[Pepper07]

I recently addpoted a new dog from the animal shelter (yesterday). She seemed fine and perky at the shelter, besides being extremely underweight (you can see her ribs, spine and hip bones). I thought I could get her and get her back to a healthy state, but when we got home I saw her pee and there was blood in her urine, she also started to have a wet mucousy cough. She had some discharge from her eyes and nose, but other than that seemed fine. I took her to the vet today and gave me some antibiotics to treat her for a UTI (the blood in urne), and said she had distemper and gave me antibiotics for that. The vet told me to keep her away from the other dog in the house for 2 weeks while the antibiotics clear it out of her system. I started doing some research this afternoon and most everything I have read has said she will not make it. The vet told me that unless she starts having tremors or the "chewing gum" sign she should live a normal happy healthy life, but if she does start to seize or twitch at all its probably best to put her down, is this true, can dogs recover from distemper or is it best to put her down? Please any answers would be greatly appreciated.

[Daveyo]

Hi Pepper

First your VET is going to be the one killing your dog!!!!! Just from what I was reading that VET needs to go back to school. Find another VET ASAP now. Get away from that quack VET.

Dr. Sears and I are experts on this disease. You need to first confirm it and here is the test that is 100% accurate.

The very best test for rapidly diagnosing ACUTE distemper is to do what is called a brush border smear of the cells of the inside lining of the bladder. These cells ALWAYS have inclusions. So, easy to collect, easy to stain (quick dip) and instantly diagnosed with inclusions in these cells which are carmine red and para nuclear.

Any medical person can tell you how to get cells from the bladder. Urinary catheter. Empty bladder flush with saline and collect some of the last saline. Spin down the saline and remove the cells. Place on slide and dry stain with diff-quick. Very common stain used by most medics or lab people who use medical microscopy. Everyone? I should hope so. Very fast, very cheap, very accurate for Dx of distemper. If present then Distemper. If negative then either kennel cough or respiratory Herpes or Toxoplasmosis.

What the person will see is the actual virus itself. Not antibodies to the virus. You can also go to my site at [moderator note: website address has been removed] and register and look under Distemper. There is a weath of information and pictures especially of what this virus looks like. Feel free to copy and print it up and show it to the person who is doing the above test. If they see it the same then it is confirmed Distemper. If not there from the test then it is something else.

Right now monitor your dog the temperature every 2 hours. Insert a thermometer to the anus of the dog. Distemper will give you very high readings. You can also tell if you feel the ears it will be very hot.

Watch the breathing carefully. You can also tell if the dog has pneumonia setting in. Have it stand on all 4 legs and give two hard rapid taps on the side of the chest first the left side. If that dog coughs after the tap it has pneuomonia. Then check the right side. If the same, Pneumonia on both lungs.

Also give me a report on the stool condition of your dog. If it is soupy and smelly that is another sign.

Distemper signs to watch for> Soupy stools, very high fevers,< this is the beginning signs of the disease, >>> this is the secondary signs after day 7 of the disease-- breathing dificulties, goop in the eyes, mucous discharge from the nose, hardening of the pads etc.

If the distemper test is negative, then the dog has respiratory herpes.. On my site there is a treatment protocol for this. Penicillin G and Baytril antibiotic injections combined work best. Also NDV cures this disease as well.

First do the test and give me the results as fast as you can either site here or at my site. I will watch for you. Then I will tell you the next step. Also read on my site what happens to these dogs if not treated from us. If treated from our medical instructions your dog will live and minimize the damage caused by Distemper. Cure from Canine Distemper is 100% if you follow our medical instructions completely.

Daveyo