Bailey was 3-months old when she came down with canine distemper in August 2009. Her owner, Vanessa Garcia of Miami, learned of Dr. Sears’ and the NDV treatments and contacted Ed Bond on Aug. 6. She set about ordering the Newcastle Disease Vaccine and searching for a vet willing to do the injection. Here’s some of what she wrote:
Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009
“Thank you SOOOOO much ED! I am freaking out bc we just force fed her and she threw it all up.. I’m a wreck.. anyways I was looking for the vacine bc I remember seeing it in the blog but now I cant find it .. ill keep looking.. keep me posted on any update.. thank you!!!!”
Friday, Aug. 7, 2009
“A little Baily Update: she is stable I think (no more throwing up, just heavy panting)… and we were able to order a dosage of the vaccine to be arriving by Sat @ noon!”
From Dr. Sears: “Sent here the information just now. Hope all goes well for her. Thanks for your interest. Seems the world is full of this disease. Shame I cannot stop the pain and suffering.”
Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009
“Good Morning Ed!
“I am anxiously waiting for the vaccine .. It should be arriving here @ 12!!! I did receive an e-mail from the Dr. as well.. thank you… and he said that for my 16lb dog its 1cc IV … Today I have to run and weigh her bc she might have gained a pound bc we have been force feeding her, so I asked him if 1 lb changed the dosage… I hope he can get back to me on time (fingers crossed!)
“I will keep you posted!”
Vanessa
Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009
“Hello Ed,
“Right now it is officially 23 1/2 hours since the vaccine was injected and I think I see her better… She is a bit more alert and chewing on her bone. She is still breathing a little strange but I am sure its not suppose to clear all of the symptoms so quickly.. plus I don’t know what I should be looking for… I am still force feeding her but I have a pretty good feeling its working! I am SO happy. I am just wondering what differences I should be seeing now?
Oh, and just to let you know I was able to get a great vet to give her the shot. He first put her in a quick vapor treatment for about 20min. Then inserted the IV gave her a Vitamin B booster shot through the IV, then the NDV and then about 150 cc of IV fluid to hydrate her. I was so nervous but he was excited to see if it worked bc I know that it would be a big break through.”
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009
“Hello Ed,
“Right now Baily is pretty much the same. She has her ups and downs. I noticed that her paws are beginning to peal a little and I don’t know if that is good or bad.
She is still coughing and letting out some mucus from her nose but I think that is good bc she is getting it out of her system. As you can tell I AM VERY OPTIMISTIC !!! Any advice? or anything that I should be looking out for?
“Thank you!” Vanessa
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009
“Good morning Ed,
“Today Baily ate some turkey and dog food on her own. I think that if she continues this way she will do just great.”
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009
“Hello Ed,
“Just to give you a little update. Today Baily is doing SO much better I notice that she is getting a little heavier and she is breathing a much better.”
Monday, Aug. 17, 2009
“Hey Ed,
“How are you? Baily is doing great… every day better! BUT i am concerned bc I just saw that Baily has a sore on her belly and I think another one on her leg.. Do you know what that is? Does that have anything to do with the Distemper?”
Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009
“The sores Dr. Sears said that they were not from distemper and they are getting better. She was doing better and gaining a little weight and eating on her own but now she has decided to stop eating again! She has not had diarrhea any more and yesterday she threw up. I don’t know what to do. Any advice? should we just stay calm and wait it out? Oh and her lungs are sounding better. Thank you!”
But despite the ups and downs of the recovery, Vanessa stayed calm, and Bailey made it through her bout with distemper. She is now a healthy dog, as you can see here, above.