The distemper is a very contagious viral disease through the inhalation of secretions.It has a high mortality rate and usually affects unvaccinated young dogs, especially between 6 and 12 weeks of age.Life: Among its symptoms, the following stand out:
- Nasal and ocular secretion that begins being watery to become mucopurulent.
- Fever.
- Anorexia, the dog stops eating.
- Digestive symptoms in some cases, with vomiting and diarrhea that can lead to dehydration.
- Dry cough.
- When it occurs brain involvement, symptoms derived from encephalitis such as drooling, head shakes and involuntary chewing movements, seizures or myoclonus (rhythmic contractions of muscle groups) that begin with the sleeping dog and evolve until it happens at any time of the day or night.They cause pain.
- Secondary infections due to immunosuppressive effects of the virus.
If left untreated, the evolution of symptoms can end the death of the dog .It is therefore essential to go to the veterinarian at the first sign As always, prevention is better than cure, so it is essential that we vaccinate our dog from 6-8 weeks of age.Vaccination is the main measure, now we will see care for the dog with distemper.

In addition to the vaccine that will serve as a prevention, when our dog has distemper it is possible for the veterinarian to determine the following measures:
- Hospital admission in the most serious cases, when it is necessary to administer serum or medications intravenously.
- Antibiotics because, although it is a viral disease, these drugs will allow to control secondary bacterial infections which can be manifested taking advantage of the dog's weakness.
- Depending on the symptoms shown, analgesics , antiemetics can be administered (to control vomiting and nausea) , p gastric rotectors or anti-inflammatories.
With all these veterinary guidelines we will take our dog home, where we must provide the necessary care for a dog with distemper and that we will see in the next section.Do not forget to ask all our doubts to our veterinarian and contact him with any questions or worsening.
We will explain what general guidelines we should follow at home to take care of our dog with distemper if It does not require veterinary admission or has already been discharged:
- Strictly follow the medical treatment marked by the veterinarian, both in doses and in hours and administration guidelines.
- Keep the dog in a dry and warm place nte , avoiding drafts and humidity.
- Provide adequate food.It is normal that you do not eat your usual feed, so we must look for an option that is more palatable, as it is important that is fed to be strong and thus be able to fight the pathogens.
- Observe it to control its temperature and any modification of its state.We must write down everything that is significant to us, improvements and worsening, to transfer it to the veterinarian.We will pay attention to their secretions and other symptoms, as they will provide information on the evolution of the distemper.
- Isolate it , if possible, from other dogs with that coexists, since it is a highly contagious disease.That is why we must also disinfect beds, floors and any other surface with which it comes in contact.This measure is especially important when there are dogs in the home without the distemper vaccine.
- Keep it in a controlled space in case you usually live outside.At least for the duration of the treatment, it must be in an enclosure already covered, either inside the house or, if this is not possible, in some garage or space that we can enable for this purpose.

In this last section we will answer some of the most common questions among the caretakers who should take care of a dog with a distemper.These would be the following:
Can my dog give me the distemper?
No, the distemper virus is specific, This means that can only affect dogs .Therefore, humans such as cats or other animals that live in the home should not take any special precautions.
Can I leave the treatment when my dog is better?
No, in no case , all treatments should be administered until they conclude according to the veterinarian's recommendation, regardless of whether the dog is find already recovered.This is so to avoid bacterial resistance (in the case of antibiotics) or to "get used to" the body (corticosteroids).The exception is treatments such as fluid therapy, that is, those that are administered only if necessary, that can be used as many times as possible without maintaining a fixed pattern.
Can I go to my dog with distemper?
No, it is not convenient to cool down.If we can and should clean secretions, with wipes and making sure to dry it well and keep it in a warm environment.
How long does a dog with distemper last?
Is the dreaded question that goes around the head of all caregivers.Answer if a dog is going to survive or not It will depend on multiple factors such as the virulence of the virus, when you start receiving treatment, your previous immune status, etc.In general, in viral diseases we can only offer a supportive treatment so that The organism fights the virus.Once all the measures we have discussed have been implemented, the outcome is no longer up to us.That is, if the dog passes the critical phase of the disease and recovers, the distemper virus will not influence your life expectancy.
This article is merely informative, in ExpertAnimal.com we have no power d to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any type of diagnosis.We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in the event of any type of condition or discomfort.
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