My dog had distemper. What causes this disease with sleep issues?

Unfortunately, distemper is a seriously debilitating disease and there is no cure. We can only try to limit the damage done by the virus. This often entails nerve and brain damage, and upper respiratory problems. The upper respiratory problems can often be alleviated, however the nerve damage is permanent. When it is mild, the dog can have a good quality of life. At this time supportive care is the only option and you will have to wait it out and see what damage will be permanent. It is a nasty disease, and I am very sorry your pup is affected.

I am very sorry your new dog came with a distemper infection. Unfortunately this virus is notoriously unpredictable and whether your dog will develop any neurological signs and when will depend on the strain of the virus. Here is some excellent information on the canine distemper virus: http://download.skyscape.com/download/ota/5mvetcf5/documents/pdf/canine_distemper.pdf If your dog is lucky, he will recuperate without neurological damage. I am crossing my fingers!

I am so sorry to hear that her disease has progressed. Unfortunately if distemper starts to cause neurological symptoms then it is unlikely that she will recover. Typically seizure activity will follow in the near future. I am so sorry to relay this poor prognosis. However, every patient is different and there is always a chance of improvement. I would encourage you to consider having a follow up appointment with your veterinarian for a reassessment . Thank you for using Pet Coach.

No, they actually have lifetime immunity after having distemper. They cannot get it again. Unfortunately, the disease causes neurological signs and usually those signs never completely go away. There is nothing you can do about the jaw shaking but it will not cause him any harm. He should be able to live a normal life. You will just need to overlook the shaking.

IT is very possible that Cookie has distemper but I will say it is not very common in the united states. I have seen a few cases but they were from rescue dogs in over crowded situations. I would first make sure Cookie has a good exam by a vet to confirm that distemper is the problem. Other disease can look like distemper for example low blood sugar and a liver shunt in small and young dogs will cause seizures. Typically distemper causes neurologic disease and the best way to help is with supportive care with your vet. This includes hospitalization with medications for seizures and muscle relaxation. until the patient recovers even possibly supplemental feedings. I hope that helps and hopefully it is not distemper and Cookie will make a fast recovery

Unfortunately this is a serious viral disease which can cause lasting neurological damage. The treatment for CDV (infection with canine distemper virus) is supportive, there is no cure other than the body of Nasus fighting it himself. We can only help him fight it. Vaccination can prevent a dog from getting an infection with CDV. Here is more information: http://www.center.vet.br/cinomose.html

That is unlikely to be related to distemper but could be completely normal (due to fatigue or involuntary movements before sleeping). From the picture I noticed he may have skin disease (there multifocal bald red patches). This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.