It is possible that it is not distemper, and I say that because I usually don’t hear about this kind of crying and moaning you’ve described. But the thing is, distemper attacks different dogs in different ways. If you need further help, please e-mail me directly at ed.bond.new.york@gmail.com. If you need a vet to perform the spinal tap, there is one in Austin. Let me know if you need the contact into. I don’t post that on the Web.

Ed Bond

This puppy was born 6-11-11 to a Siberian Husky that was dumped out in
the country where we live in 110-degree weather. She was scared by her
ordeal and unapproachable. When I was finally able (she was out there
for at least 1 week) to lure her into a kennel with food we discovered
that she was pregnant. She was not emaciated but very hungry and
exhausted. She slept nonstop for one week and our vet, who saw her the
very next morning after I caught her, verified that she was pregnant.
She had an uneventful pregnancy and delivery and we kept her indoors
and kept her very well nourished and cool. We also kept the
temperature controlled for the puppies and they were raised indoors.
It was only when the weather started to cool that we started putting
them to bed in an outside kennel. They were all given ice packs to
sleep on and they used them.

The pups have all been very very active. The pup that is now sick
began to kind of show signs of becoming the runt at about 2-1/2 to 3
weeks. We started to feed kibble about that time and he devoured it
voraciously. With so many dogs to take care of, we could not afford
the best food. They got Purina Puppy Chow. He always hoarded the food
and chased the others away with a growl. He began to catch up in
growth and is now taller than the other pups.

They had their first puppy shots at 7-1/2 weeks (did not include
distemper) and their second round with distemper at 9-1/2 weeks. The
vaccine was not Recombitek and it was from Pfizer.

We also took a stool sample into the vet the day they got their second
shots because they had all had on-and-off diarrhea. We had not
realized that they were eating some milkweed from the yard and I don’t
know how much they had. The food also seemed to be suspect so I began
feeding them boiled chicken, boiled hamburger, white rice, and yogurt
with active culture along with a little squash and/or pumpkin. The
diarrhea resolved.

During the time of the bouts of diarrhea, the pup that is now sick
(Chester) had a day of vomiting. I could not get him to the vet that
day. By the next day, it had resolved.

About the age of 10 weeks, he began to seem withdrawn and a little
lethargic. It was nothing I could put my finger on. He had a fever of
103.1 that night, but a normal fever the next day. The vet said not to
worry about it.

Around the first week of September (about 11 or 12 weeks old) he began
yelping as if in pain. This would happen mostly when he was sleeping.
He would wake himself up with a yelp. We thought one of the other dogs
had possibly jumped on him too hard. We assumed an injury. On 9-13-11,
the vet palpated down his spine and said that because there was a
flinch at a certain point, that was where the injury was located.
(Another vet has since done the same test, calling the flinch a
necessary and normal finding kind of like the reflex test for humans
where the doc bumps the knee with a hammer). He also had eye discharge
that day and his nose was very dry looking. It has never cracked and
it looks very good now except for an occasional very very slight
discharge from one nostril–almost imperceptible. He was started on
doxycycline 100mg daily.

The yelping got worse and he began to cry some while awake.On 9/15/11,
we went to a new vet because he was crying so much and it was after
hours and she would see us on an emergency basis. She did a very
thorough physical exam, palpating everywhere to get a pain response.
The only response was in both hind legs. She suspected hypertrophic
osteodystrophy. She also x-rayed but the x-ray was not conclusive. She
did not know about the muscle twitch. At that time I had only noticed
it once. I tried to mention it but got interrupted and didn’t remember
to do it again. She sent us home with a prednisone taper and tramadol
for pain.

The crying and whining continued but I thought maybe the tramadol was
helping some. On 9/18/11 I saw her again and told her about the
twitching. She suspected distemper and has done a PCR test. I should
get the results of that Monday or Tuesday. She says it will be
conclusive. I have read that the bladder swab is the only reliable
test. It is evidently too late in the game for that.

The crying got so bad and so constant that I asked for something
stronger. I was given a few butorphanol tablets from the vet’s stock
and they tried to call in a prescription for it but it is not
available in tablet form. We finally got a compounded cream with
Lipoderm with the butorphanol in it. I rub it into his ear.

The response to the pain medication, even using the butorphanol plus
the tramadol is very inconsistent. I know some of the cries are
homesickness since we are having to live apart from my husband and
Chester’s sibs and our other dogs, but some seemed unmistakeable
moaning and groaning like there was extreme pain. The last couples of
days there have begun to be longer bouts of no crying at all, even
without any pain medicine—5 or 6 hours– but then it usually starts
again. Sometimes it sounds like a frustrated cry. The twitching has
spread to at least one other leg and seems to also come from a spot on
his chest. I am considering discontinuing the pain medication for that
reason.

I have also given him Pepcid 10mg at least once daily because of fear
of tummy irritation with the doxy, the pred, and the pain meds.

The vet here has suggested that he might be having seizures but I
never see any signs of it.

If he has distemper, he must have a mild case of it. He has slightly
lined and dry, but not hard, foot pads. The eye discharge is no more
than what any dog would have. The nose discharge is almost
nonexistent. His nose looks dark and fairly moist–no cracking. He has
never lost his appetite or interest in things around him and treats,
although I ordered a special low-proten, low-fat food (PureVita) to
help with HOD. He’s not crazy about it and hasn’t eaten it with much
enthusiasm. He looks very good. He still sleeps a lot and stays on
his bed.

I found a website (greatdanelady.com) with info about HOD. She
suggests a low-protein and low-calorie and a lot of supplements. I am following her recommendations.

I may have forgotten some details, but it would be saintly to expect
anyone to take the time to read all this anyway. If you do, I’d be
grateful for feedback.