How to treat canine distemper at home

Canine distemper is an acute and severe viral infectious disease, whose clinical treatment is relatively complex, especially in the later stages of infection. Therefore, it is not recommended to treat it at home. This is because the conditions for treating distemper at home are limited, and the treatment requires the use of a large amount of biological agents. Meanwhile, pet owners lack relevant medical knowledge, which can easily lead to exacerbated symptoms or even accelerate the dog's death.

Canine distemper, also known as canine distemper virus (CDV), is a highly contagious disease caused by the CDV infection. The disease is mainly transmitted through the air. The clinical symptoms of distemper are diverse, but respiratory symptoms and conjunctivitis are common. Some dogs may also exhibit vomiting, diarrhea, and other digestive system symptoms.

In the later stages of the distemper disease, the virus will attack the nervous system, resulting in neurological symptoms such as intermittent seizures. At this time, the prognosis is usually poor and may even lead to death.

The treatment principle of distemper is to inhibit virus replication, control secondary infections, and provide necessary symptomatic treatment. Generally, early treatment requires high-dose use of canine distemper immunoglobulin, canine distemper monoclonal antibodies, and other drugs. Meanwhile, specific transfer factors for canine distemper, canine alpha-interferon, and other drugs should be used in combination. During the treatment, there may be secondary bacterial infections in the respiratory and digestive tracts, which require timely use of drugs containing tylosin, amoxicillin clavulanate, neomycin, etc. For dogs suffering from dehydration due to diarrhea and vomiting, it is necessary to replenish fluids, electrolytes, correct acid-base imbalance and ion disorders. For dogs with neurological symptoms, tranquilizer treatment is necessary, but the therapeutic effect is limited. Euthanasia may be considered.

Finally, prevention is crucial. It is recommended to vaccinate against canine infectious diseases regularly. The initial vaccination time is 48 days old, and a booster dose is given every 21 days thereafter. Three doses of the vaccine are needed in the first year.

Therefore, it is advised not to treat canine distemper at home alone. If your dog contracts distemper, promptly send it to a pet hospital for professional treatment.