A cure for distemper?

[JBD]

We foster for a rescue group, our latest is a puppy we named Buddy Holly. Our group pulled Buddy because in the shelter he had been shaking. They (the shelter)diagnosed it as being poisoned by a flea collar because he stopped shaking when it was removed.

Buddy is a happy, playful puppy. We noticed he had a runny nose so took him in to the vet. It’s really common for shelter dogs to have URIs. We were shocked when the vet diagnosed distemper just by looking at him. We went home with antibiotics and instructions to keep him separate and watch for symptoms

The rescue group had blood drawn for a definitive test. And it came back positive. Still a happy, healthy puppy with a great appetite!

Tomorrow he’ll be treated with Newcastle. I think it’s an off label use that has worked to cure distemper. I have hope everything will turn out OK for Buddy and that this is something that can save many dogs.

[Calamber]

This is a new protocol but has seen great success. Please update with the results and blessings to you and your puppy. Very interesting and thank you for posting about this.

http://www.edbond.com/antidistemper.html

Edited after reading Dr. Sears history, this is not new but has not reached the veterinary literature, thankfully he continues to advise, there is a DVD available. In the PNW distemper is more prevalent than parvo much to my surprise when I moved here. Not that there is less parvo but that there is distemper. I thought it had pretty well been irradicated but I guess with the economic crisis people are not vaccinating.

[JBD]

Buddy was tested again after treatment and he’s negative for distemper! He goes to his first adoption event this weekend.

[Horsegal984]

How are you testing for distemper? I am only familiar with blood testing for antibodies and would expect those to still be quite present in a puppy who had distemper?

[Logical]

Yes please update. How was the testing done? I fostered a pregnant dog that had been pulled from a shelter almost 2 years ago. She gave birth to 10 puppies and all but one died from distemper as mom picked it up at the shelter before coming to me. I almost lost the mom too. I never want to go through that hell again.

[IdahoRider]

Is it safe to send out a dog that had so recently tested positive? Even with the subsequent negative test result, I would be concerned.
Sheilah

[wendy]

I’m curious, too, because none of this makes sense, especially the “tests”. The dog was twitching, right? aka showing neurological symptoms, aka in the late stages of distemper.

note this at the bottom of the Newcastle protocol: “Dogs already showing neurologic effects of the distemper virus cannot be helped.”

I’m also not sure if you noticed, but treating a dog for distemper requires killing another, healthy dog in order to generate the anti-serum.

dogs who survive distemper on their own never fully recover- they suffer symptoms like hard pad, rotting teeth, and progressive neurological problems.

[Kryswyn]

Wendy, I can only assume the puppy was shaking for some other reason than distemper. Fear? Cold? Who knows at this point?

[2tempe]

@wendy;7334610

I’m also not sure if you noticed, but treating a dog for distemper requires killing another, healthy dog in order to generate the anti-serum.

Apparently it is not true that donor dog is killed. http://distemperdonordogs.blogspot.com/
This person specifically says all his donor dogs have survived. This makes me feel better.

[JBD]

No, we wouldn’t have killed another dog to save Buddy even if that had been the protocol (which it isn’t). You can read the story on Facebook under Rockwall Pets.

Buddy was originally diagnosed by blood test. After the treatment, we waited two weeks to test again. The vet pulled blood and swabbed his cheek. The vets office called us and asked that we bring him back for a swab under his eyelid. The vet had called the lab and they recommended that for a definitive test. Would that have generated a negative result originally, who knows ?
We kept Buddy separate from our dogs but after treatment and a time span that was longer than distempers incubation period, we started letting him out with our (fully immunized) dogs. The info we had was that even if he was shedding the distemper virus, it would be dead. And coupled with the fact we had him 2 weeks before he was diagnosed, we believed our dogs would have caught it if they were susceptible.
I also believe dogs can be treated with the Newcastle virus after neurological symptoms but the injection sites are different.