of becoming an albatross around your neck. I am very much like you, a procrastinator when it comes to many things that need fixing but after my Distemper experience I am now vigilant with my other pets and am updated with their shots, etc.
Thanks for fighting for Peanut. Loving a pet is a beautiful thing and all the money and time and sacrfice we give to those we love (human and non) is always worth it.
Hi there, my dog has been diagnosed with distemper virus too…as off this moment, he’s with dextrose but still he can drink water with mondex, unfortunately, he don’t have an appetite to eat. The doctors said there will be no cure for this but I still have faith that God will give me His answer. I’m trying to reach vet in practice but no ones answering the phone. May we know how much is the spinal tap treatment? and the nvd? What’s the survival rate??? His previous diagnosis is the same as your pet, and thank you for giving me hope. Vets gave lots of anti biotics and boosting of appetite but I’m still worried about his condition. May we know the new number of VIP??? I’m looking forward for your immediate response.
HI there! The Spinal Tap was around 4K but that was two years ago. I don’t know if there has been a change in the price. I have the number of the Tiendesitas branch – 6356895 and 5708870 please ask them for the number of the Mandaluyong Clinic. From what I know, the Tap is done in Manda and not at the Tiende Clinic.
Yes, there is no cure and the Tap is a treatment which restarts your dog’s body and gives it another fighting chance. It doesn’t assure survival but increases the dog’s chances of it. It is harder for puppies and old dogs to survive. ANd it depends on how far the virus has gone. If it has reached the brain, mahirap talaga. There is also a very small percentage of dogs who survive because of a very strong system. But that’s like 1 or 2 percent i think. If the numbers above don’t work, message me again here. I’m just online…
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! my pup is just 4 months old and I have faith in the Lord that He will allow him to survive…is dextrose really working? Was there a time that your dog also had to undergo dextrose stage? We have difficulty giving him medicines such as those for immune system and anti biotics because he doesn’t want to eat…He loves to sleep, and I believe those virus haven’t reached his nervous system yet because we haven’t seen the symptoms. By the way, how are we going to deal with him at home first? we are still considering Tap treatment, but we are afraid to dare the risk with his life…How long does it take for Him to improve his health?
Bailey had subcutaneous fluids after the Tap. The vets taught me how to administer the fluids which I did every other day. I forced fed her by mashing up canned dogfood and using a syringe to inject the food into her mouth. If you haven’t seen symptoms in your dog then you should go for the Serum procedure. You can find out more about it by searching “Kind Hearts in Action” or search “Dr. Al Sears Serum for Distemper” The vets at VIP also do this procedure. Its FAR more expensive than the Tap but it’s worth it because your dog will not have the perpetual twitching. Si Bailey twitches non stop even in her sleep and it will be for life. Once you see symptoms, then the procedure should be the Tap, which the Vet assured was a lot safer than letting the dog ride out the virus.
My friend’s Ovcharka was blessed bec they found out he had Distemper before the symptoms started to show. They went for the Serum Procedure and Zeus survived distemper WITHOUT the standard twitching forever.
You can get a better opinion tho if you contact Ed Bond of Kind Heart in Action. His email is on the website. He was the one who gave me advice, my friend too, and he gives advice to countless dog lovers all over the world who are fighting distemper. Its his ‘ministry’…
As for Bailey, after the Tap there weren’t any clear signs of recovery. Some days were bad, some were good. But I was told that if she lives for two weeks after the Tap, she can be considered a survivor. A month or so after the tap we had her tested for Distemper and it was negative.
Praying for you to make the right decisions for your puppy! Contact Ed Bond asap, he knows far more than I do…
Actually, the Serum can be considered a ‘cure’, sort of, because it stops the Virus in its tracks and doesn’t allow it to reach the spinal column. THat’s just my opinion tho and as you know, I am not a vet. The only difificulty with the SErum is you need a donor dog to donate blood. The vets will turn the blood into a serum and the serum will be injected in three doses, 12 hours apart, into your dog. This is the procedure that my friend with the Ovcharka went thru… email me at jaedeelight@yahoo.com maybe I can put you both in touch with each other so you can glean more info from her experience.
hi, my golden is doing much better after her 2month battle with distemper, but he hasn’t been able to walk. Do you have any tips for me to help him walk again?
my suggestion would be physical therapy. VIP has dog PTs. Or you can ask your vet if he/she can do dog pt or can recommend someone. i once saw a video of a distemper survivor learning how to walk again by swimming in a pool but held safely in a harness. you can also look for Kind Hearts in Action on google. They are a resource for Distemper Dogs… hoping this helps…
we called the VIP and they said that only 20% is the possible rate for him to survive if we will undergo the treatment and they said that they will not allow him to stay inside the facility but we will just have to wait outside. They said something else aside from serum but I forgot it, and its not spinal tap as far as I can remember. I already contacted Ed Bond and he gave me numbers of vet to contact too… I think my pup already shows seizure…he get salivated while sleeping, he growls as if he was crying while sleeping to, and sometimes his head is shaking and always show “is wondering” action. What should I do???
According to the Kind Hearts in Action website the survival rate is higher than that. The problem is since it is not a recognized treatment, there are only informal statistics available but they are available on the Kind Hearts website. They give the stats according to area or city, I think. some places have a higher survival rate, some have low survival rates.
But look at it this way. 20% means that out of 5 dogs that get the tap, one will survive. That sounds a lot better than 1 to 2% which is the survival rate of dogs that are allowed to go thru the whole illness.
During Bailey’s illness, her Tap was done on a wooden bench in the Parking Lot of VIP. Distemper is so contagious and is a killer so they can’t let your Dog in. From what I know, VIP is trying to figure out a way to build a separate clinic for Distemper cases so the virus doesn’t spread.
If you are willing to spend then I would suggest doing the Tap or the Serum Tap ASAP. Seizures usually mean that the virus has reached the Neurological stage so the Serum treatment won’t work na. The Tap is your last resort.
But you have to also be ready because it is harder for puppies to survive this, even with the Tap. It really is a gamble but I believe it’s a gamble well worth it; at best, your dog survives. At worst, you have the comfort of knowing that you tried…
i know distemper is not curable.but we’re not losing hope..even if maia’s immune shots are complete,she was still infected by a strong rare strain of this distemper virus…
We’re sad because she’s just like a cheerful,playful super kulit dog last week and now she’s in agony and cant help her to lessen the pain,she cant stand or walk,neither eat,drink on her own….what we can do for now is to force the food/water with a needleless syringe and massage her muscles we’ll just monitor her for 5 more days and if her condition doesn’t improve….sad to say but we will put maia down to a painless sleep forever(euthanasia) rather than seeing her,hearing her moaning,whining with an unexplainable pain… :’(
but thru this blog,you gave us hope mam joyce,we thank you for that. we just brought my sibe to VIP earlier and we we’re assisted personally by dr.allison…she mentioned and explained everything and she chose to do the tap and gave us a heads up that it may not work or chance of survival is there however my furkids condition is in advance already so we need to pray for a succesful comeback of maia .,happy to know that maia is not yet on the seizure stage and her twitching is just minor on her hind leg so our chance is higher than nothing at all…will keep you posted if everything goes well after 7 days..now she’s whining and crying for the 1st time.. maybe because of the vaccine that was injected to her…maybe it’s killing the virus.hopefully! =)
thanks to sir Ed bond, Dr. Sears,kind heart in action and to you miss joyce for giving us hope.may godbless you all,please pray for my furkid’s fast recovery. have a blessed weekend!
your letter is so heartwarming… i want to cry. seeing furbabies hurting is unbearable. but seeing people move heaven and earth to save them blesses my soul.
if the twitching is as u describe then u caught it at the early part of the neuro stage, good news. hoping that that will mean a fast recovery. be vigilant in the aftermath of the tap. next challenge is keeping complications away while your dog’s body gives one last battle vs the virus. tlc to the max. give colloidal silver. and continue the forcefeeding and massage. please keep me updated here or ny email jaedeelight@yahoo.com
praying hard for good news… and soon!
thank u mam joyce!oh by the way…is it normal for her to whine and cry til now?for how many days? so sorry for these questions..hehe! earlier today she just walked to pee on her favorite place on our rag in the kitchen..she did it twice..is it a good sign? the last time she stood and walked was 3 days ago.. =),her cold just stopped however she’s still in pain,but no twitching anymore,her nose softens unlike yesterday,but her pads are still hard.her breathing is fast unlike the usual.
Bailey didnt whine or cry but i have readers who shared similar experience as your dog. I believe that getting up to pee is an excellent sign! But your dog is not out of the woods yet until the she/he is frisky again and gets a negative result for distemper. Bailey was always able walk to her spot to pee and poo even during her sickest phase.
Keep me updated!!
mam, we already found Vets in practice and we took canglob medication, sine blood serun is really expensive we tried the first option. We are on the 4th day of medication but we can’t see any improvement,infact, he got worst as he experience pain often than before. Our vet said (Dra. Gina) we have to give him ointments with hot compress, somehow it work, but my only concern is that is canglob as effective as blood serum/spinal tap??? what’s the sign of seizure??? he’s salivating a lot while he is in pain, is that as sign already? what else should we do if he’s in pain???
When i researched at the time of Bailey’s illness i discovered that the serum is the best for cases found early and the tap is for cases where the disease has progressed to the neurological phase. after researching online what i understood is that those are the only two treatments that try to stop the virus from process and the typical treatment with antibiotics doesnt do anything to stop the virus. But vets give it i think so that youre dog wont catch a 2nd infection bec a dog with distemper will die if it catches a 2nd infection. when i discovered all this thru research, i decided that the Serum and Tap were the only options to save Bailey. The Serum did not work because Neuro Stage na siya. So we did the Tap three days later and the recovery was verrry slow. But she recovered.
The Serum is really THE BEST option. My friend’s Ovcharka caught the disease early, they did the Serum and Mary is fine with no twitching.
A seizure is like an epileptic fit. The are big seizures which last for a minute or more (scary) and therr a mini seizures that last seconds lang (parang jerky uncontrollable movement).
The Tap, which is the 2nd option kapag advanced na ang distemper is a last ditch attempt to reboot the fighting system of your dog. The chances of survival are lower accor to my research but still much better than just taking antibiotics.
Im not a vet so the info im giving you is just what i discovered.
When i was told the cost of the Serum i cried so hard. So i understand how difficult it is to make a choice when it is so expensive. So i put it on my credit card. My hubby told me to stop crying because the money can always be earned back but Bailey’s life cannot be brought back.
I think my 1 month and 2 week old puppy might have distemper. I would live to do anything to save this one. Because not to long ago we had to put our 3 month old pup down because vets told us there was nothing I could or they could do. Please help me and my little pup ( bear) survive. I want him to live his full life.
Hi Anna, from what I understand, it is harder for puppies to survive Distemper. But do not lose hope because the faster you move on this, the bigger the chances are that Bear will survive. How do you know he has Distemper? You need to test him first. I suggest you have it done at VIP where they can do a spinal tap. Do not bring Bear into the clinic however because Distemper is seriously contagious. Tell the vets to come out to see the dog.
Once confirmed for Distemper, you will have to determine if it’s Pre-Neuro or Neuro Stage. Kung Pre-Neuro, do the Serum. Kung Neuro stage na, medyo advanced na, do the tap.
For the Serum, you will need a donor dog to donate blood. You can also try asking VIP if they have leftover serum from previous donors. My friend’s Ovcharka was treated with the Serum Method and he recovered without any twitching. My Bailey twitches up to now and according to the vets and my research, forever na ang twitching niya kasi umabot na sa spine ang virus and damage was done na to her nerves.
For the Tap, you will need to buy the Newcastle LaSota Strain virus from a Poultry Shop. The vets will remove fluid from your dog’s spinal column and replace it with the virus. No one can explain it but the virus somehow reboots your dog’s fighting systems and gives one last battle against the virus.
For more information visit Kind Hearts In Action (search them on Google) and email Ed Bond (his contact in on that site). And also search Dr. Al Sear’s Serum for Distemper. You can get loads of information from those sites.
Please keep me updated on Bear…
He was around our other puppy and we didn’t know she had it at that point. I took her to the emergency vet and they diagnosed her with it and said it would be best to put her down. I have never heard of this disease and didn’t know how to deal with it so they put her down. Some symptoms bear has scares me into thinking he might have caught it. It’s hard to believe it and I want to save him and let him live a full life.
have you decided to do the serum or tap? Will keep praying for healing and wisdom…
We are going to try the serum first and then if it doesn’t seem to help, we will try the spinal tap on “Bear”. Please pray that he is in the early stages an that he will make it through. He deserves to have a happy life.
praying hard that it will work. if the illness is pre- neuro then i believe chances of survival are high. i thank God for people like u who move heaven and earth for their furry babies…
We started the first serum treatment today. He has another one coming up in the morning and later that evening. I pray that this little ball of fury love makes it and fights hard. I am just a foster mom, but I think I already found him a good home to go to. My vets little daughter loves “Bear” and wants him if he makes it through. So please pray that he makes it, so that he can make a new family happy. Just like he makes us happy. “Bear” has a whole life ahead of him. I’m up at 3:00 in the morning just watching him to make sure he is doing okay. What I do for my fury little baby. I love this pup and so does my husband. We both want him to get through. I will keep you posted on how things are going.
I do have a question? How long does it take to notice if he is getting better or the serum is working?? Thanks
Is Bear twitching already or did you catch it before the twitching/neurological phase?
The Serum is effective only if it’s done pre-neurological, before the twitching begins.
REgarding how long it takes to know if the Serum is working – I am not sure because Bailey went thru the Tap and not the Serum. But from what I know, the Serum works faster. You might want to go to the website Kind Hearts in Action (just search it on google) and it will most likely have the info you need. Or you can email ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com – he manages the Kind Hearts in Action page!
Yes, please keep me posted. I am praying for Bear!
We did the serum and now are just waiting. Bear is just struggling but fighting really hard to stay alive. He has got a respitory problem and we are just trying to take it a day at a time to do everything we can for him. He whines while sleeping and he even wakes up whining a little. His breathing is not normal. He just looks like he is trying his best. I just want Bear to survive and I’m almost losing hope, but I find it in myself to help him keep fighting. Just please keep praying for him. I cry when I see my 6 week old pup struggling but I stay strong for him. I am keep my hope of him coming out strong in this battle for life.
alright… is he twitching? When we did the Serum, Bailey was twitching already, very small twitches but she was twitching so we had to do the Tap anyway. Your case is difficult because of the respiratory problem and he is a puppy. But don’t lose hope, be strong because Bear needs you to be strong. He is depending on you to hold it together. Be brave. We cannot be sure of the outcome but we can be sure of our response to the things that happen. Thanks for the update!
No twitching on bear. He is normal but has the respiratory problem.
That is good news…. no twitching means its most likely in the early stage pa. TLC and supportive meds to the max!
Bear isn’t doing so well. I don’t know if he will make it through the night. I’m really worried and the vet is doing her best. Last resort is the spinal tap. I’m hoping this works. Because I don’t think my heart can stand losing a second puppy that I rescued from the pound. Our 3 month and now I am scared for his little life. Please just pray.
Bear didn’t make it. He died in his sleep at the vets. We miss him so much, but I’m glad he had a home before he died. My husband and I loved him so much. We ended up burying him by our house. Thank you for all your help. I am glad to have talked to someone who knows about the disease and given me something’s to try to save his life.
mam, wala na po yung dog ko…hindi ko maexplain yung pain, I just want to sleep para di ko maiisip yun…Naniwala ako na masusurvive sya pero bakit ganon??? sinabi ko na sa kanila yung mga nangyayari ke Rainer, pero di pa rin sya binigyan ng spinal tap…naiiinis ako ma’amnagseizure po sya kagabi, wala po ko nun kasi ngchurch po ako, tapos pagbalik ko, 3 minutes daw ang nakalipas yun wala na sya…I don’t want to see his body kasi it gives me much pain…sana di nalang dumaan yung linggo, naalala ko tuloy kagabi, while everybody is praying, I heard his cry twice, I look everywhere to check if that is just a cry of a kid, but no one is crying, I thought that I’m just hallucination because I miss my pup while I was away, because I was with him 24 hours a day…supposed to be, at this moment, pinapakain namin sya ang be ready for spinal tap…minsan di ko maiwasang sisihin ang doctor na umattend sa kanya kahapon kasi hindi nya kami inispinal tap kahit nakita at sinabi ko na yung mga nangyayari sa kanya…she still gave us canglob D, yun para ang pinaka appropriate kapag nagsisimula palang ang virus pero walang nagsabi samin…naiiinis talaga ako ma’am. I want to blame his first doctor kasi hindi nya sinabi samin yung sakit nya agad…pinaasa kami na ok lang sya…nahawaan na rin yung isa naming dog…pero napainjectionan na namin…sana di magaya ang nangyari sa kanya…I feel the pain hanggang ngayon ma’am…what should I do, ang sakit na hindi sya nakasama sa nagsurvive though nagpromise po ko sa kanya na masusurvive sya…ang sakit ma’am.. :’(((
advice ko lang sa yo, let go of the anger you have. life is never under our full control. God still decides. And i believe that because God loves all his creation, our pets are in heaven. and if i am wrong, im sure His presence will more than make up for it when i get to heaven. i cried long and hard when my Fox Terrier died due to heart problems. it was like darkness descended on me and evrrything was gray. but the good news is that it does not last forever. God will turn your mourning into dancing again…
im also so sorry to hear about your loss. i also wish i could have been better help somehow. but dont feed on the anger, feed on the love that you gave to your dog. there is more love inside of you so use that love to forgive, let go and let God…
My sibe pup did’nt make it,we woke up 5am yesterday and she’s not breathing anymore….unexplainable pain but we need to let her go and to move on..atleast we did try our best to help her,but her young body and system was’nt able to fight the pain…thanks for this blog though,for giving hope to everyone who has distemper issue with their beloved furkid…will look for another sibe soon after 4 months i think,need to disinfect the whole house first for the new pup..have a blessed week everyone!
im so sorry to hear this. puppies succumb faster talaga
good idea to disinfect and make sure the house is distemper-free. and when u get a new puppy, no exposure muna outside until may shots. May you find comfort in the time you had with your sibe … 
hi im cherry from cebu.i have 3 month old japanese spitz who has a distemper but i cant find a vet here who can perform that treatment.i want to save him.pls help.hope to hear from you soon.thanks
Hi Cherry, if your vet is willing to learn how to do the spinal tap then it is possible. An Indian man just contacted me a couple weeks ago and I told him to ask his vet and his vet was willing so they were able to do the tap on his dog. Put your vet in touch with Ed Bond of Kind Hearts In Action (based in NY) – Ed can send the protocols and videos to your vet. Here is the website – http://www.kindheartsinaction.com/ Email Ed Bond asap – ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com and tell him the ff:
Where you are
Whether you have a diagnosis
What symptoms you are seeing
Whether there have been seizures
How old the dog is and what breed
He replies quickly.
Move fast because puppies have a harder time fighting the disease. I wish you the best. But move fast, please…
ok thanks a lot. i hope its not too late…pls help me pray for my puppy. thanks again
I hope so too Cherry, email Ed Bond now and tomorrow, talk to your vet. I am praying that he/she will have an open mind about this. He can contact my vet in Manila by phone if he has questions. But the best person to talk to is Mr. Bond… God bless!
good morning. i just got a message yesterday from the clinic, unfortunately my puppy just past away. so sad that i wasn’t able to help him to survive.anyway thank you so much for all the information you have shared to me.i really appreciate it. more power and God bless…thanks
Cherry, im sad to hear that.
Were u able to do the tap? i have a friend whose two dogs had distemper. They did the Serum and Tap but only the Chow survived. The shepherd did not. Puppies have a harder time surviving than older dogs like the Chow and Shepherd. But at least you did your best given the circumstance … God bless ur heart…
we haven’t do the procedure. it was too late .
. before i discovered about the procedure he was already suffering, the symptoms had already reached neurological stage . i miss him a lot . he was our first dog , im so sad of what happened . thanks… God bless
i love my pets so much too and have lost a few over my lifetime and even thru the pain of losing them i cant imagine going thru life without loving a furry friend. God bless u and keep on loving!
My 2 weeks old puppy was diagnosed for distemper. At first(first week), vet told me that my pup was crying because the mother’s milk was infected by bacteria. They told me to separate it from the mother, as we did. Pup continue to cry, night and day. So we went back to the vet and said its distemper but never gave me anything to cure it, instead, he said that pup might died and asked me not to stay long in the clinic. I don’t want my pup to die and 2other siblings. They can’t be vaccinated as they are only 2weeks old.
AJ there really is no cure for distemper. The Serum and the Spinal Tap are just treatments that stop the virus from progressing to the spine and the brain. The difficult thing is that your dog is just 2 weeks old. I am not sure if they can perform the Serum shots or the Tap on such a small baby. Please try asking the people at “Kind Hearts in Action” – search that on google and then click on Contacts then you’ll see the email of Ed Bond. He will have better information than me. His mission – global mission actually – is to help dog owners and dogs fight distemper. contact him ASAP. he replies fast. Protect your other pups by giving them colloidal silver – a few drops in the AM and the PM. Protect the Mom too. I can’t assure that it will work but it worked on my 6 month old dog Woolsey – he was exposed to Bailey for a week before we found out she had Distemper. So i gave him Colloidal Silver, separated him from Bailey and he never got sick.
You can purchase Colloidal Silver at the Sunday Market in Legaspi, Makati, on Legaspi Stree corner Herrera. Or go to Vets IN Practice sa Mandaluyong Circle. they also sell there. I wish you the best…
Hi! I just want you to know that this blog has been quite helpful. My dog, Keisha, is suffering from distemper . She has entered the neurologic stage. She seemed to have regained her appetite and has a bit of energy to walk around though. I am wondering if she’s in a recovering phase now or if worse is yet to come, i really dont have a clue. Should I do spinal tap on her or do you think she’s soon out of the woods? Btw, she twitches in the head and she shakes it like crazy. Thanks.
hi there, i am not a vet so cant give u advice. but what i can tell u is that my research shows that only 1 – 2 % of dogs survive Distemper. with the Tap, chances of survival are not assured but from the info on the Kind Hearts in Action website, it increases 40-60%. it is your decision really. but if distemper ever visited my household again (God forbid), i would not hesitate for a second; I would move with lightning speed to get the serum or tap done.
I hope that helps you in making a decision… keep me updated!
Thanks. I guess my doctor-wanna be self is siding with the tap but my gut is telling me that it may make her worse now that she seems to be having a remission. Our vet said she might be on the clear, that is without the tap (not that he really is against it) if she survives this month. “If she survives this month.” Now that’s very comforting. Cant blame the vet though.
Alright… please keep me updated. Hoping that the Virus is indeed dormant na… God bless you!
Yes, that is the terrible thing, this virus is slow-acting and a dog can waste away for up to a month, in pain, before dying. It took us two and a half weeks (I think) to find out it was distemper. Then it took two weeks after the tap before we saw clear positive signs of improvement. Then two more weeks of waiting to shed the virus and then the test again to determine if BAiley was virus-free and she was. It WAS quite a journey…
Hi ,
My tini.. is 2 months old. She was very playful and naughty… But lately, she is lethargic and I did notice eye twitching. I took her to a vet, he told me that she has fever and have her an 4 days antibiotic course. Tomorrow, I am goin to take her for the vaccine, because the vets told me that they cannot give her the vaccine when she has fever. She whines and cries a lot if I carry her. I feel really sad, my ques is what are the chances she will be fine after the vaccine? Please let me know.
Hi Naina, has your dog been diagnosed with Distemper? You should ask your Vet to do tests for all the common Dog illnesses. I am not a vet so I wouldn’t know if your Dog will be fine after the vaccine. But what i do know is that vaccines are not cures. They protect you from certain diseases but they don’t heal you. You need to test your dog for all the common killer diseases, imho. Ask your vet to do it today. Check for Giardia, Distemper, Parvo and Coronovirus. Maybe heartworm too. I am worried that your vet hasn’t done this already. It should have been his first move to test your puppy for illnesses especially for Distemper because its one of the most common illnesses discovered in young pups. And one of the most deadly. You may want to bring him to a different vet. Please stay in touch, leave a comment again to update me. I’ll be glued to my blog all day.
Hello! My dog here snowy was diagnosed with distemper. Last week he was just coughing badly but just gone for like 2 days. After a week of hyperness he stared this so called chewing gum seizure just last night. But he is still eating and very hyper and plays with his toys. We are going to VIP in alabang. Will he have a big chance to live? He is currently 6 mo shih tzu dachund mix. We are going there later at 9 am.
The good news is your Dachsund (how do you spell these dogs? Grrr…) is still playing. That is always good news. The bad news is Distemper is a killer talaga and only 1 to 2% survive.
Since he has the chewing gum action now, you will most likely have to perform a Spinal Tap on Snowy. They’ll give you the instructions and what needs to be done. Post Tap care is intensive so be prepared for that. But you are doing the right thing for Snowy. Oh, don’t forget to ask for Colloidal Silver – which is a powerful anti-virus anti-bacterial and anti-fungus which will protect your Dog after the Tap is done. He will be prone to picking up infections at that time and if he does, it will be fatal.
I am hoping tho that the vets will tell you that since he is playing, you can hold off on the tap muna. Who knows? Maybe that’s a sign that Snowy belongs to that 1-2% of dogs who can survive? But of course, we don’t want to take chances with the furry ones we love so you’re doing the right thing by bringing him to VIP in Alabang…
Give me feedback if you can after your VIP visit…
Update po… Wala na po si snow
((( wala na po kaming puppies lahat po ng 3 namatay sa distemper… After po ng spinal tap kanina ni dr. Jess. Di na po sya nag wake up… Wala na po siyang heartbeat 
R.I.P my first baby puppies. Bubbles, Venus, And my Baby Snow. 
they all survived parvo but d po nila nakayanan ang distemper. 
next time na magka puppies po kami sure na po naming lalagayan sila agad ng vaccines 
((((
Hi Andrew, im so sad, you lost all 3. yes, i remember being warned that some dogs dont wake up after the tap. i am so sorry to hear that… when its puppies, its really hard for them to fight distemper. but you tried and youve learned a lesson. Snowy cannot say it but i will – thank you for fighting for your pets. and for loving them even for the short while they were with you…
Thank you for Sharing …
I’m on your shoe now..
my four month old pup was diagnosed with Distemper .. and a vet giving him 3 days .. now i blaming myself not completing his shots… 
im sorry to hear this but can your vet do the spinal tap?
Sir don’t blame yourself, I have 8 alaskan malamute puppies (7 months old), all of them got distemper even when they have completed their shots, 1x 2in1, 2x 5in1 and 2x 8in1. All of them had spinal tap last friday and im hoping they recover.
hi julio thanks for your kind words! it is true that sometimes dogs get distemper anyway even if they have had shots but that shouldnt stop us from getting our pets vaccinated.
so, how are your malamutes now? im sorry they all got affected but i am so glad that you are doing your best to save them all… keep me updated!!!
my four months old pup as well diagnosed with Distemper but i dont know what to do can i asked was it expensive to have that spinal tap in VIP animal Hospital?
Hi Jayne… two years ago it cost me 4K. Around that figure. I don’t know if any other Vet in Manila does the Tap because it is an experimental treatment. My concern is that your dog is still a puppy. Its’ harder for them to survive, even with the tap, because they are still so young. So you have to move fast and get the tap done. But it is risky, there is no assurance your dog will make it but it will hopefully give your puppy a fighting chance. You talk to the VIP vets, they can give you better advice. Please keep me updated… God bless
i also want to ask how much was the exact amount so i can have an idea if we do that to. please help us :’(.
vet suggested to put my 3yr old dog to sleep forever tomorrow due to distemper. I dont know what to do.. i dont have money to provide her treatment. nkakalungkot naman… she already reach the stage 2.. wala akong magawa…
Hello Rachell, im sorry to hear that, it is heartbreaking. but i will pray for a miracle…
Good Day!
Thank you for blogging this story. My dog Sweden a Chinese Crested Dog brought me here. She has symptoms of distemper but doesn’t have twitching yet. But, I am still waiting for her blood results to truly confirm the virus. Anyhow, I understand the NDV procedure but I just want to confirm, NCD (new castle disease) ba yung laman na e-inject sa spinal ng dog? Please respond asap so that we can do it with our vet here in CDO. Thanks!
Hi there, im glad u caught it early. but for the protocol of the NDV Spinal Tap, you will have to call Vets in Practice and talk to a vet. or you can email Ed Bond at the website Kind Hearts in Action. his contact is there. they can give u the right instructions. what i also know is that you need to do the Serum Method if its pre-neuro. The Tap is only when twitching has appeared. i am not a vet so please verify this info with VIP or Mr. Ed Bond. Wishing you the best!
Thank you so much! We are doing our best to save her with our vet. We’re both doing research about this.
Hi,
I just want to thank you for posting this story online. It helped my dog named Sweden to survived distemper. It’s our 7th day now after the NDV IV, we didn’t do the spinal tap because our vet can’t do it, but we’re glad IV worked. Our baby doesn’t have fever anymore, her stool is solid already, her eyes are cleared now, she can stand, walk, run by her own. The only thing that bothers me is that, she doesn’t eat human food anymore, she only eat blended eukanuba dog food. Is it unusual? Or she is still on process of recovering. Anyhow, I believed that a MIRACLE just happened on our dog, me and my family. Thank God! And thank You!
This is excellent news, i am SO happy for you!!!! can i ask for the name and location/addy of your vet for other dog owners fighting distemper… thanks!
May I know your email address please. I need your help.
sent u email please check your acct including spam in case it went there
my dog was diagnosed with distemper today, my vet told me to give her a week with antibiotics and if she doesn’t get better put her to sleep. What can I do?
hi william, i just saw your comment… please go thru the comments section here. all the info you need to know i have repeated many times. id repeat it again now but i cant stay long online as im out of town working on a project. please keep me updated. email me jaedeelight@yahoo.com
good evening…our dog has Canine Distemper…we are looking for ways to cure our puppy Cody. he is very weak.. can you suggest what we should do? Also, i’m not sure if vets here in our place know NDV spinal tap so I was wondering if Dr. Allison can help us.
yes you should call vets in practice and have them collaborate with your vet. Doc Allison may be able to teach or guide your vet. move fast because Distemper damages nerves permanently and your baby is still a puppy – puppies have a harder time surviving. i wish u the best. please keep me updated… thanks!
Thank you so much, we did everything we could…he’s in heaven now :’) do love and take care of bailey
God bless you always 
Hi there, just wondering po kasi, the last time I wrote on your blog was when my pup died because of distemper, tapos nahawaan po yung isang dog ko nun, but ininjectionan sya ng NDV vaccine once lang sa VIP, tapos nun po, I don’t know pero mukhang nakarecover sya, kasi she eats a lot, tapos she runs fast, naghahabol pa nga po ng pusa eh, then nilalabas sya ng brother ko para maarawan. Sabi kasi sa VIP once lang ang treatmen na inapply sa kanya, pero its been more than a month na nung nag undergo sya ng treatment na yun. Nagtanong ako sa VIP, sabi mukhang positive ang effect kasi nagregain na yung strength nya, yung poops nya solid na hindi na basa, tapos hindi na rin sya inuubo or sinisipon, wala na rin yung muta nya sa mata…kea lang medyo na bothered ako, kasi nung binsa ko yung blog mo, sabi mo walang treatment sa distemper, pero nagstop lang na kumalat ng virus, ibig sabihin me posibilty na umatake ulit yung virus???
hi Ruby Jean, sorry if it sounds confusing. Let me clarify – Distemper has no cure kasi viral siya – pag viral you have to let the virus run its course. However the Serum and NDV Tap are treatments that can stop the virus from progressing. If the virus cannot progress, your dog’s chances of survival increase.
Regarding catching Distemper again, its possible daw. Even dogs who have had vaccination vs Distemper can still get hawa. But its super rare.
My advice – get your dog tested for distemper to make sure he/she is truly distemper-free
and make sure to vaccinate!
Meaning po nun, hindi sya nawalan ng distemper virus but it just stopped the progress??? ibig sabihin po, kung hindi tuloy ang pagtake nya ng vitamin C and medicine, pwedeng bumalik? We are about to send to her to VIP tomorrow for CDV testing, please pray na sana distemper free na sya, kasi we can’t afford to have another heartaches if ever…hayss…thanks po ma’am…
Im not a Vet ha so dont take this as medical info but ito and understanding ko sa NDV treatment. it stops the virus then because na-overpower ung virus, it cant go forward, your dog’s body will shed it. what i rrmember from biology classes is that viruses are not really living things and need a host to survive. and when your body defeats a virus, its builds a natural immunity to that virus. so dapat, your dog cant get distemper again aftrr defeating it. hoeever i have read that it does happen, but verrrrrrrry rarely. the impt thing is to take that distempet test to see kung wala na ung virus and then be vigilant with shots…
Just brought my 2 month old Labrador to the Vet and was diagnosed with Canine Distemper Virus… I feel really bad since I missed the shots which could have easily prevented this when the puppy was 6 weeks old.
this is terrible news, im so sorry to hear this. what are you planning to do? will you give the serum or tap a try?
My dog was diagnosed today with canine distemper, his first symptoms was diarrhea and vomiting so we thought its just a thing that he ate or something after awhile he doesn’t wanna eat nor drink so his vet put a dextrose on his leg. Yesterday he got some yellowish mucus in his nose thats why I’ve asked my mom to return to the vet and he was tested with a pregnancy like thing and it turned out positive. As I was searching what canine distemper is I saw your blog and told my mom which vet to go too.
hi!! sorry, i just got to this now, how is your dog? hoping for an update!!
we called up the vet in mandaluyong they asked the history of the dog and the vet told us that its better for the dog if we put him to sleep, he said because your dog is not eating nor drinking theres no point in injecting the medicine you’ll just spend money and it might not work on your dog… i dont know what to do as im here in UK my mom and my brother were the only people who look after him. today my dog is still with fluids.
you spoke to vets in practice? in my case, i never stopped force feeding bailey. try asking ed bond if that is true na if the dog isnt eating, its too late. his email is listed in earlier comments. vip has several vets, try looking for doc allison or another vet who does spinal tap. only three or vets at vip can do it. vip is like a makati med for animals, they have many vets. it must be frustrating to be so far from your dog at this time, ifeel for you.
but keep trying. you have nothing to lose if u exhaust all avenues. email ed bond, he can give good advice
my dog kiaw kiaw is 7yrs of age… have a distemper….
wala akong alam sa sakit nah ito….. ako lng ng nag aalaga sa kanya di ko nah alam kung anong gagawin ko…. naka swero siya dito sa house namin….
ayaw nyang kumain ni ayaw nyang uminom….. pati med. nya ayaw nya din… pag pinilit ko siya inaangilang nya koh…
sa buong buhay nya ngayon lng siya nagkasakit…..
napakasakit sakin kasi bunsong anak ang turing ko sa kanya katabi ko siyang matulog…
hirap n hirap na ako kung nakikita ko siyang nahihirapan sa araw araw…….di ko mapigil na maiyak….
payo sakin ng vet kung di nah nakain at nainom ang dog ko mas mabuti daw nah patulugin nah daw iyoh. kasi useless daw bigyan pah ito ng NDV kasi di daw ito nakain .. kasi pinahahaba ko lang daw ang agony ng dog koh…. kung nahihirapan daw ako mas nahihirapan ang dog ko…….
haiiiissssttt……
ano pwede mong maipayo sakin???
did you talk to a vet from VIP? You should call them kung hindi sila ang tinanong mo. im so sad with your letter, i know the feeling. my 3 dogs bailey ramses and broyles are my babies too. i hope na you can still try the ndv. but vip is the best to ask.
thanks so much mam……
kanina pag wiwi ng dog koh lumalabas tAlaga cya khit hirap cyang tumayo….
ayaw nyang magwiwi sa loob ng house kasi alam nya magagalit akoh…
then may gripo kami sa labas hinugasan ko siya at hinilamusan….
ayaw nya pang pumasok di ko siya pinilit.. at sabi ko you want to drink water???
at mula sa palad ko binigyan ko siya ng tubig…thank God uminom siya tuwang tuwa ako naiyak ako sa tuwa … nabuhayan ako ng loob….
kasi 4 days ng di kumakain at umiinom ang dog ko.. med. wala din ayaw nya
swero lang ang nagpapalakas sa kanya .. kaya kahit 24hours akong nakatutok sa kanya dahil baka matanggal ang swero nya binabantayan ko talaga siya…
i will call tom. at VIP
Hi Papin, you have to force-feed your dog. Get canned dog food, mash it up with water para malabnaw ng konti then put it in a syringe and then use that to force feed. When Bailey was sick, we did that. And sometime, she would eat out of our hand so we would try to hand feed her first, kung ayaw, then force feed. 5x a day we would force her to eat the dogfood. But be careful, because your dog might choke on the food.
If you will go ahead and do the spinal tap at VIP, you have to buy the bird virus first at a poultry store. But they usually closed on Sundays. Ask VIP if they have stock. If you find a poultry shop that is open, buy the Newcastle Virus, Lasota strain. its mga P200 a vial or less (2 years ago yan) then go to the vet to have the tap done.
Your dog is still getting up to pee. That is a good sign. But please try to force feed because your dog needs food.
Hoping for the best. Please update me, I’m very worried for Kiaw Kiaw…
i try to feed him .. but my dog have an atitude…..
give ko cya ng vit. nya …..kaso pag ayaw nya ayaw nya tlga …
1st inangilan nya koh then nag ulitin klung ibigay ulit s knya yong vit. na nasa syringe bigla nya kong sinakmal… my kunting tama ang palad ko ng ngipin nya .. nakuha ko toh ng bigla kong hatakin siguro ang kamay ko sa pagkabigla ko….
ang toto0 ang anak ko lng ang nkapagpapakain sa kanya .. kaso asa ibang bansa nah ang anak koh…..
kaya iyong ang fear koh …. pag try ko siya lagyan ng busal sinusubukan ko pa lng nagagalit na siya at lumalabas ang ngipin nya…. siguro nagka phobia nah siya na pag nilalagyan siya ng busal ay iinjectonan cya or drink cya ng med. kaya ayaw nya nah……
pero ganoon pa man mahal n mahal ko pa din si kiaw kiaw …di ko siya tinutulugan at magdamag ko siyang binabantayan .. kasi nga naka swero siya….baka matangal toh pag tayo nya kung wewe or pupu cya…
kaya katabi nya ko matulog sa sopa namin siya nakahiga ako naka upo habang hawak ko ang paa nya para if tumayo siya at naiglip ako malalaman koh…..
my kunting lagnat nah di akoh kasi siguro sa kakaisip sa kalagayan ng aso koh .. stress ako at depress …… haaayyyyyy
pero sabi ko sa sarili koh papin uminom ka ng gamot at bawal kang magkasakit kawawa si kiaw kiaw walang mag aalaga dito……
“kung sana kamuka ni bailey si kiaw kiaw koh nah pwedeng subuan…. at di nagagalit at nanakmal .. gagawin koh madugtungan lang ang buhay nya…..
sabi ng mga vet defence attack daw ang tawag doon sa ugali ni kiaw kiaw koh….
wala naman akong makatulong ako lang mag isa ….
palagi ko pa din try nah bigyan siya ng food …. sa kainan nya nagbabakasakali akong kumain siya kahit kunti…..
ang water mayat maya binibigyan ko siya sa inuminan nya…at salamat kay Lord kasi umiinom naman siya kahit pakunti kunti…..
ma’m kung ganiyan ang ugali ni kaiw kiaw ko … paano ko pa siya masusubuan ng food??????????
I LOVE MY DOG so much………..
hi there, that makes it more difficult if your dog is growling and biting pa
me mga dog na ganyan talaga. thank God nakaswero siya. if the dog is drinking, try giving him Ensure, the milk for old people, but not the chocolate because chocolate might give your dog a heart attack. or baby milk, pwede din. no force feeding if kiaw2 is biting. maybe you can wet his lips with water or milk. also, if you can get colloidal silver and let him drink it. just half a tsp in the am and pm. its a powerful antiviral and antibacterial.
i buy ensure vanilla tom…..
thanks so much ma’m….. kahit paano my nakakausap ako at npag tatanungan n ktulad nyo…. npaka laking tulong kayo sa aming may mga distemper ang mga dog……
kaninang lunch…. inalok cya ng bunso ko na kumain…. sabi ng bunso ko mining kikiaw kiaw beh, mining kakain oh!!! itinayo niya ang ulo nya ng bahagya at nging hudyat yon saming mag ina para bigyan siya ng food…..
nilagay ko sa palad ko ang food habang mgkatabi kmi sa sopa … inilahad ko sa kanya ang palad ko at thanks GOD kumain cya khit mga 4 nah himaymay lang ng turbong manok….. at uminom siya ng kunti ng ayaw nah niya …..
noong dinner nagpabili ko ng barbecue try ko ilagay sa palad ko para maamoy niya .. inilayo nya ang ulo nya sa palad koh .. ibig sabihin noon ayaw nya.. hindi ang babecue kasi favorite nya yon.. kundi wala n nmn cguro cyang ganang kumain…..
araw araw hindi ako magsasawang mag try nah alukin siyang kumain…. at kausapin siya nah para kung anak….
pag inuubo si kiaw kiaw ng matindi alam ko nahihirapan siya.. at sasabihin ko lang ehem!! ehem!!!! .. di ko siya hinahawakan pero asa tabi nya akoh…..
kasi nga may atitude siya minsan…. pero kanina habang umuubo siya yong ulo nya pilit nyang ipinaiilalim sa kamay ko , so alam ko nanghihingi siya ng tulong sakin. hinagod ko ng hinagod ang ulo nya ng paulit ulit…..
habang sinasabi ko sa kanya nah love na love ka ni mami papin kaya dapat lalaban ka … kasabay ng di mapigil nah pagtulo ng mga luha koh…..:(
” i STILL BELIEVE IN MIRACLE “
Mommy Papin, that’s exactly how I would feed si Bailey. By hand. Grabe. But then, walang attitude si Bailey so I was able to force feed her. ANyway, try to give some Colloidal Silver (mag-research ka sa internet about it) to protect Kiaw Kiaw from complications. It is hard to fight Distemper but there is a small chance, Kiaw2 may survive it. Colloidal Silver will be a big help. That is how I protected my other puppy si Woolsey who got exposed to Bailey when she was sick. I started giving him Colloidal Silver. I started using it on Bailey nung stage 3 na siya. Now, whenever my dogs get matamlay, I give them Colloidal Silver kaagad. I have this other dog, si Booger, she was matamlay two days ago, the helpers gave her Colloidal Silver, ok na siya today. REsearch mo Colloidal silver. And that is right, give your dog love and attention, it will give him strength. There are a few dogs who survive Distemper without the tap or serum shots. Let’s pray that Kiaw Kiaw is one of them!
thanks to God coz ur her ma’m
pra makinig ng mga hinain ko at takot nah nraramdaman… pnlalakas mo ang loob ko para ilaban c kiaw2 ……
namaga ang paa nya n my swero kaya hirap cyang lumakad.. bukas kailangang matangal itoh at maibago ng lagay sa ugat nya……
nagsisipon na nman siya at palaging inuubo ….. paano bah malaman kung stage 3 nah??? ano mga signs nitoh???
at hanngang ilang stage pa bah ang dapat lumabas????
opo!!! look ko ang “colloidal silver” .saan kaya itoh nabibili???
may nagsabi nga sakin… grabeeee ang laki na ata ng ngagasta nyo diyan. eh! aso lng nman yan….. ngumiti n lng akoh ayaw ko mkipagtalo sa kanila .. baka kasi di ko mapigil ang sarili ko at my masabi ako na hindi maganda,
compound kc ang apartment namin .. kaya di maiwasang my nkakakitah n nka swero ang aso koh…. natatawa cla alam ko pinagtatawanan nila ko kc aso esweswero?????…..
kaya salamat at my isang tulad mo nah nakakausap koh……yong nakakaintindi sa pinagdadaanan nmin ng aking mga anak …
sAlamat sa prayer mo para kay kiaw kiaw….
sana dumami pa ang mga tulad mo…. GOD bless ur life ma’m
kundi thursday baka friday dadalin ko c kiaw2 sa VIP para ma check up siya kung ano dapat gawin. gusto nila makita ng personal s kiaw kiaw
….my kausap na ako doon…..
i will update u ……. thanks
You can get Colloidal Silver at Vets in Practice or at the Saturday market in Salcedo or Sunday Market in Legaspi, Makati.
I’m sorry i just replied now. Been sick kasi and did not go online yesterday.
don’t worry about what other people say. Maraming pet lovers tulad natin, we are not the only ones. I’m sure meron ding pet lovers sa neighborhood mo, di mo lang alam. The people who don’t understand why you love your dog so much, just bless them. They don’t understand because maybe they do not have the same heart of mercy that we have. Or baka they have poverty-mentality. Or their parents raised them to treat animals lowly. I am so thankful you are not like them.
The signs for stage 3 – twitching and parang nag-chew-chewing gum. The head starts to bob. Parang walang muscle control.
Hi, my dog Oreo stopped eating and drinking 3 days ago kaya naka dextrose na sya. We’re trying to give him kahit water pero lumalayo sya talaga. He became picky with food last week pa, according sa vet baka distemper nga, nagsstart na din maging red yung mata nya and maga. Sabi ng vet there’s no cure to distemper but I dont want to put him to sleep as much as possible. My worry is that my other dogs might get the sickness din. Oreo did not have the complete 5-in-1, he missed the last shot yata. Wala ako idea how much yung spinal tap. But im glad i read your blog, sana gumaling din my baby. And like you i’m having my bday on sunday, eto lang gusto kong bday gift, for Oreo to feel better.
Cress, there is no cure nga but the Spinal Tap is a treatment that will help your dog survive Distemper (you should really get Oreo tested for Distemper. Guessing isn’t a good idea) go for the tap it if you can afford it. During Bailey’s time it was 4K I think.
It sounds like it’s early stage pa. Contact Vets in Practice kaagad. only 1 to 2% of dogs survive distemper. With the Tap or the Serum (mas mahal ang Serum) the survival rate goes up from 40 to 70%. Kind Hearts in Action has more info, visit their website. Serach mo lang sa google.
Yes, I didn’t do much for my birthday the year Bailey got Distemper and it was well worth it. It was one of the best gifts for myself – to fight for Bailey’s life and thank got, she survived. I’ll be praying for Oreo.
Regarding the other dogs, yes, they are in danger if they have come into contact with Oreo. You need to get Colloidal Silver and give each dog half a tsp in the AM and another half in the evening for the duration of Oreo’s illness. you can get Colloidal Silver at VIP or at the Saturday Market in Salcedo or the Sunday market in Legaspi, Makati. REsearch mo din ang Colloidal Silver. I gave it to my one dog who came into contact with Bailey and the dog never caught Distemper. I also started giving it to Bailey after all this reasearch i did and found out about the healing properties of Colloidal Silver. You should give it also to Oreo. I take it myself when I feel like I’m going to catch a cold.
Keep me updated!
hello po, our mini pin 6months old was diagnosed with a weak positive distemper, very faint lang yung second line but sabi nung vet kung negative as in wala kang makikitang line, kaya considered as positive padin siya. nasa respi stage palang siya and kanina may fever ngayon nawala na.. wala din kame funds if papagawa namen yung serum.. pero punta padin kame sa VIP baka may iba pang treatment options. And dun pala sa test, swab from her eyes yung specimen niya, same lang kaya yun sa blood or urine? and about sa colloidal silver, pwede din kaya namen din to gamitin para lumakas immune system niya? thanks po.
other treatment option – ndv spinal tap. but talk to vet first about timing of when to do the tap. yes, use Colloidal Silver to protect vs 2ndary illness. you can buy at vip. update me. im glad u caught it early…
thanks for the reply, just went sa VIP awhile ago but hindi natingnan si OJ kasi ang dameng patients and dapat daw either una or huli siyang icheck up ng vet para safe yung ibang docs after niya..kaya will go back nalang tom hopefully ok na. I’ll definitely buy this colloidal silver din.. thank you..
tutoo yan si bailey had to stay outside sa ibabaw ng isang plastic bench habang tinitignan ng vet. sa labas din ginawa ang tap. bec kawawa the other dogs, di dapat sila mahawa. risk din ang tap because some dogs dont wake up anymore. haaaaaay… ang hirap magmahal ng ganito ano? but im glad youre going to fight for your dog… i will be praying. actually today is the 2nd (or third) anniv ng Spinal tal ni Bailey. i do not regret fighting for her. even if hindi siya nagsurvive, im glad i tried!
Hi Mariss, how is your dog? HOping for an update…
gudam ma’m
ngawa n ang spinal tap ni kiaw kiaw kaninang 9pm. sa VIP
sobrang nag worry ako kc sabi ng vet ang risk daw ay pwedeng hindi na ito magising …kc khpon my dog nah di n ngising after ng spinal tap
nag call ako sa 2 anak ko para magdesisyon kaming 3….. iyakan kami, sabi ng anak ko c jace_18 mami sumugal tayo kasi kung hindi mawawala din satin c kiaw kiaw, wat if magising nman siya malaki pag asa natin diba?? so ayon nagkasundo sundo din kami nah gawin na ang spinal tap…. true na npakaraming pasyente knina sa VIP ….. andoon kmi ng 6pm. nagawa c kiaw2x ni dra.gina ng 9pm. panay ang pray namin at thank GOD ngising siya at etoh naiuwi ko cya sa house ng 1am.
now 1stime ko ulit cyang nrinig nah tumahol….. ang saya saya nming mag iina…alam ko di p tapos ang laban ni kiaw kiaw pero dahil sa love nmin s knya lalaban siya… kinausap siya ng mga anak ko by phone noong di p siya nagagawa at kumakawag ang buntot nya kahit nah hinang hina nah siya…..
nilagyan p din siya ulit ng swero dahil di cya nkakain at di mapilit kung ayaw… at sinabi ko my attitude siya, sa swero nah din inilgay ang vit. nya….
for 10days cyang mag aantibiotic d2 ko nlng siya ppsaksakan sa my pet express sa SM cubao likod lng kc nmin iyon….
“kiaw kiaw is a figther he fight for his life”
thanks so much ma’m
we still need your prayer……………
is Kiaw2 drinking ensure? worried ako hindi siya kumakain
buti nalang me suwero with vitamins. keep trying to feed him, by hand. does kiaw like marshmallows? bailey loves marshmallows hehehe… how do u give the medicines kung me attitude si kiaw2? im glad nag-bark siya. now u have to protect vs 2ndary infection. importante ang antibiotics. colloidal silver. suwero. massage. tlc. talk to kiaw2. every day that your dog lives is a good sign. pero be ready lang – there will be good days alternating with bad days. if he reaches two weekd, you can be assured that ok na siya… am praying with u
hello! marisss
ikaw pala yong my dalang mini pin kanina & his name is OJ
andoon ako knina nakita ko kayo………
dalin mo ulit siya tom. at the back lang talaga tayong my mga distemper ang dog ….
…. mababait nman silang lahat na mga dr. doon… hanapin mo c dra. gina …… kanina hangang 9pm. siya…
wag tayong mawawalan ng pag asa tayong my mga distemper ang mga dog….
GOD is good….
hello papin! ahh ikaw yung may baby? good to hear na nagising si kiaw kiaw.. gagaling na yan.. si OJ naman dito namen dinala sa malapit muna, nainjection siya ng antibiotic at B complex.. mamaya dalin ulit namen siya sa VIP.. i hope maging ok na si OJ..
gudam ulit mam…..
24hours syang di bumangon sa higaan nya…ni hindi siya gumalaw ng pwesto nya…. hinayaan ko lng siya at tinabihan ko siya sa pag tulog.. kc umiiyak cya sa pmamagitan ng pg bark…..massage ko katawan nya at humihinto cya ng pag bark… cguro alam nya asa tabi nya lng ako, didilat siya then muling pipikit…
ng mga 12am. nag simula cyang pumihit ng pwesto at yon tinayo nya ang ulo nya , ask ko cya if he likes water???? at binigyan ko siya ng water natuwa nman ako at uminom siya….. ngayon palipat lipat nah siya ng pwesto….. nakakalaki ng puso….:)
now nag look ulit siya sakin binigyan ko siya ng gatorage kc fav. nya yon, medyo madami dami ang nainom nya kc medyo mlamig ito eh…….
bukas dadalin ko nah siya ng vet. sa pet express kasi kaya nya nah para masaksakan cya ng antibiotic good for 10days…..
hopefully sa mga susunod png mga araw eh!! titikim nah siya ng food…….
medyo maamo na ulit ang face nya di na tulad ng dati na parang laging nka simangot… my kunti p din cyang paubo ubo.. ang sipon nya wala ng natulo…. yong pag tibok tibok ng ulo nya medyo dumadalang nah ….
toto0 still my fear pa rin ako s mga susunod png araw… pero dapat think positive kami…… at isa ka sa nagpapalakas ng loob ko sa araw araw .. at ang dog mong si bailey…. kung nka survived c bailey makaka survived din c kiaw kiaw……
naglagay ang pamangkin ko s youtube ng video ni kiaw2x ang tittle
“kiaw kiaw fight for his life againts canine distemper”
if my time ka watch this mam thank you……..
“GOD is good all the time…..
hello! marisss
yong my baby pamangkin ko yon…
lalapitan sana kita, pero tnawag akoh ni dra. kc pinapirma ko sa gagawin kay kiaw kiaw .. at di ko nah cya naiwanan pa mula ng ginawa siya up to matapos nah…. kaya pag labas ko wala kna nga raw ….
tama yan hangang maaga pa ipagamot mo nah agad ang dog mo……
magiging ok! c OJ mo kung c kiaw kiaw ko nga malala nah pero itoh still inilalaban pa din nmin siya …..
kasama natin si LORD…. sa knya lng tayo kumukuha ng lakas…..
gudam ma’m
nagsisimula na siya ng antibiotic nya….
malakas na c kiaw kiaw uminom.. pero sa food medyo ayaw nya pa…
we always pray that GOD give mercy to our dog…
Wow, that is good news. Are you giving Ensure? or milk? I’m praying everyday for Kiaw Kiaw… each day magsurvive siya is a very good sign…!
gudam. ma’m
yappp!! i buy insure……
pero kanina lang nya nainom ito.. ginawa kung ice candy…
tinangal swero nya kahapon,kc nag colapse ang mga ugat nya sa paa.. nag sugat nah itoh at namaga kaya di cya mkalakad….parehong paa nya nah ang may sugat gawa ng swero kaya dapat pagpahingahin muna mga paa nya sa swero….. at mahirap n talaga cyang lagyan nitoh kc super payat na siya…
naisip ko agad kawawa c kiaw kiaw kc di pa cya nakain khit anoh……
but thanks GOD kninang lunch give ko cya ng water nah malamig n my halong “MonDex” water soluble powder energy supplement…. uminom cya madami cguro mga 1 glass of water…. then pagtapos try ko cya give ng food apritadang manok w/ liver…. abah nagulat talaga ako kumain cya , ayaw nya ng rice ulam lng ang gusto nya…. nka 2pcs. chicken cya tinangal ko yong buto… tsaka nka 4pcs. na liver cya noong lunch ….
noong dinner pinabilan ko cya ng barbeque naka 4 sticks cya….. hayyy salamat talaga .. nakakakita ako ng malaking pag asa nah mabubuhay c kiaw kiaw ……
sa toto0 lang sobrang pagod nah ko mag alaga sa kanya, pero now na nakita ko ang pagkain nya ulit.. nawalang bigla ang lahat ng pagod ko……
ang water mayat maya pinaiinom ko siya palitan ang insure at water….. basta gusto nya palaging malamig mga itoh
bukas i cook dinuguan fav. nya yon……
SALAMAT sayo ma’m at kay bailey inspirasyon ko kayo…..
SALAMAT sa prayers ………….
Oh, that is a miracle! Your hard work has paid off. Ganyan din ako when Bailey was sick. 24 hours nakatutok kami sa kanya, parang baby. Be careful tho not to overfeed. It will shock his system. Feed him in small quantities 5 to 6 times a day para tuloy tuloy ang nutrition niya. The Ensure is very good for him. Now just in case he becomes matamlay again, don’t worry. It’s normal. The recovery of Distemper is usually up and down parang rollercoaster – me mga good days, me mga bad. Super excited ako sa news na ito, such good news! Thanks for sharing again… will wait for the next update… (parang telenovela ata to! aahahaha)
gudam. ma’m
ahahaaaa… pang no.3 kna sa nagsabi sakin niyan 2 sa FB ko at ikaw….
ang sarap daw sundan ng mga upload kong video at pix ni kiaw kiaw koh sa FB… para nga daw telenovela nah masarap subaybayan…. tuwing morning inaabangan daw nila ang upload ko at kung ano n ang nangyayari ky kiaw kiaw ko…..
by the way ma’m … tungkol ky kiaw kiaw tama k nga minsan my good days at minsan my bad days…..
minsan akala ko wala nah mukang bibigay na ang dog ko then kinabukasan ayon babangon n nman cya at kakain kahit kunti lng…
ang nakakatuwa lng parang alam nya ata na wala n cyang swero at pag di cya kumain eh.! pwede cyang mamatay.. kaya kumakain cya ayaw nya lng ng nag uult ng ulam gusto nya araw araw ibah.. then tatago ko sa ref. yong natira at sa 2nd. day ko n ulit ibibigay sa knya yon…..
ang hirap niyang dalin sa vet gawa ng maga at my sugat p 2 paa nya .. if mahawakan ko cya ng di tama umiiyak cya o kya eh inaangilan nya ko kc cguro nasasaktan cya….. kaya pinag aralan ko ang pag iinject sa knya ….
the truth is i have fear in needle….. but sometimes pala i have to be brave for someone i love most…… kaya mula noong wednesday ako nah nag iinject ky kiaw kiaw d2 lng kami sa house.. ginagamot ko din ang sugat nya ng betadine & terramycin oitment…… binubusalan ko muna cya para if msaktan cya di cya mabibigla……
now medyo nkakatulog n ko ng maayos ayos mula ng tangaling ang swero nya…..
“GOD BLESS u”
i will update u……..
Ay wow, ganyan din si Bailey! Ayaw niya ng pare-parehong food. AAHAHA! So naloka ako, kung anu-ano ang pinapakain ko sa kanya, pati Goat-Milk sinubukan ko. Pero, worth it to see her eating. From people food to dog food, and cat food pati na rin marshmallows, haahaha! Soap Opera talaga pero masaya ang ending, yan ang prayer ko for KiawKiaw. Sana I can see the videos? Ano ba ang fb mo. you can email me sa jaedeelight@yahoo.com they say pag umabot ng 2 weeks ang dog after spinal tap, considered ‘out of the woods’ na yung dog. Then one month after tap, dapat pa test ng distemper just to make sure na wala na talaga ung virus.
BTW, for sugat, you can use colloidal silver! Just spray the sugat with the colloidal silver. Mabilis ang healing. FYI. It might be better than betadine. research mo lang…
Thank you for the update, I eagerly await your next comment…
gudam ma’m
xenxa n if now lang me naka pag online….
tama ka parang rolercosster ang distemper minsan ok minsang hindi….
but still kiaw kiaw is fighting at nakikita ko yon….kumakain cya khit wala sa oras kung kailan nya mgustuhan…inaantay ko plgi ang signal n like nyang kumain…
kanina paksiw n pata ang kinain nya , madami cyang nkain….
natatawa nga sakin yong mga frend ko buti p daw ang aso ko ang sasarap ng inuulam nitoh eh……:)
mag 2wiks na ang spinal tap nya sa thursday at cross my fingers nah malagpasan nya iyon……. upang mapanatag ako khit papaano…..
nga pla ma di ko nah ma open ang YAHOO ko. papaayos ko s anak ko wala lng cyang time…..
ang FB ko …. imelda mallari gonzales ….. email koh imelda_meldyo4@yahoo.com sana add mo ko sa FB para maging frend kita…..
salamat & GOD always bless u life…….
hello! about my dog OJ, ok na siya.. i hope magtuloy tuloy na.. march 23, we and Dr. Love from VIP opted for the immunoglobulin shot (Cabglob-D) for 7 days plus antibiotics,vitamins. During 1st days ng shot may minimal na “twitch” siya pero not sure kung dahil sa distemper yun or ganun lang siya during natutulog, magana din kumain and playful padin. may runny nose padin siya that time. and after 7 days kinabahan din ako kasi bka may mangyare pag wala na siyang shots but thank God, wala naman. I called VIP din and sabi nila balik daw after 3 weeks, as of now tumaba and bumigat na siya at sobrang playful padin.continue padin yung vitamins niya and babalik kame sa VIP this april 13.. sana wala na talaga siyang distemper.. thanks po.. and question..pag sobrang ok na ba siya pwede na ba siyang bigyan ng vaccine na 5in1 and anti rabies? thanks thanks =))
Hi Ms. Joyce, thank you for sharing your experience with Bailey. This gave us more hope for our dog Kimpy. He’s now at stage 3 with distemper and we only discovered after my sister brought him to vet last Sat. The vet told there’s no cure for distemper so we were very sad but through your site, we discovered about VIP and spinal tap. We are bringing him to VIP tonight for the spinal tap. I just hope magising pa sya ‘coz he’s like a family member to us. Please pray for his recovery. Thanks so much.
I got your text and was overjoyed to hear that Kimpy woke up and seems to be chipper! Now its the long road to recovery… but it is a good road to be on. I know yoo’ll be giving him lots of TLC… Im believing he will survive!
Hi Ms. Joyce, this is Carizza, the one texting you last night. Kimpy was diagnosed with Distemper last yesterday.
We thought his skin allergy was something that was not so serious. I thought the redness was just an allergic reaction from his new shampoo. After a week, the redness faded but it turned into flakes. He had dandruff before so it wasn’t alarming for us either. He lost his appetite, but he was still eating. I’ve noticed he was flaking out severely so my sister bought an anti fungal soap for him. Then last Friday, he didn’t eat the whole day so we decided to bring him to UP Vet for a checkup.
His vet said is was scabies, nothing too serious, but after his CBC, the vet said it can possibly be canine distemper. He stopped for a while and checked for some involuntary movements – he saw something pumping on his head! He said Kimpy was already on a neurological stage and it was already on his system. :c He said there was no cure for distemper but we can do something to prevent secondary illnesses.
At this point, I was already force-feeding him with syringed recovery diet.
After learning about his illness, I researched on the internet, emailed Ed Bond, until I reached this page. It was 3am, Monday morning, getting infos on what to do. At 8am, I rushed at Farmbreed to get the vial but we didn’t rush him to the vet right away. I texted you first and emailed Ed if we should proceed with the spinal tap cause it could be dangerous.
Ed said it is much better than doing nothing at all as dogs often die in this stage.
NDV SPINAL TAP PRODECURE
So last night, we took him to Vets in Practice in Mandaluyong for his NDV Spinal Tap. Dr. Gina was the one who did the spinal tap to Kimpy. After the tap, we just waited for him to move and stand up. Little by little he’s trying to move his tongue, arms, and wagged his tail! After 1 hour, he got up and the vet said he was ready to go.
I think Kimpy enjoyed the travel as he was looking out the window when he were in the cab. When he arrived home, he walked around the house for a while and then took a nap.
DAY 1
At 3am we gave him food and his antibiotics but he was not very cooperative. My sister syringed his med little by little. This morning, I force-fed him and gave his Gabantin. He was very cooperative and was eating everything I put inside his mouth.
(He stood up, wagging his tail as I am typing this!)
I’m trying to give him different kinds of wet food, offering him cold water, and always ask if he wants to go out to pee.
So far, he’s doing well. We will update you about his condition from time to time. Thanks for putting up this blog! This is really helpful!
The signs are very good. I believe your dog will recover as long as naka-antibiotics to keep away secondary infection. Dont feel bad if a bad day comes along. Most dogs recovering from the Tap have up and down days. but there have been a few cases of fast recovery. I am so glad you chose to do the Tap. Our sweet dogs who are so loyal deserve such love…
Hi maam!
Tabbie is almost 3 years old. And I love her so much, I don’t want to lose her.
and another problem is the other dog, Shamcey got the virus, too, I think. She’s lost appetite and has runny nose already. 
My dog, Tabbie was diagnosed with distemper a while ago and we were given supplements and stuff. I think the stage is still at an early stage but I don’t want to risk it. I haven’t checked the twitching though. I’m still a student and I don’t have much fund for the treatment. Is there any other way to prevent the virus from progressing?
The vet gave me a list of tablets for her to regain appetite since she doesn’t eat anymore. What should I do? Waah. Sorry. I’m in panic.
EJ, you NEED to get Colloidal Silver as fast as possible to give to Shamcey. That is how I protected my 2nd dog Woolsey who got exposed to BAiley when she was sick. You can get Colloidal Silver at Vets in Practice, or at the Saturday Market in Salcedo Makati and the Sunday Market in Legaspi Makati.
There is something called Transfer FActor that fights distemper. I know nothing about it but have heard about it. The one thing I know is that it’s also expensive… like almost 4K for the pills. Not sure. You will have to do research online and look for a vet.
Regarding the cost, it is expensive but you sound like a smart kid to me, I encourage you to think of ways to raise the funds for your dogs…
Distemper is a slow killer. It will take a month or more of illness before the worst happens. I hope you can move on this fast…
Hi! It’s been almost a month since Tabbie was diagnosed. And after a week of giving both dogs (Tabbie and Shamcey) supplements and antibiotic, they’ve regained their eating habits and are bouncing everytime I go out. Tabbie doesn’t cough anymore. However, her nose still looks cracked. I’m still not sure if they’ve survived the virus although they don’t show any signs of it anymore. I just hope it wouldn’t come back anymore.
By the way, a friend of mine suggested a vet clinic along Kalayaan, in QC wherein they give shots for dogs with distemper. The clinic’s name is Pendragon (I think, or something like that). She brought her shih tzu there during the neuro stage and after giving shots (I am not sure if it’s serum, though), the dog recovered. I think it’s 600/shot. They’re also open 24 hours but charges at night are higher. Hope that helps.
thanks for this! the serum shots need a donor dog to donate blood and costs much more so i dont think its the same.
it is interesting that your friend would buy a dog in the neuro stage when they are obviously ill and twitching…
btw, did your two dogs have distemper tests?
It’s probably different. Oh, she brought it there, not bought. Hehe. I had Tabbie tested with that thing that’s like a pregnancy test before but I haven’t brought them back there yet to be tested again.
im just happy ur dogs are getting better! take them in for another distemper test to make sure they are clear but ask your vey first if the timing is right. when the virus is defeated, dogs shed the virus over several days… wishing u the best!
Hindi pala ako nag iisa…my dog Bambam diagnosed with distemper kanina lang. the vet gave him antibiotics and vaccine knina. sana maka recover pero sa case ng bestfriend ko kumakain sya tsaka masigla naman yun nga lang may twitching yung head nya at dun sa left leg nya. gagawin ko talaga lahat para maisalba sya ayokong mawala sya sakin…
hi Enzo sorry to hear about that but im glad your bff (best furry friend) is eating. are you going to do the spinal tap?
Sobrang lungkot ko hindi ko alam gagawin ko pag umiiyak sya,(when twitching).si bailey po ba may twitching pa din? i mean kung maka survive ba ang mga dogs na may distemper talagang may twitching na talaga? pano ginagawa yung spinal tap?
the twitching is permanent. but bailey can run, play and still jump but not as high. you can do physical therapy to help the dog but the twitching is forever.
the tap – they take out a drop of spinal fluid from the backbone sa may nape then they replace that fluid with a drop of the Newcastle Lasota strain virus. you have to buy the virus from a poultry store. are you planning to do the tap?
magka hawig si bailey and my bambam.
white and brown naman si bambam
awwww… i hope you can move fast on the spinal tap. the longer u wait the worse amd more painful it will be…
My Nanie has distemper for almost a week and half. The vet suggested euthanasia. Pero di ako pumayag. I know our baby is a fighter. She was convulsions and seizures. What will I do? It is heartbreaking to see her that way. Hindi ako makatulog sa gabi kasi naririnig namin siya umiyak kaya binabantayan namin siya. I don’t know what to do now. I feel sad kasi seems the vet doesn’t know the spinal tap. Is there a way to lessen the seizure? We feed her through syringe. Malakas naman siya kumain. Normal pee and poop too. Can we do the spinal tap at home?
Hi Joys, you can’t do the spinal tap because it involves anesthesizing the dog, sticking a needle into the spinal column at the neck, removing some spinal fluid and replacing it with the Newcastle Virus. If you are willing to spend, then I suggest that you take your dog to Vets In Practice and have them perform the spinal tap. It is not an assurance that your dog will survive but it will increase the chances of survival from 1-2% up to 40-70%. The procedure is not without it’s risks,some dogs don’t wake up anymore after the anaesthetic. But then if your dog is going to die then the risk is well worth it.
I am so sorry that you have to go through this. It is a slow and painful disease and it’s so hard to see your furry babe suffering so badly. I would opt for euthanasia if you decide not to do the tap… be brave and make the right choice… God bless you…
It has been 2 weeks since Kimpy’s spinal tap. He is getting weaker and weaker everyday. One vet told me that he might not responded to the spinal tap.
Week 1 – he got yellowish nasal discharge
more teeth clenching
Week 2 – cough and normal colds, he cant stand anymore
less teeth clenching pero sinisinok (i just it is also a sign of twitching)
I am giving him Baytril, Nerontin, Vit C with corn syrup, Vit B, and Colloidal everyday. I feed him with Lactol, Recovery Diet, and Cerelac. What else did I miss?
I hope our dog could recovery pa. He doesn’t cry naman and as long as he eats, we will do everything to fight against this terrible disease.
get him off neurontin. that just makes him drowsy. im not a vet but when bailey was not showing signs of improvement sa first week, one vet sa vip suggested stop muna neurontin. it should only be used for a few days after the tap. when i took her off neurontin sumigla siya paunti-unti. since im not a vet, just talking from experience, ask ur vet what he thinks abt my suggestion.
hey i want ur serious help…similar to you, i too delayed my pups shots…now she is showing signs of distemper, but it is not yet confirmed….her syptoms are
1. she acts like she is chewing gum.
2. she gives jerks while sleeping…although they are veryyy rare.
3.discharge from her eyes.
4. she has turned moody while eating, and thus has lost her appetite….she only eats chicken nothing else..
please help me what to do…the vet said now i should not vaccinate her becoz if she really has distemper, then vaccination will make the disease more serious.
how can i confirm that she has distemper? i live in india and the vet said in india there are no tests to confirm this disease..
i’ll be really thankful..
my mail id is :- anirocks.1395@gmail.com
Hi Aniket please email
ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com
he knows some Indian Vets who can help you. He is based in New York and runs a worldwide campaign vs distemper. His website is Kind Hearts in Action, please search it on google, u will get lots of information on distemper therr.
i wish u the best, keep me updated…
but by looking at her symptoms, can you make out if she has a chance of having distemper,,?? she is very active and plays a lot.
the best is to take a distemper test. if u guess based on symptoms you might misdiagnose your dog…
what are tests for confirming distemper?
i’ll do her tests….but plzzzzz tell me one thing..my dog jerks a little while sleeping, only his forearms jerk and that too very rarely…he doesnt have a runny nose at all, but yes, there is some discharge from his eyes but not much….the greatest thing is that he eats nicely and is super-active…do you think he might have distemper? does this case looks like a distemper case….or does his symptoms and habits match with that of bailey?
i’ll do her tests….but plzzzzz tell me one thing..my dog jerks a little while sleeping, only his forearms jerk and that too very rarely…he doesnt have a runny nose at all, but yes, there is some discharge from his eyes but not much….the greatest thing is that he eats nicely and is super-active…do you think he might have distemper? does this case looks like a distemper case….or does his symptoms and habits match with that of bailey?
i’ll be very greatful.
aniket, i just met someone who thought his dog had distemper because of the same symptoms u mentioned but it wasnt distemper. it was something else.
the best thing u csn do for yoyr dog is to go to a reputable vet and get him tested for distemper. it looks like a pregnancy kit except the vet uses blood taken from your dog.
keep me updated…
my bambam succumb to distemper just now…di nya na kaya and too late na ng malaman ko na mayroon sya…tama ka ms. joyce, kung hindi ko sana na delay dati ang mga vaccines nya hindi sana nagkaganito. pero im sure tumatakbo na sya ng malaya ngayon ng walang nararamdaman na sakit. Anyway gusto ko magpasalamat sa’yo ms. joyce sa mga advice mo at sana dumami pa mga tao na kagaya mo na may gintong puso.Good night and salamat ulit! God bless!
Enzo
hi enzo
so sorry to hear this news… but yes, to be a good companion to your pet is to get him or her vaccinated regularly. lets pray that those who read this will learn from us….
I Also Had A Dog who’s diagnosed with distemper last feb 6, 2013. His Name Was LUCKY. he dont Rec’d any Vaccine b4 he was Diagnosed with Distemper. the Clinic give lucky Canglovd a treatment Fof Distemper. After A month Of Giving Lucky B Complex and maxgxl, I consult To Other Clinic, the Clinic Increase The Dosage of B Complex. after Ward I Read U Blog, i went To VIP animal Hospital Last April 15, the Hospital Suggest To test Lucky With Distemper virus, i Was Supprised When distemper Test Got A Negative Result. The Doctor Said Lucky Is Just To Lucky To Survive With Distemper. Maybe Maxgxl Help Lucky To Survive With Distemper
His eye Is Clear, is Nose dont Have Nassal Discharge, his Pad bcome Soft. Thank To God, thank To you, thanks To All The Doktor, hope Thr TIC that Lucky Have Now Will Gone Soon,
Hi Jocelyn! Dogs who survive Distemper are very rare… congrats! is your dog twtching?
maybe now is the time to get your dog vaccinated if you havent already! very happy for you and your dog!!!
Un Dog Nio Po B Alive P til Now? Nagpavaccine N Po Ako Sa VIP hospital. Tanx
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151352021516431&l=1558325571943464806
she is fine but twitches non-stop bec of permanent nerve damage but she can still play and run and have fun. She is also fatter now, but it took us more than a year to help her get fat. Problem talaga niya, skinny dog siya even before the distemper… 
That is a video of Bailey that I took a couple days ago
please keep me updated on your dog…
Un Video Po Ganun Din Po Un Lagay ni Lucky Ngayon, canglovd Lng Po Inject Ng 1st Clinic N pinuntahan Nmin, i Working P rin Dun sa Permanent Nerve Damage Nia, pinapa InomInom q Cya Maxgxl Supplement Capsule, naniniwawala Po Ako Mwwla Un Nerve Damage Nia, mttgalan Nga Lng Siguro Pero Kya Un Maxgxl. Hehehe. Kpg Po Nwla N nerve Damage Nia Mgpost Po Ako Video Ng Before N After Ni Lucky. Salamat. nothing Is Impossible with God.
hello our cocker spaniel has symptoms of distemper; however, the vet said he is still under observation for another two weeks. We cannot wait that long and do nothing. We saw your post and we thought of asking you if you can suggest any multi vitamins that can strengthen the immune system of our dog, Jovit. Thanks and Godbless
i wouldnt wait two weeks. the sooner you know its distemper, thw better. distemper is a terrible disease. Your c. spaniel will slowly waste away before your very eyes.
First things u can do, start giving your dog colloidal silver and get him/her tested for distemper (if u havent yet).
When Bailey was showing signs of lethargy, id take her to the vet every 2 or 3 days until they finally figured out it was Distemper. When we found out, i made the decision to have VIP do the spinal tap and she survived.
keep me posted and if u have more questions my email is jaedeelight@yahoo.com
Thanks a lot Joyce for your immediate reply. Yes, I thought so, I wouldnt wait two weeks. Jovit is the pet dog of my close friend who passed away november of 2011. He is so lovable. A friend of mine describes him as the “pinakamabait” na dog she ever encountered. She herself has 3 shitsus, but it was so nice to hear her speak of Jovit that way…and truly Jovit is…
We are from Baguio. And medical treatment for dogs here are limited. I pray I can get colloidal silver in one of the pet shops here. My vet said that distemper testing is not readily available, she has to inquire where, and so I know that the procedure Bailey went through might not be available too. I thought of strengthening Jovits immune system might help. Jovit is on multivitamins, I give him yakult and oral rehydration 3-4 times daily. And of course, I pray over him unceasingly. Its just too difficult to see him the way he is today, so far from the cheerful, lovable, malambing dog he once used to be…
God bless you more in your endeavor of helping dog owners handle distemper cases…btw, hows Bailey?
Is it possible for you to bring your dog down to Manila? There is time. It seems like your vet caught it early. You can try emailing Ed Bond and asking him if he knows of any Filipino vet in BAguio or near there who is able to do the Tap. Search his website – Kind Hearts in Action and click on the Contact tab and his email will show up.
REgarding Bailey she is in this video which I took a couple days ago:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151352021516431&l=1558325571943464806
Bailey twitches non-stop and has occasional seizures and is slightly awkward when she moved but otherwise, she can run, play, jump and enjoy a normal life. She is on daily medication tho for the seizures, thank God the meds are not so expensive… HOping that you can find a way to bring your dog to Manila…
Sadly, we had to put Kimpy to sleep last April 23 as per vet’s advice. He cannot use his four legs anymore, he looked sad and unhealthy. He showed improvement on the 1st week after the spinal tap but on his 2nd week, he got worse. No more wagging of tail. It was a tough decision but we know it was for the better. He’s in pet heaven now without any pain
o my, this is sad news. im sorry to hear this. but thank you for informing me. the tap is not a perfect remedy and readers need to know the risks.
but i am thankful for people like u who fight for their pets and give them lots of tlc. how i wish more people were like u… my condolences….
Hi, Joyce! Thanks to you for sharing your story and thanks to my cousin, Faith, for giving me the link to your blog. Our dog, Pocholo, has Distemper which started last week. He already has some symptoms, like fever, eye gunk, and weakness. He coughs and pants. He hardly has appetite and he walks with slight wobble. The hardest part was when he’s hardly moving, he’s avoiding touch, and he’s refusing to be looked in the eye. He was checked by his vet and had 3 vaccines (antiobiotic and health booster) for 3 consecutive days (just this week, April 22-24). We were also informed that there’s no cure for distemper and he really just needs to boost his immune system. We’re giving him vitamins and antibiotics now. And his water has dextrose powder in it. We’re also trying to discover what food he likes to eat everyday (just like Bailey, he has unpredictable food preference). The intake is also very little (2-3 bites). We are continuously praying for healing because my family believes that God is our Divine Healer. And I’ve already cried about him while praying. There are slight improvements because his energy improved – at times, he can walk further, he can wag his tail a bit faster, and he was able to climb up the stairs yesterday. We are constantly observing how he is and continuously praying and believing. We have other dogs aside from Pocholo that are already developing eye gunk (suspected distemper already) but they are still very energetic. I’ll have my parents read your blog so that we can talk about options for our dogs. Thanks again and all the best (hugs) for Bailey. God bless you.
So sorry to hear that youre fighting Distemper in your home. I hope your parents will be ok to do the Tap on Pocholo. If you can get some Colloidal Silver today, start giving that to all your dogs. It might save your other dogs who picked up the virus from Pocholo. Praying for the best…
Thank you! I shared your blog and videos to my parents. I asked my cousin to check on her dog’s vet if they do Spinal Tap and, if yes, what the requirements are. So far, my dad prefers herbal/natural supplements over Colloidal Silver since all other dogs are healthy (no other symptoms except the unusual eye gunk). Today, Pocholo ate eggplant omelette. =)
i dont believe herbal supplements can fight something as insidiously evil as distemper. herbal supplements are okay for health maintenance but not for fighting disease when youre already sick. i take colloidal silver when i feel a cold coming on and the cold is arrested, it doesnt progress. do research on it. i dont recommend long term use but short-term for dogs should be ok. please researcj and corroborate this with your vet ha, im not a vet kasi. this is just my opinion.. praying for your dogs…
Hi Andrei, regarding your comment that the other dogs are ‘healthy’ and only have eye gunk – well, they may look healthy on the outside but if the virus is incubating inside of them then it’s a scary situation. Distemper is a killer. It first attacks the internal organs then enters the spinal column and ends up in the brain. Please do more research and ask several vets if herbal supplements can fight something as strong as Distemper. You don’t use a flyswatter to kill a tiger. Just my thoughts. Please check with your vet and other vets since I am not a medical expert on dogs.
By the way, my mom says thank you for sharing. You have the courage and faith to fight for Bailey’s life against all odds. And it’s inspiring because it gives hope.
Hey Andrei, say Hi to your Mom! Yeah, it really was a battle and I had to stay BRAVE. One of the hardest things to do is be brave when you see your sweet furry baby suffering so badly. There were times when I was tempted to put Bailey to sleep just so she would not have to go thru all that pain and hardship. While putting down your dog is not a sign of cowardice (I’ve had to put down a dog once) I decided against it and said that Bailey and I would fight this one together. Bahala na si Batman. It was the right choice, thank God. Praying for your dog to get better and your other dogs to also be safe…
Hello!
I found your post and gave some hope. We have 6 dogs and they were just diagnosed with distemper (I’m writting from CR by the way). We can’t expressed how sad we are.
Did you little Bailey survived? Is she ok now?
In the Vet they told us that they could keep them alive for a year, but they said there was nothing we could do.
Any advice?
Bailey is fine, its been 2 or 3 years since her spinal tap. She twitches non-stop but can run, play and do normal dog things.
please read my post, all the information is there. if you read the comments, youll find valuable info as well. Where/what is CR?
Hoping you can get your dogs to all have spinal taps. its what saved Bailey. keep me updated!
I mentioned the spinal tap to my Vet and he was literally shocked! He said i could read about miracle procedures in the internet but that they would not work
I will push this option one more time knowing that it worked for you!
My babies are doing alright i guess… They are getting penicillin shots and an experimental medicine for distemper (don’t remember the name but I’ll ask on sunday on their next appointment).
CR= Costa Rica in Central America.
Hugs to Bailey!
your vet is not aware of all the miracles that have happened because of these experimental treatments. go to the website – kind hearts in action – tell your vet to check it out and contact ed bond on the contact tab. ed might even know of a vet in costa rica who can do the spinal tap. keep fighting for your dog’s life!
hello ask ko lng if you can suggest where can i buy the newcastle for spinal tap? my puppy has distemper and so depressing..everytime she got seizure i cant look at her and im glad i found someone like you has same situation..regards
you can call vip and ask kung meron silang stock. kung wala, u can buy from any poultry supply. hoping your puppy makes it!
thanks for this blog…it gives me hope that my mandy can make it as well. she was diagnosed with distemper last april 29. its been a week after and just last monday her hindlimb was affected. she cannot stand anymore..continuing her meds to avoid secondary bacterial infection, i have to go to her vet later and ask about the spinal tap. if she doesnt have it then i’ll go to vip for it. it really breaks my heart to see her wanting to get up but can’t…my hope on high again when i read about bailey!! regards
hi Monica move fast. specially since hind legs are affected. if i were you i would just take my dog directly to vip. there are no other vets that i know who do the tap (altho one ccommeneter said her vet does the tap) if u want just call your vet and ask. dont waste another day…
6 days after the spinal tap, 5 out of my 7 puppies are doing great! The one with head twitching seemed to lessen, thank you lord! One cant get up since the tap and no appetite so I force feed her. The other one has a high fever but is eating. Still, I believe that the one who cant get up will surprise me one of these days.
looks like you caught it early, thank God! if the twitching lessened that is excellent news. im believing with you that all of them will be fine and back to playing in no time! Thanks too for the update, many ppl visit this post and shared experiences (both good and bad) are invaluable to the pet owner who is dealing with distemper!
My Bruno is on his 3rd day with the illness.
hi Rolly, im sorry to hear that
do u have a plan of action?
My 2 month old puppy also has distemper. I just have a question, dogs are lactose intolerant right? I want to also give him Ensure but won’t it just worsen his diarrhea? Please let me know how your dog responded to the supplement. Thanks
Actually, you may be right! I am not a vet so it’s always best for you to check with your own vet or do your own research regarding dogs being lactose intolerant. Altho i do give my dogs a little milk sometimes and even yogurt which they seem to like. But I don’t give them a whole lot and not everyday.
As for Diarrhea, in humans it is worsened by milk products so it might be a bad idea to give it to anyone or any mammal suffering from diarrhea (I would suppose).
As for my dog’s survival, she made it because of the Spinal Tap and stringent medications after the tap. Are you planning to do the same for your puppy? You need to move fast because puppies have a harder time with the virus than older dogs. Hoping it turns out well for you and your dog!
VIP recommends he gets a serum but the problem is, I can’t find a donor. On top of that, I heard it’s very expensive. I notice some changes in my puppy after his body shot (5 days ago). He coughs less now but his nose is still runny. No sore eyes either. Although I noticed the light brown discoloration in his paws (use to be black). I’m hoping it’s not an early sign of hard pad. Also, I notice him twitching when he sleeps (I thought maybe he is dreaming) and he sometimes grinds his teeth.
Not sure what to do now except take care of him and make sure he gets enough food in his system (have to force feed him most of the time). Sometimes, I think he is getting better after the body shot but then he starts acting in a way that makes me think otherwise.
The serum is the first option if the virus is caught early. There is a second option, the Spinal Tap but that is viable only when the dog reaches the neurological stage – when twitching starts. I suggest you call VIP back and ask if you can do the tap now since he’s already twitching. It’s cheaper (much more) than the serum and doesn’t need a donor. But you will need the Newcastle Disease Virus for the tap. Call and ask if they have some in stock. If they have none, then you need to purchase it from a Poultry Supply store. Such stores are closed on Sundays, FYI.
Yes, that is really the trouble with Distemper. You have good days alternating with bad ones but the dog just never really returns to his playful, ravenous self. The cold goes away and sometimes the sore eyes too but only 1 to 2% of dogs survive Distemper when allowed to go thru the course of the illness. With the Tap, that increases to 40-70% survival depending on how early you catch the disease.
Search Kind Hearts in Action online. They have complete information on the Spinal Tap (as well as the Serum treatment). Wishing you the best!
hello, thank you so much for sharing your story..my puppy (Uling, because her coat is as black as coal) was diagnosed with distemper 5days ago..i didn’t know anything about distemper until i saw her front paws twitching and i was afraid it might be a little too late for her..the vet in our area just gave her cangclob shots to slow down the virus and other meds (marbofloxacin, b-complex, and ascorbic acid) but nothing to address the pain and i can’t stand seeing uling in pain anymore..i’m already considering putting her to sleep but i don’t think i can do it..it just feels so wrong..but your post gave me hope which is why i’m going to give the spinal tap a try and see if that would work on uling..
Sorry to hear that Uling is having a tough time. Move fast on the tap, call vip to ask if they have the Newcastle Virus, if not, youll have to buy from a Poultry Supply. Wishing u the best…
we will be going to VIP mandaluyong tomorrow from bulacan to have Uling’s spinal tap treatment (i sure hope that distance will not be a problem because i don’t know of any other vet clinic that performs the treatment). they told me it will costs about 5-6k. i also bought the new castle virus from the poultry store you mentioned (worth Php190). i hope everything goes well and again, thank you for sharing your experience. i forgot to mention how happy i am for you that bailey is doing well. dogs are absolutely lovely creatures and they love so unconditionally. it’s always nice to hear stories, like yours, where the dog gets love and not abuse. thank you.
I hope your vehicle has ac. Bring water, cotton balls to wet Uling’s lips, Gatorade to hydrate, soft bedding too. Blanket in case ac gets chilly. Drive slow, no jerky moves. Do not bring Uling into VIP. Distemler is so contagious that they do the tap in the parking lot. The Tap is a fast procedure. It will be done in minutes so you can go home right after. Dog will be anaesthesized btw. Make sure to ask for Colloidal Silver if they dont prescribe it. Subcutaneous fluids too. Please tell me how it went. Will be waiting for your update…
hello again..sorry it took me a while to update you..had no access to the net in the passed few days..we went to VIP last wednesday (15 may) but i opted for the body shot (of the new castle virus) instead of the spinal tap, which costs 900 (500 for the actual shot and 400 for consultation)..the vet said they have yet to determine which is more effective..they said that if uling’s case gets worse after 3 days we can always go back to get the spinal tap done..today’s the 3rd day and i think i can safely say that uling is somehow doing fine (not really better but thankfully she’s not getting worse)..she’s still twitching all over but i know there’s nothing i can do about that anymore..but her appetite is okay, it just takes a while to know what she would like to eat..she religiously drinks water on her own..she poops and pees just like a regular dog even if her legs are wobbly..she cries occasionally probably because of the discomfort of twitching (this is what the vet also said)..she hasn’t had any seizures yet but i asked the vet to prescribe something that would somehow help uling with her twitching and get some decent sleep..
that’s all i can share for now..i’ll keep you posted if anything comes up..thank you for your help..
by the way, i also sent messages to my friends and fellow dog lovers to warn them about distemper so that they could immediately take precautions..prevention is really better than cure..
So happy to hear from you! My first time to hear about the body shot, i hope it works because the tap is costly. This is a well-detailed report, thanks much, it will help others fighting distemper. Will wait for anothet update and will be praying that it’ll be good news. will do research on that body shot when i visit vip next week to buy bailey’s daily anti-seizure meds. If she doesnt take her pills, she gets seizures. ugh. But she’s worth it!
hi so inspiring too bad my dog died because of distemper