Rosie is a 7-month-old distemper dog that had been rescued from the desert in Baja, Mexico. She started showing symptoms about two weeks after being brought into the U.S. Her owners found the Kind Hearts In Action website, but their vet in San Diego did not want to pursue the NDV treatments. They were referred to vets in Ventura County who had used the treatments before. The NDV spinal tap was performed on Saturday. Aug. 14, 2010. Here are excerpts from some of the e-mails.
Aug. 13, 2010
I read about your NDV treatment for canine distemper on the Kind Hearts in Action website. Our dog is about 7 months old, found on the Mexican desert with no symptoms. About two weeks after bringing her across the border (which included vaccination in Mexico and a single dose of a newer flea pill) she developed a twitch in her left rear hip and leg. The twitch has slowly progressed to the point where she is in constant pain and becoming weak in her hindquarters.
Chip Bissell
Aug. 18, 2010
Rosie tolerated the [NDV spinal tap] procedure on Saturday and is home in Del Mar recovering. We don’t have high expectations for a full recovery as her back legs remain very weak and the twitch is still prominent. But she is more comfortable now, could be due to the anti-spasm drugs or maybe some result from the injection. We’re just going to watch her a week or two and see what transpires, then decide next step(s). If she doesn’t gain more traction from her current condition we’ll probably be forced to euthanize her.
I’ll keep you posted…
Chip
Aug. 26, 2010
It’s nearly two weeks since Rosie’s Newcastle injection, and we are pleased that she has stabilized. From the attached videos you can see she still has the myoclonal twitch in her left hindquarters, and weakness as well. But the progression of distemper has halted apparently, and we have been backing off her meds (antibiotics, anti-diarrheals) as the prescriptions expired. She is still on Phenobarbital 2x/day. For the most part she seems really stable, and I have high hopes for continuing recovery. I expected to have to put her down within days, now she seems primed to survive, maybe thrive! We are walking her on the beach daily, and she is running and jumping well. …
We agree that the injection has saved her life; now of course we hope for even more function! …
Chip Bissell
4 replies on “Rosie, distemper dog rescued from Baja”
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