Symptoms and Treatment of Canine Distemper in Dogs
📝 Summary
Canine distemper is an acute, deadly contagious disease with a 3–6 day incubation. Early signs are poor appetite, lethargy, thickened paw pads, nasal discharge, cough, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea; middle stage adds refusal to eat and pus from eyes and nose; late stage brings neurological signs — foaming, seizures, collapse — and is usually fatal. Early treatment with hyperimmune serum and good nutrition saves many; late neurological cases are beyond meaningful help.
1 Symptoms of Canine Distemper
The incubation before outbreak varies by route of infection but averages 3–6 days.
Early: poor appetite, lethargy, thickened paw pads, runny nose, cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhea.
Middle: near-total refusal to eat, pus from the eyes and nose, sustained high temperature, vomiting, diarrhea.
Late: classic neurological signs — foaming at the mouth, collapsing seizures, epilepsy — plus widespread skin ulcers, persistent high fever, and confusion. By this stage the dog is essentially beyond saving.
2 Treating Canine Distemper
Take the dog to a veterinary hospital immediately; caught in the early-to-middle stage, survival odds are decent.
Early: inject anti-distemper hyperimmune serum or recovered-dog serum intramuscularly or under the skin. Dose by the dog’s size, usually 5–10 mL, for real effect, and feed quality food to supply needed nutrition.
Late neurological cases can only be sedated with propofol, diazepam, or phenobarbital to damp the nerve storms — a temporary calm with little real benefit, since the disease is effectively terminal by then.
Want to learn more about pet health?
Explore our pet health channel for more science-based care guides
Read More Articles →