Author: edbondny

Categories
Saved Dogs

The Story of Nilla

In the book, “Save Dogs From Distemper: The ‘Impossible’ Cure of Dr. Alson Sears,” one of the more engaging stories is that of Nilla.

Nilla was a border collie in South Dakota diagnosed with the neurologic stage of canine distemper in May 2012. Her family, Clark and Jennifer Audiss, and their children Nathan and Rachael, were not given any hope from their local vet. But rather than have Nilla put to sleep, Clark reached out to Kind Hearts In Action, found out about the NDV treatments and persuaded the veterinary hospital at Kansas State University to perform the NDV spinal tap. The full story is in the book, but here are the videos the Audiss family took during their battle to save Nilla from distemper.

Nilla’s recovery prompted Professor Ken Harkin of Kansas State University to conduct a study of the NDV spinal tap between 2014 and 2016. Despite the recovery of Nilla and a couple of other dogs treated at Kansas State, Dr. Harkin did not see improvement in other dogs who were suffering from myoclonus, which is the muscle tremors some distemper dogs experience. He ultimately was not convinced that the NDV spinal tap was beneficial. But he also said that people do give up on these dogs too early. Many can recover if given enough nursing care and support to survive until the virus goes silent.

More about our attempts to document the effectiveness of these treatments and the conclusions from Dr. Harkin are here and in the book. We had also compiled anecdotal information on the outcome of cases here.

“I am 100% certain Nilla would not be here without the NDV treatment,” Clark Audiss wrote in January 2019.

Nilla lived until July 7, 2019 as the neurologic problems become more frequent and her health went into decline.

Clark’s tribute to Nilla on Facebook:
“Thought we lost her once then God gave her back. She’s gone now and our hearts are heavy. Even so, God has been faithful and true! Job 1:21 ‘The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.’ Tears are flowing but Joy
is coming! Psalm 30:5 ‘Sorrow may last for the night but JOY comes in the morning!’ Love you Nilla Bear!”

For more about this and other stories of survival check out the book.

– Ed Bond

Categories
Blog Canine Distemper

Fighting distemper in the age of COVID-19

I received this video from Vanna Truong of San Jose, CA, and of the many videos I had been sent from all over the world, this was one of the hardest to watch. Not only did Vanna lose her sweet puppy Simba to distemper, but the COVID crisis made everything much more difficult. You can see all the pain and sorrow in her face.

But this is also a very important video for people to watch and learn from.

As she explains, the COVID crisis has worsened the problem for dog owners and for those of us trying to fight canine distemper. Because people are more interested in getting a puppy to help deal with the anxiety and isolation, more puppies are available, but possibly from sources who do not take the proper precautions to prevent disease. So, potential dog owners need to be smart about who you get a puppy from.

The COVID crisis has also stressed the veterinary profession and it’s possible that basic steps like getting a distemper test ordered don’t happen. What Vanna has learned, unfortunately, is that now more than ever dog owners need to be on top of things and be an advocate for their pups. Simba was weeks into the neurological stage of the disease before the vets realized they had not followed through in ordering the distemper test. They didn’t get the results confirmed until after this puppy died.

Some points I would like to underscore after I watched her video:
• Even when puppies are vaccinated, they can still get distemper. This is because they may have already been exposed before adoption or because their ability to build an immune response has been blocked either by worms, mange or simply because the maternal antibodies are still in their system.
• Early diagnosis is essential. The sooner you know what you are dealing with, the faster you can start looking for therapies that can help. So, not only would that give you a better chance when dealing with neurological distemper, but we also believe that if a dog can be treated with NDV serum before the onset of the neuro stage, we have a much better chance of saving their lives. (But that is something that has yet to be proven through published studies, which is a main topic of my book. )
• Distemper is a nasty, cruel disease that does not play fair. In the early stages of the disease, he had symptoms more like parvovirus and that was another reason they were thrown off the proper diagnosis.

But you should really hear what Vanna has to say:

Thanks again for sending me this video, Vanna. And thank you for giving a shout out to Kind Hearts In Action. (One small, minor point, I’m not the founder. My sisters, Jane and Karen Bond, started this group. I’m a volunteer for them, but I manage the distemper project here.)

— Ed Bond

Categories
Blog

Tips on getting a distemper dog to eat

In many cases of canine distemper, survival comes down to whether the dog has the will to live, and this comes through if the dog just keeps eating. If they keep eating, there is hope.

So here are some of the tips on getting a distemper dog to eat according to conversations salvaged from our discussion board:

[The board crashed for the last time earlier this month. You can still read the archive in the same URL here:
https://edbond.com/distemper/discussion/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=2]

‘Getting a distemper dog to eat’

‘Please use this to post strategies that worked for you in getting your distemper dog to eat. One poster recommends raw liver. Here’s what someone else recommends:

“Cook up quartered potatoes and skinless chicken breast and boil it for 1.5 hours TOGETHER. Feed small meals every 2-3 hours of 70 percent potato / 30 percent chicken. Distemper animals are nauseous and until the serum takes hold, you have to give him water and food. I use Karo syrup from the baking aisle at the supermarket — the clear one — and put a little on his tongue or roof of his mouth every few hours. It works great to quell the sick stomach and then they can eat and drink. Fluids are very important for three days or so while the serum is working. If he drinks, no need for hospital. If he doesn’t and they can’t be syringed in, he will need to be in the hospital.”

What else has worked?’

Re: Getting a distemper dog to eat’, ‘

Reposting from Facebook: Jennifer Randolph Graddy

I purchased Boar’s Head turkey from the deli and it is all she would eat for two weeks. Then I started mixing in some Prescription Diet A/D with the turkey. Also used Karo syrup. When she was really sick I blended the turkey and A/D together and used a syringe.

Suzanna Urszuly

what worked on our puppy was chicken, chicken soup and puppy gold ( a very good supplement). She is doing amazing now! 🙂 —

‘Re: Getting a distemper dog to eat’,

‘Hi, I recently rescued two puppies who were just diagnosed wit distemper. I am a Biology major on the Pre-Veterinary track and work at an animal clinic. I have been so fortunate to have the support of my staff in caring for the puppies. There were a few days where they were not eating very well so I was forced to give them fluids. Other than that I have had great success in getting the dogs to eat! You have to try different things until you find the one thing that the animal likes. For Faith ( the female) puppy, I cook chicken in a chicken broth with vegies. I cut up the chicken and mix it in with rice and I pour some of the broth over the mixture. She loves it. Make sure not to season the chicken. I heat up her food before giving it to her. WHen the food is warm the smell is more potent. For Gray (male puppy) I give him Nutro Max lab meal kibble and I pour broth over the kibble. I make it like a soup. I warm up the broth before pouring it over the kibble. I hand feed both of them and at times it is a pain but it gets the job done. To give Faith her meds I make her a meatball of prescription diet r/d. She really loves it. Gray does not take his meds easily, but I recently tried giving him his pills in cottage cheese and he really loved it. However, the cottage cheese spoils quickly. Hope I helped

Jackie’

‘Re: Getting a distemper dog to eat’,

‘I just gave warm milk and warm water to my miniature pinscher, back when she got distemper, I almost had no hope but I was patient and she survived a couple of days after her suffering.

Is it recommended to give them milk if there are no other alternatives?’,

‘Re: Getting a distemper dog to eat’, ‘

Answer from Dr. Sears about milk: “Ed,There is NO food of any kind at this time known to help or control any virus disease much less Distemper. In fact at t his time NO oral medication that has been developed yet.”

‘Re: Getting a distemper dog to eat’,

‘Here ‘s some more advice from Vickie Novak:

“Folks are doing what they can out of the trying to save their babies so if you get any emails of folks doing syringe feeds ask them to stop especially if dogs has gone neuro the tongue does not work well with the jaw tremors. they are better to have vet show them sub q fluids and paste food in gums and let dog lick off on own. “‘

‘Re: Getting a distemper dog to eat’,

‘It is not bad to give the dog milk, but it just doesn ‘t do anything against the disease.’,

Re: Getting a distemper dog to eat’,

‘Patton,

1 and 3 months condition before,where he had this in two weeks time (didnt know he has already distemper) : hard to get on his feet,no balance, had weight loss, eye had discharge, hardened nose after i gave patton : 1.) lots of water with high dosage of sugar, (use syringe if he cannot drink on its own) every month 2.) canned tuna(vit a) mixed with rice together with its fish oil 3.) canned dog food w/liver 4.) human infants milk for 1-6 month 5.) meds prescribed by vets (vit c, antibiotics, etc. support meds) 6.) some short walking exercise every morning, since sunlight in the morning is the healthiest on his 3rd week: he was able to cope up with his condition, get his strength back today is his 4th week : we decide to undergo a spinal tap because hes nervous system is affected, i tried it and i hope hes gonna do better and gain his full strength back, and do activities like running and jumping’

‘Re: Getting a distemper dog to eat’, ‘I think all of the advice posted about getting a distemper dog to eat is good. I would just like to add that our dog Bella would eat baby food when she would eat nothing else. Our vet used it and she loved it. When she would go back to not eating I would syringe it and she tolerated it. When they are not eating or drinking it ‘s reallly important to see the vet often to let them check for dehydration. Exercise does stimulate their appetite and warming the food does help make it more appetizing too. other foods that haven ‘t been mentioned are cooked eggs and meat. Our vet gave us chewable vitamins to put in the food. They were easy to crumble.’

‘More tips on getting distemper dog to eat’

‘Sharing some of the best suggestions from our Facebook page on how to get a distemper dog to eat.

baby food – chicken, turkey tablespoon of corn syrup in 8 ounces of drinking water Darwin ‘s Raw diet
“soaking their food in warm chicken broth (homemade) and making a warm mash. Also adding baby food helped. ”
MaKenna Marie Arrigo •
“When Bella wouldn ‘t eat Dr. H. called a burger place he knew and asked them to cook ground beef very rare. He said the aroma and warmth of the food helps. He also got scrambled eggs and boiled rice. He had me add water to the baby food and syringe feed her every 2-3 hours through the night. He had me walk her several times a day to build strength, get sunshine and fresh air and to make her hungry. I didn ‘t realize that exercise would make her hungry but it did. “He also believes( as I ‘m sure we all agree) that being snuggled and loved by their human is so important to recovery. In his clinic he wants the owners to be with their dogs/cats the whole time- especially when waking up from a procedure and during recovery. They need to have reason to get better. ” Elizabeth Nelson

“Nutri-plus gel helps their appetite a lot. chicken+celery+carrots boiled together, served warm. mixing wet food with warm water helps too. ”
Lim Wen Yih
“I also used puppy formula (GMC)!that is high in calories and worked well. ”
Carrie Reed

“We ‘ve had some luck adding wheat germ and fish oil to a mix of high protein wet and raw puppy food. Alternating pedialyte and water. ”
Anna Burgess

NOTE: Do not force feed your dog because this can cause choking. At most, try pasting the food onto the teeth and gums and let the dog lick the food off from there.’

Categories
#distemperdogs Saved Dogs

After distemper battle, Ryo is back to his old self

Ryo and Giselle celebrate his survival of canine distemper.
Ryo and Giselle celebrate his survival of canine distemper.

My dog, Ryo, and I have been a family for just over a year now. I received him from a breeder in another part of the country (India) on the 3rd of July 2019. The breeder sent me his medical records which included proof of all vaccinations including Canine Distemper.

However, to my great sorrow, Ryo was diagnosed with Canine Distemper on Monday, the 23rd of March 2020.His symptoms started with a cough and wheezing in the month of February, which were treated with antibiotics. The cough and wheezing seemed to have died down after a week or two.

However, in a few days’ time he started having a discharge from his eyes, which the vet thought was an allergic reaction to building construction work in the neighborhood. What followed was a crusty nose with green discharge, thickening and cracked paw pads and the return of the wheezing/cough.Around the 19th or 20th of March I noticed his head ‘ticking’ and could tell that it was due to the tightening of his jaw.

I took Ryo to the vet immediately and he confirmed that he had Canine Distemper and suggested the NDV spinal tap, stating that his chances of survival are low but this gives him about a 20% fighting chance. The NDV spinal tap procedure was performed in Bangalore, on Tuesday, the 24th of March, 2020 at 10:00 in the morning under general anesthesia.

For the initial month following the procedure, Ryo refused to eat regular food and I had to put his food in the food processor and feed it to him via syringe in batches. In about 5 days’ time I could see small signs of improvement in him. He had started asking for treats and eating a couple, although with difficulty. He had started playing and running around within a week and although he was still a little wobbly for the next couple of weeks, I could tell that his strength was returning. What followed in the next couple of weeks were bouts of respiratory issues which were treated with Toxomox-250. Luckily, Ryo did not have any digestive issues and he started eating his food regularly after about a month and a half of the procedure.

We are now three months past the date of his procedure and Ryo is back to being his usual happy and bouncy self. He can now play with his other four legged friends and other than the nervous tick that remains, there are no signs of distemper in him. We are still continuing with a nerve support tablet a day along with a multivitamin. I also use a paw butter on his paws and snout which has helped immensely.

If anyone needs any further information on how we overcame CD, please reach out to me at me at sequeira.giselle@gmail.com

Attaching videos of his nervous tick that I’d taken back in March when it first appeared and also a picture from his party that we had to celebrate him overcoming Distemper and one of him from last week with his cat friend. 

Lots of love,
Giselle

Ryo with his friend, a cat, after his recovery from canine distemper.
Categories
Project Carré

Project Carré

The goal of Project Carré had been to see the NDV treatments published in a veterinary journal. The idea began in May 2011 as a response to the criticism that we needed to document “good records of both the positive and negative outcomes” of the NDV treatments. We had previously attempted to gather this information from participating vets, but with little luck because veterinary clinics are often not geared to keep records for that purpose. Asking vet clinics to look up records after a dog had been treated with NDV didn’t work. By the time we reached them, they moved on to hundreds of other cases and had not kept track of the NDV cases. We collected broad numbers, without consistent diagnosis and the occasional short summaries. 

What we needed was to work with a veterinary clinic ahead of time, get them ready with the NDV serum before treatments and help them document and collect the information on the cases. That opportunity happened at Mountain View Veterinary Clinic in Woodlawn, Virginia, which found itself in the midst of a distemper outbreak in October 2011.

The clinic staff contacted Kind Hearts In Action and reported treating as many as 45 puppies with canine distemper. Later, I collected the case files on 32 of these case files in which the NDV as IV treatment had been used. All but five of those puppies survived.

In December 2011, Mountain View agreed to make the NDV-induced serum as part of Project Carré to document the treatment of distemper dogs and their outcomes. I was able to visit the clinic twice in 2012 and collected the records on 6 cases in which dogs diagnosed with distemper via lab tests were treated with NDV serum. Four dogs lived and two died.

I would have continued to document more cases but ultimately I ended the project for two reasons:

• I’m a journalist, not scientist. I know how to collect stories, but I don’t have the skill set for science. After consulting with a professional medical writer, I learned that the records I had gathered were not detailed and consistent enough to stand up to the scrutiny of a veterinary journal.

• Two university professors began their own studies into the NDV treatments. Professor Ken Harkin at Kansas State ran a study of the NDV spinal tap after a dog in the neurologic stage of distemper recovered after that treatment. A professor at another Midwestern university also ran a small study of the NDV-serum on dogs in the pre-neurologic stage of distemper. From what I had heard, those results were also promising.

It appeared my efforts to document the treatments were redundant and less likely to be successful. So I decided to shelve Project Carré and wait for the outcome of the university studies. Instead, Kind Hearts In Action helped refer cases of neurologic distemper to Kansas State and occasionally helped with travel costs and veterinary expenses when possible.

The Kansas State study ran from 2014 to 2016. After some promising results in early cases, Dr. Ken Harkin ultimately concluded that the NDV spinal tap — injecting Newcastle’s Disease Vaccine directly into the spinal canal — did not help in the recovery of distemper dogs. But he also believe we give up on these dogs too early. The disease can and does go into remission on its own, he said, so dogs can survive neurologic distemper with enough nursing care.

The professor who studied the NDV serum never published the results of his study and we had never been told why.

More details of this story are in the book: “Save Dogs From Distemper: The Impossible Cure of Dr. Alson Sears,” which will be available through Amazon Print On Demand and Kindle Direct Publishing soon. We maintain the hope that these treatments will be submitted to scientific studies and we predict that if the NDV serum could be tested on dogs in the pre-neurologic stage of distemper they would show faster recoveries, few cases reaching neurologic stage and fewer deaths than the traditional supportive therapies.

The records as collected from Mountain View Veterinary Clinic are included in the book and I am also posting them here: MountainViewDistemperRecords.

So today, my message to anyone who loves dogs:

• Not every dog can be saved from distemper, but more dogs are saved when their owners and vets are willing to give them a chance.

• If your dog has not reached the neurologic stage, I believe the NDV serum is the best chance at returning your distemper dog to health. I say that as a non-scientist, non-vet, but also as someone who has worked on this issue for more than 10 years. The value of the NDV serum has not been proven through a scientific study, but I believe it could be with enough distemper dogs, resources, participating vets and support from a foundation and/or university.

• If your dog is the neurologic stage, you don’t have to give up on them. Some vets will still use the NDV spinal tap, but there are other treatments even if you don’t want to go that route. So long as you can keep a dog eating there is usually hope. Dogs that can’t or won’t eat often don’t make it, but there are ways to help a dog eat. Dogs in persistent seizures, complete paralysis or in pain may be considered for euthanasia. As I write in the book: “I will never quarrel with an owner who chooses to spare their dog further pain. Sometimes the disease does strike too quickly and with devastating power. Euthanasia is a blessing in those cases.  However, in many occasions, we are dangerously ignoring to our need to learn.”

• A shelter with an outbreak of distemper does not have to “depopulate” to prevent the disease. There are techniques to identify infectious cases, prevent the spread of the virus and treat sick dogs without endangering healthy ones. For more information, check the research by the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida.

In September 2018, Dr. Harkin sent me replies to some questions I had, which are being published in the book. Here are some excerpts:

Q: If the NDV spinal tap is not beneficial to dogs in neurologic distemper, is the conclusion that these dogs would have recovered on their own?

A:    No, I do not believe the NDV spinal tap is beneficial and I do believe that the dogs that recovered would have recovered on their own.  I had a few clients that wanted to come for the study that I convinced to not have the treatment done.  Two of those dogs went on to recover completely with nothing other than good supportive care at home.  I know that clients report “improvement” in the symptoms after the treatment, but when they returned here for their recheck I did not appreciate significant improvement in any of them.  Maybe there was fractional improvement, but nothing I wouldn’t have expected with time.  I do suspect that the NDV vaccine when given intrathecally does cause a transient inflammatory response in the central nervous system (spinal cord, specifically).  I think that was manifested in several dogs with significant discomfort/pain that prompted the use of codeine or other analgesic therapy.  It is my belief that this inflammation blunts the repetitive firing of the nerves responsible for the chorea (distemper myoclonus).  I think that’s why clients see an improvement but I don’t.  …

Q: Nilla had been scheduled to be euthanized two days after Clark Audiss first contacted me. The vet would have euthanized on that Monday. Instead, she got the spinal tap on Tuesday, and her vision began to return on Thursday. If Nilla was simply going to have a spontaneous recovery on her own, do you think it possible we are giving up on these dogs too early?

A: I had three dogs that did not have myoclonus: Nilla, Coal,  and one other dog.  Nilla was the most severely affected.  Both dogs recovered completely.  Is it possible that the NDV works in a small subset of dogs?  I suppose that’s possible, but I doubt it.  I think both dogs would have recovered without any therapy.  They showed evidence of demyelination and it’s likely that remyelination was happening but that’s a process that just takes time.   Early on every dog I saw had a very inflammatory CSF (cerebrospinal fluid), but then post-NDV it would be normal, so I thought the NDV was inducing remission.  But, then I had a bunch of dogs that presented with  CDV-encephalitis that had completely boring CSF samples, just like the dogs that were post-treatment.  It’s just that none of those dogs had been treated.  I think the disease can and does go in remission.  Interesting, Nilla developed myoclonus long after she left here and recovered.  She didn’t have it originally.  That myoclonus also eventually subsided.  I think we are giving up on some of these dogs way too soon.  I have also worked with a shelter in Denver that has saved a number of these dogs with nothing other than good nursing care.

Copyright © 2020 Kind Hearts In Action Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Categories
Saved Dogs

Happy results for Buddy!

Received from Rochelle Puczkowskyj of Arizona on May 12, 2019:

Buddy was brought up from Hermosillo, Mexico as a 4 month old terrier mix.  He was given his first DHPP on 3/1/19 and a booster on 3/18/19.

4/1/19: diagnosed with Pneumonia, 103.5 TEMP
    started on Clavamox
BREATHING DIFFICULT, ENERGY LOW, COUGH

4/8/19: diagnosed with Distemper  103 TEMP
    one injection Covenia, also Baytril tablets
BREATHING DIFFICULT, ENERGY LOW, COUGH

4/11/19: Started NVD serum
    Azithromycin tablets 102.5 TEMP
    inhalation therapy: Camomile tea with a tsp vodka, three times a day
    Robitussen DM for cough three times a day

4/18/19: NORMAL TEMP
Finished Azithromycin, Did a round of Baytril, then 10 days Cephalexin
CONTINUED inhalation therapy and Robitussen
COUGH STILL PRESENT, OCCASIONAL BREATHING DIFFICULTY, GOOD APPETITE, ENERGY LEVEL IMPROVING

5/8/19
NORMAL ENERGY LEVEL, CURED OF DISTEMPER

BUDDY never got crusty nose, nor crusty feet. I think we caught the disease in its infancy and eradicated it immediately.  HAPPY RESULTS.

Categories
Blog Book blog

Save Dogs From Distemper: book update

For the past year, the manuscript for the Save Dogs From Distemper book has been circulating among the people who participated in this story. The draft has been evolving as I continue to get feedback and corrections. I keep saying this, but we are getting closer to getting this published now that I have heard back from mostly everyone.

When we began in December 2008, vaccination and euthanasia were the only reliable tools to deal with distemper, at least according to the accepted doctrines of veterinary literature. It had been said that dogs with distemper could only be saved through heroic measures and that ultimately it was not worth trying because they would not have a worthwhile quality of life even if they made it. So don’t bother trying. Shelters would habitually “depopulate” — kill every dog — when a distemper outbreak occurred. It was thought to be the only way to prevent the spread of the disease.

Fortunately, attitudes have slowly been changing.

I got into this cause because my dog, Galen, had been saved by a treatment discovered by Dr. Alson Sears using the Newcastle Disease Vaccine. My primary goal has been to tell the world about this treatment so other dogs could be saved and to find a path to acceptance for Dr. Sears’ methods. That acceptance may still be possible, but now I better understand the obstacles to gaining support for an idea that goes against accepted scientific knowledge.

As I write in the book:

“Rather than proof, I offer a prediction: If his NDV serum treatment for dogs in the pre-neurologic stage of canine distemper could be put to the test by approved scientific methods they would dramatically outperform the survival rates of traditional veterinary medicine. The result would be faster recoveries, fewer cases reaching the neurologic stage, a decrease in long-term symptoms and more distemper dogs surviving. However, neither Dr. Sears nor myself have the means to demonstrate this ourselves. He’s a retired clinical vet who did not get the guidance he needed to present this properly during his career, and I am just an average guy with a computer. “

Meanwhile, a study of an alternate treatment from Dr. Sears, to treat dogs who have reached the neurologic stage of the disease had been conducted at Kansas State University from 2014 to 2016. After some promising results in early cases, Dr. Ken Harkin ultimately concluded that the NDV spinal tap — injecting Newcastle’s Disease Vaccine directly into the spinal canal — did not help in the recovery of distemper dogs. But he also believes we give up on these dogs too early. The disease can and does go into remission on its own, so dogs can survive neurologic distemper with enough nursing care.

I am also aware of a study conducted by another university on the effect of the NDV serum sometime around 2013. However, the results of that study were not published, and I do not know why.

So today, my message to anyone who loves dogs:

• Not every dog can be saved from distemper, but more dogs are saved when their owners and vets are willing to give them a chance.

• If your dog has not reached the neurologic stage, I believe the NDV serum is the best chance at returning your distemper dog to health. I say that as a non-scientist, non-vet, but also as someone who has worked on this issue for more than 10 years. The value of the NDV serum has not been proven through a scientific study, but I believe it could be with enough distemper dogs, resources, participating vets and support from a foundation and/or university.

• If your dog is the neurologic stage, you don’t have to give up on them. Some vets will still use the NDV spinal tap, but there are other treatments even if you don’t want to go that route. So long as you can keep a dog eating there is usually hope. Dogs that can’t or won’t eat often don’t make it, but there are ways to help a dog eat. Dogs in persistent seizures, complete paralysis or in pain may be considered for euthanasia. As I write in the book: “I will never quarrel with an owner who chooses to spare their dog further pain. Sometimes the disease does strike too quickly and with devastating power. Euthanasia is a blessing in those cases.  However, in many occasions, we are dangerously ignoring to our need to learn.”

• A shelter with an outbreak of distemper does not have to “depopulate” to prevent the disease. There are techniques to identify infectious cases, prevent the spread of the virus and treat sick dogs without endangering healthy ones. For more information, check the research by the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida.

In September 2018, Dr. Harkin sent me replies to some questions I had, which are being published in the book. Here are some excerpts:

Q: If the NDV spinal tap is not beneficial to dogs in neurologic distemper, is the conclusion that these dogs would have recovered on their own?

A:    No, I do not believe the NDV spinal tap is beneficial and I do believe that the dogs that recovered would have recovered on their own.  I had a few clients that wanted to come for the study that I convinced to not have the treatment done.  Two of those dogs went on to recover completely with nothing other than good supportive care at home.  I know that clients report “improvement” in the symptoms after the treatment, but when they returned here for their recheck I did not appreciate significant improvement in any of them.  Maybe there was fractional improvement, but nothing I wouldn’t have expected with time.  I do suspect that the NDV vaccine when given intrathecally does cause a transient inflammatory response in the central nervous system (spinal cord, specifically).  I think that was manifested in several dogs with significant discomfort/pain that prompted the use of codeine or other analgesic therapy.  It is my belief that this inflammation blunts the repetitive firing of the nerves responsible for the chorea (distemper myoclonus).  I think that’s why clients see an improvement but I don’t.  …

Q: Nilla had been scheduled to be euthanized two days after Clark Audiss first contacted me. The vet would have euthanized on that Monday. Instead, she got the spinal tap on Tuesday, and her vision began to return on Thursday. If Nilla was simply going to have a spontaneous recovery on her own, do you think it possible we are giving up on these dogs too early?

A: I had three dogs that did not have myoclonus: Nilla, Coal,  and one other dog.  Nilla was the most severely affected.  Both dogs recovered completely.  Is it possible that the NDV works in a small subset of dogs?  I suppose that’s possible, but I doubt it.  I think both dogs would have recovered without any therapy.  They showed evidence of demyelination and it’s likely that remyelination was happening but that’s a process that just takes time.   Early on every dog I saw had a very inflammatory CSF (cerebrospinal fluid), but then post-NDV it would be normal, so I thought the NDV was inducing remission.  But, then I had a bunch of dogs that presented with  CDV-encephalitis that had completely boring CSF samples, just like the dogs that were post-treatment.  It’s just that none of those dogs had been treated.  I think the disease can and does go in remission.  Interesting, Nilla developed myoclonus long after she left here and recovered.  She didn’t have it originally.  That myoclonus also eventually subsided.  I think we are giving up on some of these dogs way too soon.  I have also worked with a shelter in Denver that has saved a number of these dogs with nothing other than good nursing care.

 



Categories
Blog Book blog

Skeptics and Allies

Progress continues to move forward on the long-awaited book on about Dr. Alson Sears and his treatments for canine distemper. A first draft was finished last summer, and I have been systematically circulating drafts and excerpts of the book to those who played a part in his story. The manuscript is not ready to go out into the world — yet — but it is evolving. What slows me down is that I am also an entrepreneur and my game-design business frequently sucks up all my time.

In my ongoing research, I came across two videos which I had watched years ago. They are essential viewing for anyone trying to save a distemper dog. They represent a break from the previous mindset that distemper dogs cannot be saved and that euthanasia is the most humane option. The experts in these videos disagree. They believe it is possible to save dogs from canine distemper. It may take 2-3 months, but if the vets, owners and shelters can put in the work, many of these dogs can survive. However, they don’t necessarily endorse the NDV treatments. They remain skeptical because scientific trials have not yet proven that they work.

I admire anyone who believes dogs can be saved from canine distemper. This reminds me that someone does not have to completely agree with you in order to be on the same side. You can be allies and skeptics at the same time.

These videos also answer important questions about the diagnosis, care and survival of distemper dogs. So, I encourage everyone to watch these. (When you have about 2 hours)

Dr. Ellen Jefferson
Executive Director of Austin Pets Alive

At Maddie’s Institute Shelter Medicine Conference at the University of Florida
October 2, 2012

Dr. Cynda Crawford presents “Everything Shelters Need to Know About Canine Distemper.”
In this presentation, you will learn: – The basics of the canine distemper virus (CDV) – Risk factors contributing to the frequency of canine distemper outbreaks in shelters – How to create a clean break between infected/exposed dogs and new admissions without resorting to depopulation – More rules and tools for lifesaving intervention during shelter outbreaks – Current best practices to mitigate risks of outbreaks in both open and managed admission shelters – The role of vaccination, antibody titer testing and housing – How to communicate with community members and the media about outbreaks and prevention
Apr 9, 2014

As I explain in the book, I do not have the means to prove NDV will save dogs from canine distemper. But I offer a prediction:

If the NDV treatments could be put to the test under proper scientific controls and standards, they would show:

  • a significantly shorter course of the disease
  • fewer cases reaching the neurological stage
  • a significantly higher survival rate.
  • fewer long-term symptoms
  • shorter period of being contagious/lower risk of infecting other dogs

In short, we think we can help make the job easier for the vets, owners, shelters and rescue groups who are willing to give these dogs a chance.

— Ed Bond
Jan. 4, 2018

Categories
Canine Distemper Saved Dogs

Becca still enjoying life!

2 1/2 years after treatment and Becca is still enjoying life! She goes hiking and horseback riding all the time and LOVES being at the barn (as you can see). Thank you guys again for all your help. You are truly the reason she has this chance.

I can’t thank you enough for the information you provided. Looking on Facebook for answers was my last resort, as well as hers. Before I messaged you I already had 4 vets tell me to euthanize her. But she wasn’t ready to give up. She is no longer a foster dog and is now part of my family (tried to find her a home for over 2 years). She is the best dog I have ever had!

Becca was confined to a wheelchair soon before and several months after her treatment until she got better. She has slowly improved since then and is doing absolutely amazing now.

Sent to Save Dogs From Distemper Facebook page by Cortney Lea Adams of Tucson, AZ

December 14, 2017

Categories
Blog

All we ask

Six years after filming this video, the goal remains the same.

All we have asked is for the scientific community to at least give these treatments a look. Test them out to your satisfaction and see if they could work. All it takes is the right person in the right place to get it rolling.

I am not a scientist or a vet, so I cannot prove it for you. But after working on this as a volunteer and compiling information from dog owners, vets and rescue groups for the past 8 years, I believe it is worth a full scientific investigation.

Ed Bond

Jan 2, 2017