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Canine Distemper FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How your dog can be saved from canine distemper.

en español

Based on our anecdotal information, here is what we generally believe is, and is not possible with the NDV treatments for canine distemper.

 

NDV-induced serum

May save a dog or puppy of any age, but has to be used within 6 days of onset of symptoms. (Before going neuro.) A 90 percent survival rate is possible.

 

NDV as an IV injection

Might save a dog or puppy IF the immune system is intact, IF it is older than 12 weeks, and IF it is not a pure breed known to not have a response to NDV. This should not be the primary way to treat dogs, but might be used if the NDV-induced serum is not available.

Neither of these can help the nervous system, so when a dog gets to the neural stage there’s the …

NDV spinal tap

Has a nearly 50 percent survival rate. A professor at Kansas State who studied this treatment is not convinced that it helps. However, it may be that if given enough time and care many of these dogs can achieve a decent quality of life. Long term neurologic problems may remain, but may also be managed with drugs and physical therapy and other options.

But remember, even in the best of circumstances, distemper doesn’t play fair.


Here’s the rest of our FAQ …

Will these treatments save my dog from distemper?
It depends on whether your dog can be treated fast enough. Dr. Sears recommends that a dog be treated within six days of seeing symptoms. Unfortunately, many dog owners do not find out about this treatment until it is nearly too late. And often if the treatment is delayed too long other opportunistic diseases can set in. By then, even if the distemper symptoms are reversed, the dog could still die of the other diseases. In medical science there are no absolute guarantees, but if a dog is treated quickly and properly with Dr. Sears’ protocols, we believe there is an excellent chance of recovery.

How do these treatments work?

We don’t know the full story, yet. But here’s a possible explanation: The treatments are based on the Newcastle Disease Vaccine (NDV). Newcastle Disease is something that infects chickens. The vaccine was designed to give chickens immunity from the disease, but in the dog something else entirely happens. The Newcastle Vaccine may create a response within the dog’s immune system. We believe this is a previously unknown material or group of interacting materials that is able to neutralize the invading virus. We don’t know how or why, but it works and it works quickly, often within 24 hours.

What are the symptoms of distemper?

Distemper is often seen in two stages. In the first pre-neurological stage – before neural problems such as tics, twitches, spasms, seizures and paralysis – you may see hardening of the pads of feet, dulling of the eyes, mucous in the nose, coughing and respiratory trouble. Distemper attacks every system of the dog, so the damage is happening everywhere and there are symptoms you may not see. It can attack the stomach and make your dog vomit. For a while it may not attack the nervous system, this is because of the blood-brain barrier. However, it will eventually attack the oligodendrocytes,  which controls the production of myelin. With the destruction of the myelin sheath that protects the nerves, the neurological stage begins. The neurologic problems could be seen as chorea – a kind of involuntary twitching and shuddering – as well as a loss of balance, chewing gum seizures – which look like the dog is trying to chew a piece of gum – to a full-body shaking and convulsions. Since other diseases may mimic the symptoms of distemper, your first step should be to confirm that your dog has the disease. Your vet can take a blood test for you, but by the time you get the results back the dog may be too sick to help. We recommend you get the blood tested anyway, but then treat for distemper without waiting for the results. Then later if the test does come back positive for distemper, you know you have saved your dog. But Dr. Sears has come up with a faster test called the Brush Border Smear.

My vet prescribed antibiotics and fluids. Won’t this cure my dog of distemper?

Sadly, no. Antibiotics and fluids are supportive therapy. The prevailing wisdom in veterinary medicine is that there is no cure for canine distemper. The vet prescribed the antibiotics not as a way to fight the distemper, but to prevent other opportunistic diseases such as bacterial pneumonia from attacking the dog. This makes sense, though. Distemper knocks down the immune system, allowing these other diseases to attack. So, even with the NDV treatments, you should pursue aggressive treatment with antibiotics. However, antibiotics do nothing against the distemper virus itself. The fluids are another supportive strategy that can help, but this is still part of the traditional approach of trying to control the symptoms and waiting to see if the dog lives or dies. Most dogs die without the NDV treatment.

So, what kind of treatment will save my dog?

That depends on how old your dog is and what kind of symptoms you are seeing. If your dog is pre-neurological, your  dog might be treated with Dr. Sears’ serum. Unfortunately, the serum may not be available or you may not have enough time for a vet to make the serum. In this case, if the dog is old enough — more than 12 weeks — and has a strong enough of an immune system, an injection of the NDV vaccine may save the dog. Some dogs recover that easily. But this is not as reliable as the serum, and you won’t know for sure that it will work until you try it. If the animal is too young a puppy or has a compromised immune system, you will need to use the serum. If the dog is neurological, then the treatment is an injection of the NDV vaccine into the spinal canal. This allows the treatment to attack the distemper virus that is destroying the nervous system.

How did Dr. Sears discover his serum?

Dr. Sears discovered the serum when he was a practicing veterinarian in Lancaster, California. After being overwhelmed with distemper cases, Dr. Sears tried a variety of possible treatments, but none worked. Then, he read an article in the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association of a study that showed Newcastle Disease virus could boost levels of Interferon in cats. [Here is an example of an article on the NDV studies in cats. Click for PDF ] He thought it worth it to try the same procedure in dogs, but made a mistake and did not withdraw the blood serum at the same time as reported in the article. With the change in timing, the serum he created did not have Interferon. Tests from Cornell University confirmed that his sample did not contain Interferon. However, before he got that result back, he had already treated a distemper dog with the serum and it completely recovered. Obviously, some other new material or combination of materials had saved the dog’s life. But Dr. Sears does not know what that material is.

What is Dr Sears’ serum?

The serum is created by using a donor dog, which is injected with the NDV vaccine. The donor dog’s immune system is triggered to create a disease-fighting material, which is still unidentified. But at a crucial time, blood is drawn from the donor. The serum is separated from this blood and then can be used to save a dog in the pre-neurological stage. The NDV-induced serum does not include the NDV virus. If used within the first six days of symptoms, the serum can stop a dog from ever having seizures.

Is the donor dog hurt?

No. When done properly in a veterinary clinic and monitored by a vet, the creation of the serum does not hurt the donor dog.

Can I use this to treat my dog without a vet?

No. These protocols are meant to be used by vets treating their sick patients. You should not be treating an animal on your own and without veterinary guidance. If your vet is not interested in using these treatments, contact us and we can make a referral to a vet who is.

But why doesn’t every vet use this treatment?

Because this is not taught in veterinary schools, and it is not yet published in a veterinary journal. It has not yet been accepted by the veterinary community. But that doesn’t mean it is not valid. We believe this is a previously unknown ally in our battle against disease. And it was discovered by accident, by a simple veterinarian in a California desert community, not at a major research facility or university. In the 1970s, Dr. Sears tried to present his discovery to a veterinary conference in Las Vegas, but he was told to “sit down, that’s impossible.” So, he sat down and then spent years quietly saving hundreds of dogs from this disease. His work drew no attention until it was published on a Web site in 2000, and it has only been in the past couple of years since his retirement that other vets have quietly picked up his work. We understand the reluctance of vets to try these treatments. They have not yet been proven or published yet. But we are gathering statistics on their effectiveness. It will be a long road before these treatments attain publication and acceptance. But we are working toward that goal. We have faith that this will happen eventually.

But this is so wonderful. It’s a miracle cure, isn’t it?

Whoa. Don’t get ahead of yourself. If the dog is treated within six days, there is an excellent chance of recovery. But so many people find out about these treatments late.  This is not  a resurrection technique.  It cannot save a dog who has been on the brink of death for weeks and return them to health. And with the spinal tap treatment for the neurologic distemper, you must remember that the seizures usually do not go away immediately. Sometimes it takes days, weeks, months. But remember, there is always the danger of pneumonia and other diseases that can kill your dog. Also, please realize that every dog will react to this differently, just as they react to distemper differently. Factors that can affect the outcome include age, the strength of the immune system, neutering, loss of T-cell function and the genetics of the virus and of the vaccine. Even under the best of cases there will be those who do NOT respond. We aren’t promoting a miracle, but we can offer hope for distemper dogs.

What happens if I don’t get my dog treated within six days?

Then you are likely to see the neurologic phase begin.  There still is hope for your dog, but the odds of success start to drop. Dr. Sears says that when he was in practice, the survival rate of dogs treated with the serum within six days of symptoms was in the high 90s. But so many dogs do not get treated in time and go into the neurologic phase, and the serum cannot help neurologic symptoms. The spinal tap might help, but the survival rate for dogs treated with the NDV spinal tap is about 50 percent. The longer you wait, the more the odds of survival drop. And a professor at Kansas State who studied the NDV does not believe it is beneficial. However, many dogs who reach neuro stage of distemper have a chance to achieve a reasonable quality of life even with good enough nursing care.

And who are you?

We are Save Dogs From Canine Distemper, a project run by Kind Hearts in Action, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles to rescue and find homes for stray dogs. The project director for Save Dogs From Canine Distemper is Ed Bond, whose dog, Galen, was saved by Dr. Sears in 1997. When Galen’s story was first published on the Internet in 2000, Dr. Sears finally posted the protocol for his NDV-induced serum.

How do I order the serum?

The serum cannot be mailed or shipped within the U.S., but vets can make the serum in their clinics, store it there and treat dogs brought to them.  We do not sell any veterinary product ourselves. And it is up to the vet clinics themselves to decide how to reach out to the public.

What other diseases in dogs does the serum treat?

According to Dr. Sears, it has also cured dogs of herpes. It may have a beneficial effect on dogs with canine influenza. However, that depends on what strain of the virus that is attacking. However, we know for certain the serum and the NDV treatments do NOT cure parvo.

Tell me more about Dr. Sears

Dr. Al Sears was born in the Canal Zone of Panama. He went to the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California at Davis and spent 40 years practicing small animal medicine in Lancaster, Calif. He retired in 2006. More information: http://alsears.wordpress.com/

So, who is Ed Bond?

Ed Bond is the project director on canine distemper for Kind Hearts In Action, a 501c3 charity in the U.S. He also runs a group of websites on behalf of Dr. Sears. He became involved in this issue after his dog was saved from distemper by Dr. Sears in 1997. He has been an activist for this cause since December 2008, when he started the Save Dogs From Canine Distemper cause on Facebook. He now manages information about Dr. Sears and his treatments on Facebook, WordPress, Twitter and YouTube, as well as a discussion board on neurologic distemper. However, he is not — and does not claim to be — a vet, a scientist, a researcher or an expert. He is a former journalist, using the tools of media and the Web to spread the story about Dr. Sears and his treatments, as well as documenting the outcome of as many distemper cases as possible. Ed Bond can answer many questions about the NDV treatments as Dr. Sears has explained them to him, and most of the information needed to use the treatments are on these websites, which are reviewed and approved by Dr. Sears. However, when questions become too technical, Ed will refer you directly to Dr. Sears or to another vet. More about Ed Bond.

DOWNLOADABLE FILES

Copyright © 2014 Kind Hearts In Action Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

66 replies on “Frequently Asked Questions”

Greetings, We adopted a month old puppy, Manny, from the pound and he has displaced symptoms of distemper (nasal discharge, coughing, fever, constant diarrhea). The vet gave us antibiotics (doxcycline)for possible infections, and another for the diarrhea. So far those are the only symptoms Manny is showing. I’ve read that the NDV needs to be injected by the 6th day…that would be tomorrow. Please tell me where I can purchase the NDV in Houston, TX. I am willing to drive to Austin, but I prefer to do the injection myself as I cannot afford a vet. Thank you, Tam

I’ve sent you some information. If you have trouble paying for the shot, please contact us again. We may be able to help you.

Hello, sir. My question is, if the dog already sick for 1 or 2 months, is it still possible to save him using the treatment? And is it possible for me to have Dr. Sears phone number, so my vet can actually communicate with him if there’s any question. Coz I live in a different time zone. It’s rather hard to communicate via email.
Thank you, Yuli

From what I have learned about this, after one or two months the odds of survival are low. However, it may be that if your dog has survived the respiratory phase of distemper and is now only battling a chronic, ongoing form of the neurologic disease, there may be something that can be done to help your dog. Please e-mail me directly at savedistemperdogs@yahoo.com so we can continue this directly. I will help your vet connect with Dr. Sears if he/she is interested in pursuing the treatment.

I’d like some more info. I live in northern New Jersey. I think my 5 months old Maltese has CDV. I think he got it from vaccination, but not so sure.

Help!! about 2 weeks ago I went to a park took my dog with me he really loves walking well last week i noticed he was acting a little strange but thought maybe she was just acting up because my girlfriend moved in she is 1year(dec 26) old belgium malanois she has had her shots for this disease but for some reason she has the same symptoms as all the stories I have seen last friday i left town and left her with my grandpa I returned today to his request because she wasnt eating and she had shakes like parkansen deisease or something I took her to a Vet this morning and verified and yes she has all the sypmtoms I live in Mexico and here are the shots he gave her (Kinoselen ,Baytril,and Yatren Careina ..I think the last one is mispeled) but he said that if she got better by tomorrow to take her in again to give her I.V. and if she didnt react to it that I would have to put her to sleep. the latter is not an option for me I want to know what other shots would work I live in Monterrey, Mexico and called dosen of vets and they tell me the same thing (put her to sleep)

It sounds like you need to get a diagnosis first. There are other conditions that can mimic distemper. Dr. Sears has a quick way to find out if the dog is within 10 days of symptoms:

https://kindheartsinaction.com/2009/11/08/the-brush-border-smear/

It also sounds like if this is distemper, you are in the neurologic stage. There is a treatment that can still help your dog:

https://kindheartsinaction.com/2009/11/05/treatment-of-neurologic-distemper/

If your vet in Mexico cannot help, I have contacts I can send you. Please contact us directly at savedistemperdogs@yahoo.com

Hi! We bought a shih tzu puppy we named as Thomas, as a gift to our son since he wants to have a dog badly. We had him last January 9, 2009. He was born October 20, 2009. He’s turning 3 months old tomorrow. After 2 days, I noticed he had cough and brought him to the vet on January 12. The vet said he has colds and gave him antibiotics. He was doing quite well after taking the meds for 3 days until he doesn’t want to eat last Sunday, January 17 and had fever and didn’t want to eat. We rushed him to the vet and he gave him antipyretic shot. When we got home, he was feeling fine and was back to normal, he ate his food and played with us. But yesterday, he didn’t have fever but doesn’t want to eat again. I took him to another vet this morning and the new vet confined Thomas in her clinic. She said he’s dehydrated already and let’s hope it’s not Distemper. I didn’t know anything about the disease until the new vet discussed to me what distemper was. And she said if it’s Distemper, we couldn’t do anything about it anymore and this news breaks our hearts. Thomas has been with us for 10 days now but we love him so much. Please let me know if the treatment is available here in our country. I live in the Philippines. We don’t want to lose him.

Yes. It has been used successfully and repeatedly in the Philippines. I’ve sent you the information. There is hope.

Newcastle is a reportable disease in the US because if it hits the birds in the poultry industry, it will potentially wipe out the industry. How do we know the Newcastle vaccine –meant for birds, no? — put into a heathy dog does not shed into the environment. And if the vaccine somehow causes virus or particles of virus to shed from the donor dog’s body, could this infect nearby birds and then spread to other birds?
How do you know the dogs that have been treated would not have gotten better with supportive care, and not the benefit of the vaccine antibody serum added to the protocol?
Are you using any other adjuctive treatments at the same time, like homeopathic remedies?
-Doc Truli

Response from Dr. Sears:

As any graduate professional should know at this time in history that vaccines as used are incapacitated viruses. They are meant to illicit a response of the B-cell immune system and not to cause disease. If as suggest this vaccine were a live virus and administered to a flock of chickens or dogs then they would be a source of major contagion and out break of this disease in birds across the nation. Not so! Also within a period of 10 to 14 days a massive immune response is created in a mammal when injected with this vaccine which precludes the ability of that animal to shed the virus. As used by me it creates a massive t-cell immune reaction ( not B-cell, not antibody) in the fIrst 12 to 24 hours injurious to some, not all viruses ,(distemper in particular) which has the ability to attack said viruses inside the cell eliminating the distemper virus in a very short period of time. Once a distemper virus is intracellular antibodies to it cannot stop the virus. NDV induced serum CAN. For obvious reasons. “Let those who say it cannot be done get out of the way of those who can and do”

We know from vast experience that supportive care is a death sentence to the majority of distemper infected animals. (dogs as well as other species) Antibody serum has been tried for the 45 years that I have been a practicing vet WITHOUT success in treating sick animals with distemper. The reason for vaccinating donor dogs is so that you are not transmitting other diseases when giving the NDV induced serum to sick animals. No reason to give a second infectious disease. As for adjunct treatments, homeopathic techniques, chinese herbals, essence scent inhalers, antibiotics and fluids all of which have been used UNSUCCESSFULLY all these years, I leave it to the believers to use these techniques and watch their patients die . If you believe ANY of these other procedures other than a timely vaccine works , then just visit a pound for 2 months and watch the sick animals try to survive with their procedures. (see above ) I’m sure that in the future other procedures will be developed that will be successful. At this time in history my NDV induced serum is the ONLY one that has worked well inside the medical bell curve. Success is judged in the results. Good luck. Al Sears DVM

Our 13 week old puppy, Aston, was officially diagnosed with Distemper on Saturday, March 6. He was experiencing the twitching in both of his back legs, plus his front right leg, plus on the top left of his head, and he was admitted to the NCSU Animal Hospital that day. He had been treated with Clavimox and Doxicycline for the entire week prior for an URI/Pneumonia. He has been treated with supportive care (steriods, Clavimox, and iv fluids) since Saturday morning. We live in North Carolina, and many of your stories take place in other states. My questions are:
1) Is it too late for Aston to have this treatment?
2) If it isn’t too late, what could we expect if he were to get it?
3) Is there even a vet in NC that is willing to administer it?
4) How expensive would it be to give Aston the necessary vaccines? (He weighs 24 pounds.)

Thanks for any info. you can provide.

I’ve sent you answers to your questions. But I wanted to answer this in part here.

1) It is not too late. There is hope.

2) As to what to expect, you should watch this video:
https://kindheartsinaction.com/2010/01/30/kaliber-treated-for-neurologic-distemper/

3) Sorry, no one in NC who is doing the treatments, but I have sent you contact info for a well-recommended vet.

4) A spinal tap treatment can usually range from $500 to $1500 depending on the vet and extenuating circumstances.

Please let us know what happens.

Good day, I am in desperate need for help, my bull mastiff who is 9years old has confirmed distemper, he has been for treatment at our vet here in Boksburg South Africa but it doesn’t seem to be helping. He now cannot get up and it seems as if he is paralysed. I am at my wits end and I don’t know what to do or who to go to here in South Africa.I love my dog so much and I will do anything to save him. Is there someone in South Africa – Boksburg Gauteng that could help me to help him.Please please help me.I don’t want him to die or be put down.

I’m sorry. I don’t know of any vets in South Africa who are using these treatments … yet. But you might able to get a vet near you to consider giving this a try. We have a lot of information available online. This has been done successfully all over the world. I had tried to e-mail you a response, but it got bounced back. Here is the information on the treatments:

Pre-neurological:

https://kindheartsinaction.com/2009/11/05/anti-distemper-serum/

https://kindheartsinaction.com/2010/01/11/using-the-ndv-before-seizures/

For the dog with seizures, you need the spinal tap treatment:

Here are the pages that explains neurologic treatment:

https://kindheartsinaction.com/2009/11/05/treatment-of-neurologic-distemper/

https://kindheartsinaction.com/2009/12/17/dr-sears-describes-a-spinal-tap/

Also, here is where you can get a PDF download to give your vet:

http://www.edbond.com/NDV_packet.pdf

Good luck and let me know what happens,

Ed Bond

HELLO PLEASE TELL ME WHAT CAN I DO with my dog’s CASE. my pup is 7 months old and is suffering from DISTEMPER. 3 days in counting since the DISEASE has started attacking my pup. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE..we BADLY NEED your ADVICES…I am from the Philippines…is it Available Here?

Thank you so much for the fast reply. I have read all the links given. it is really necessary to have an attending Vet in performing it? I will send you a video.

I have a 7 weeks old puppy who is showing signs of distemper. His sibling is being treated now in Houston,TX They did not run a test to make sure its distemper but he says they know thats what it is. My 7 week old boxer is not showing any neurological signs but has 1 puss pocket on his belly (similar to an ant bite) he had his first set of shots on July 2, 2010. I took him to the vet on Monday to see what she thought and she thinks it may be the beginning signs of distemper. He also coughs every now and then and had green stuff comming form his eye. Today it seems to have cleared up and he is still acting normal. Tomorrow he is starting the treatment you have come up with. What do you thinks? Will this hurt him if he doesn’t have distemper? Also his other sibling they put to sleep yesterday because he looked to be blind in 1 eye and was very wobbly and not acting himself. He got to where he couldn’t even walk. Please let me know what your opinion is on my little puppy. We are so attached to him already. He is still eating and drinking normally.

Sounds like you found the folks with Project Hope. The treatment does not hurt a dog if he doesn’t have distemper. It is better to be treated and find out later that it was not distemper than to not treat and find out too late that it was distemper. Early treatment is critical, especially one as young as yours. If you are not working with Project Hope, please let us know what vet is helping you. E-mail us at savedistemperdogs@yahoo.com.

Hi, I need help with my dog.He is suffering from neurogical distemper.Symptoms started to show one week earlier.He is having seizures from time to time…and seizure time becomes longer with time..Can you please advise if there is a vet who can help me with this?Can he still survive?

I got Titan a mastiff mix from the pound on November 24th. He was happy and playful. On December 7th he started coughing some and I took him in to the vet the next day. they put him on 125mg of clavamox and recommended cough syrup. It didn’t get any better so I took him back in on Dec 14th. They gave him 1 cc of orbifloxacin and .5cc of Metacam, and did a blood draw to test for distemper. I got a call the next day that we have to go back on the 22nd because he had had his vaccinations on the 8th and the lab was afraid of a false positive. Today he started haveing these coughing fits where he kinda chuffs but stretches his neck way out. I really don’t want anything to happen to my puppy. We’ve only had him for about a month, but my two young kids and I really love him. Can you tell us if there is anyone in the area that may be able to help? And about what the cost would be? I’m a single mom in Kingman, Az, but will do everything within my power to save his little life. Thanks

We don’t have any vets using the NDV treatments in Arizona yet. However, if your puppy is older than 12 weeks, there is a chance we can stop this before it gets worse. Diagnosis is critical here, but you don’t want to wait for the lab tests to come back. (But you should get them in the meantime.) I will send you more information via e-mail.

I have a 2 1/2 month old Mastif pup that I rescued from the shelter. He was been coughing for the past several days, and two days ago, his eyes redened and his nose got runny. Today he refused to eat all day. I took him to the vet to get him checked, and she is convinced he has distemper. I did sub Q liquids, even though she recommends putting the dog to sleep. I want to save him, please help me. Does anyone in Houston use your methods?

hi! Just last week I lost my dog, mr. Wilson to distemper. Days after, I noticed my puppy, Nala (3 1/2months) having the same symptoms (lethargic, crusty nose and puffy eyes). Sent her to the vet immediately and she was positive w distemper. So I read what I could do about and stumbled upon this site, I contacted vets and poultry shops here and there. Nala had the chewing gum seizures already so the vet opted for the spinal tap. 11 hours after, she started moving around and eating.. She still has puffy eyes and she twitches from time to time. She’s taking her medications and I will bring her back to the vet for a follow up.. So far so good.. I’m from the Philippines and I only know 2 clinics that do this. A lot of doggy lives could be saved.. Thank you so much

hi cathy, my dog is showing signs of distemper. i’m also from the Philippines.. may i ask for the contact numbers or addresses of the 2 clinics who could help my dog.. please.. thanks..

hi i’m from the Philippines and my dog is showing symptoms of neurological distemper.. please e-mail me the contact information of people who could help us.. please.. id appreciate it much.. thanks..

Please I would like to know where in Puerto Rico can I take my dog he is a 4 year old beagle I’ve notice he has discharge from his eyes and his nose he is eating and drinking although he looks like he’s tired please help me.

Hi. First of all, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you are doing to save dogs from distemper and trying to spread awareness of this treatment. My 3 month old puppy was diagnosed in December 2010 with Distemper. We were told there was no hope, but I refused to accept this. I did tons of research on the internet, and came across your stories, which included success stories from many parts of the world, including the Philippines where we live. Though initially hesitant, I even contacted pet owners here who have had the treatment done on their own dogs, and have seen success, seeing that our poor puppy was suffering, we decided to give it a chance. We got him the NDV serum shots (but this was done in between his shoulders, not his leg, as you have updated — any reason why you say it should not be done between his shoulders?) he seemed to recover, but then started to develop a slight twitch in his hind legs, at which point I got him the NDV spinal tap. Its been 3 months and so far, so good. He’s one of the happiest, most playful, affectionate puppies we’ve ever had. His lungs still seem to be a bit fragile, but compared to how he used to be, he is a 100 times better. He’s just celebrated his 6th month, and has gained almost 4 kilos in less than 2 months. He had a blood test done during a follow-up exam, and the CDV spot test showed that he was negative for distemper. I know that only time will tell if he is really free from the disease, but to see him so happy and playful, and pretty healthy for a dog who went through such a harrowing experience, I can only thank you for spreading the word and giving pet owners hope that this virus can be contained. I pray that someday, this can become a mainstay treatment in all clinics so that pet owners know that there is hope.

Sherry, Philippines

Great news, Sherry! Thanks so much for posting. If you would like to help us further, you could post a page on Facebook, or a blog or we can set up a page on this site to go along with our other success stories. Anywhere you can create a Web page out there with links to our site will help boost our profile on the Web and make it easier for dog owners to reach us. For our site, we like posting pictures and videos from owners of distemper dogs that have been saved from this disease.

Ed Bond
ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com

Please help! My 13 week old long hair dachshund puppy has tested positive for distemper. Her symptoms include decreased appetite, runny nose, puffy eyes, lethargy and a dry cough. Is she a candidate for the serum? Please help…it breaks my heart to see her this way.

Hello, I have a long haired dachshund puppy that has been diagnosed with distemper. She is 13 weeks old and has the runny nose, puffy eyes with discharge, does not want to eat or drink and has lethargy. I live in Miami, FL..where can I go to give her this distemper serum?

Thank you,
Marisol Miller

My puppy was diagnosed with distemper. She is one year old doberman pincher. It is today 3 days after the high fever but she is eating , drinking and playing. We are from South Africa. Who can help us with the Newcastle injection in South Africa. Will it help her not to get further ill?

Thanks

It can help, especially because this sounds like this is not yet in the neurologic stage. Vets in South Africa have been VERY reluctant to use the NDV treatments, but I know of one vet to try. I will send you an e-mail with the details.

Ed Bond

Sorry, I don’t know of vets in New Mexico. Vets who use this are mainly in Texas, California and Florida. Please e-mail me at ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com and I can send you details.

Or you could present our information to your vet to see whether they are interested in doing this. Check the links on the side of the page. All the information on the treatments and on their effectiveness is there.

Hi

I am also from South Africa and my 4 month old chow puppy have bee diagnosed with distemper. She was diagnosed 6 days ago with this disease. I would like to know if you could please send me details of a vet in South aAfrica that will be able to assist my with the Newcaste injection

Thanks
LJ

4/8/2011
URGENT!
We want to know which Vet at San Juan Puerto Rico does the Dr Sears procedure.
We have a 4 months male dog at the Vet Clinic with diagnosed Distemper. And also we have there another 4 months male puppy with Parvovirus. Please help!
I wrote to your e mail more specific details.
Freddie

hello..im from the philippines and my dog is suffering from canine distemper..he is 8months old..and his been like this for about three days..please tell me if you have a branch here..

For help in the Philippines, you can get the basic information on these blogs: http://clarissequitco.multiply.com/photos/album/51/Icys_Canine_Distemper
and http://adventuresofabeautyqueen.com/2011/03/29/how-my-dog-bailey-survived-distemper-and-how-yours-could-too/

If you need further help, please e-mail me directly at ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com. Let me know how old your dog is, what symptoms you are seeing, what breed of dog and whether you have a diagnosis.

Ed Bond

Hello I need urgent help finding the vet in Houston that will help my dog with distemper. He started his symptoms on Monday of this week. Please help me its already day four.

Hi, I’ve got a 10 y/o Silky Terrier the vet diagnosed with distemper with positive results on the PCR test. He’s getting 100 m/l sub-q fluids at night, 2 m/l Cefa drops every 8 hrs, .8 m/l metranidazole every 8 hrs and Optimmune eye ointment every 6 hrs. He has minimal nasal discharge, twitching, scaly/flaky skin, major hair loss and “chuffs” when breathing. Yesterday he started what sounds like barking. He can’t stand on his own and doesn’t want to eat. What he does eat he throws up after 6-8 hours. Oral fluids seem to be staying down pretty well. He seems to have good skin bounce-back but I worry that he’s not getting enough fluids. We’re near Monterey, CA, about 2 hrs. south of SF. What else can I do for him? His sister, also 10 y/o, isn’t showing symptoms and neither are 2 foster puppies 9 & 7 m/o. Thank you for the help!

My dog has been suffering from this distemper thing and its joints are weak it started vommiting today and it doesn’t wanna eat the eyes are weak and it could only move slowly from one spot to another my puppy is close to 8 weeks and I have lost hope:-( I live in pretoria South Africa

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