Category: Canine Distemper

Categories
Saved Dogs

Chopper is now a healthy and happy dog


Chopper is a two-year old Chihuahua/Husky Mix.  When we rescued Chopper on New Year’s Eve, he immediately went into the Emergency Clinic that night.  The vet diagnosed him with distemper, and recommended returning him to the shelter, or putting him down.  There was no way!  Although, we only had him for a few hours, he was completely wrapped around our hearts!

He was admitted into the emergency clinic for a 36-hour stay until our regular vet re-opened after the Holiday.  He was so sick and so sad.  When he saw our regular vet, she agreed…it appeared to be distemper.

I found www.kindheartsinaction.com online, over the weekend and had to at least TRY the NDV to save Chopper.  We were concerned because he started his serum on Day 7.  Three days after the third injection, Chopper was a different dog!  He was full of energy, jumping, and playing with his new sister, Lucy.

Six months later, and Chopper is a healthy and happy dog!  He is full of energy, and brings us so much happiness.  He and his eight-year old sister, Lucy, are best friends.

In addition to distemper, Chopper tested positive for heartworms.  He is SO healthy now, he started Heart-worm Treatment last week (and is recovering with no complications).  Mr. Bond, thank you for your efforts to save so many precious dogs from distemper!  Because of your work, Chopper survived distemper!

Monty G. Broughton
Houston, Texas

Received June 25, 2013

Categories
Canine Distemper Saved Dogs

Distemper Story: The Rising of Venus in the Philippines

AUGUST 6, 2012, 6pm

We picked up our Baby Venus  in the airport. An adorable and sweet 2 month old puppy we imported from another country through the help of an importer here in the Philippines.  It was one of the happiest moments we had, especially for my daughter Sam. Venus is happy, affectionate and playful puppy.

 

AUGUST 7, 2012, 9AM

We brought her to the Vet near our place. The doctor there is a dear friend, and is also very reliable and the best vet in town. We haven’t received yet the health record of Venus from the importer. So we just got her shots updates over the phone and through the document we received from the breeder and vet of the country where she came from. It says there she had 5 in 1 shots, Revolution from Ticks and Fleas, Deworming. However, we found so much ticks and fleas on her and when the vet assistant took her temperature; worms came out of her behind. We all freaked out! I asked the vet to give her a blood test to make sure she was not sick of something. The Vet told us he can’t give shots on Venus yet coz she just arrived and may cause her a lot of stress. What was done to her was blood test and revolution. Vet said not to deworm her yet coz it says on the document that she already had. Her blood test was normal.

 

AUGUST 8, 2012, 9AM

Went back to the vet near our town and insisted to have her dewormed coz worms might make her sick and we have other healthy dogs at home that might catch the worms or something. But Venus was on quarantine since she just arrived. When she defecated that morning, there were so many tape worms on her stool that it drove me nuts! Again in the Vet clinic tape worms came out of her behind which I find so alarming. Vet gave us tablets to give Venus as soon as we get home for her deworming. I also bought some for my 2 dogs just to be sure although my 2 dogs are always updated with their shots and check ups and all, I just wanted to be doubly sure!

 

AUGUST 8, 2012, 9pm,

My husband gave Venus the deworming tablets. However, she vomited  a few minutes after. Also noticed that she sneezes but not very often probably just twice that day and so I texted my 2 vets and asked them about the sneezing. Told them no discharge whatsoever. The other vet near our place replied and he said it might just be allergies or irritation.

 

AUGUST 9, 2012, 9AM

Went back to the Vet with Venus to have her checked again, and this time vet gave her the deworming tablets instead.

AUGUST 10, 2012, 7AM

Dead worms seen in her stool. No tape worms seen anymore. They probably dissolved already. What a relief done with the ticks and fleas! Done with the worms!  We gave a her a quick warm bath coz she really stinks  even though we already sponge bath her when she arrived from the airport. But because she was soaked with her urine and all in the kennel when she was in the plane, the sponge bath didn’t get rid of the stench so we gave her quick warm bath instead. She has some sort of bites on her skin, probably of the fleas and ticks she had.

 

AUGUST 11, 2012, 7AM

Noticed she was sneezing again. Again, I texted our vets and informed them about the sneezing.

 

AUGUST 11, 2012, 9PM

She has this choking up thing. I am not sure if she ate something that made her choke a little. Again texted the vet about it.

 

AUGUST 16,2012, 9AM

Brought Venus again to the vet near our place. I am bothered by the chocking and sneezing.  We also found pus under her armpit. Vet checked on her and prescribed an anti allergy medicine.  According to the vet, the pus on her armpit was just a flea bite that was infected.

 

AUGUST 17, 2012, 7AM

She didn’t finish her food, which is so unusual. She has heavy appetite and always looking forward to eat. Texted our vet and he said it might be indigestion. So she was given hyper acidity medicine.

 

AUGUST 18 – 20 2012,

Didn’t finish food. Eyes watery and seems feverish. Not too playful but still plays around when we are with her.

 

AUGUST 19, 2012

Decided to ask for 2nd opinion from our other vet. Texted Dr. Nielsen and informed him about Venus’ deterioration. He advised me to have her tested for Distemper.

 

AUGUST 20, 2012

Since VIP (Vets In Practce) is too far from our place like an hour-and-a-half drive and just way so much traffic, we decided to have her tested at our town vet. However he advised to have Venus’ tested after 3 weeks instead coz Venus’ doesn’t have symptoms of Distemper. Vet said she seems ok just continue on the anti- allergy medicine. Venus stayed with us in our bedroom .

 

AUGUST 20, 2012

Updated Dr Nielsen with the result of the check up. But Dr Nielsen seemed concerned that Venus should really have to undergo distemper testing, just to rule out distemper.

AUGUST 21,2012

Brought Venus instead to VIP. There were so many patients that day. We were so last on the list but we were called right away to go straight to the lab. We even heard comments about how come we went first! If only they know what Venus might have that’s why we went first to avoid contaminating the whole place!

 

AUGUST 21, 2012,1:22PM

Venus’ test for distemper was positive. It was as if my whole world fell apart! All I can remember is Dr Nielsen himself telling us she has distemper. And after that, I was speechless and I just can’t hear what Dr Nielsen is saying. All I know I  just cried out loud and my husband led me to the car. Waited for my husband while he talks to vets in VIP. Texted the importer about it.

My husband Jeff explained to me everything and told me about Dr Sears serum that could cure distemper. We need a healthy large dog as blood donor for Venus. My husband said Mary is a candidate. Mary is  my 1 year and 6 mos old Alaskan Malamute. Jeff said they need to test her first. If she passed , they’ll inject this virus on Mary then after 12 hrs bring Mary back to VIP to draw blood from her. She’ll be sedated. At first, I was so confused. So many questions in my mind. Shall I allow Mary to be the donor? Is this safe for my baby Mary?I lover her to death I don’t want anything bad to happen to our Mary? All that words that kept on popping in my mind, VIRUS, BLOOD! Both sounds eerie and scary to me! While in the car, I browsed on the net through my mobile phone about Dr Sears distemper serum. The first thing that caught my attention was these very words “How My Dog Bailey Survived Distemper and How Yours Could TOO! on March 29, 2011 by adventuresofabeautyqueen. I clicked it right away and saw the name of Joyce Burton! It was like I was on the clouds! It just so happens that I know her! She’s one of the superiors in my mom’s office. I read her column and was enlightened somehow and it gave me hope! I really thank God for Joyce’s article. It was like a light at the end of the tunnel! I rushed to asked mom for Joyce Burton’s mobile number. I texted her and she replied right away. Just so happy to talk to someone who gave me encouragement and hope. She was my inspiration as well as her Bailey at that time. She shared to me websites I could read and gave me Mr. Ed Bond’s email address and website: Kind Hearts in Action. He is an activist about this and responds fast Joyce’s said. She told me Ed Bond has helped her a lot during Bailey’s fight against Distemper. From then on Joyce has been giving me advices and encouraging me following up about Venus. She even volunteered Bailey and her other dogs to be donors. It was a relief for me because I know it’ll be hard for me to look for a donor if ever Mary cannot. Who will ever allow their healthy dog go through this for a dog they hardly know? But Vet Melay advised us to just try Mary first coz she’s the best candidate so far.

AUGUST 21, 2012, 4PM,

Mary had blood test. Result showed she’s healthy and can be a donor! It was mixed emotion. Happy for my Venus yet worrisome for my Mary.

AUGUST 21, 2012, 6PM

Brought Mary back to VIP to inject to her the New Castle Virus. We were asked to buy this new castle that can be bought somewhere in Quezon City. It has to delivered fast though and should be in a chiller.  Poor Mary… L We were asked to come back after 12 hrs on the dot to draw blood from her. It was the longest drive ever for my husband and I. Just so tired and weary…

Checked on Venus when we got home. I have to Isolate her and it hurts me coz we are not used putting a dog in an enclosure. But we have to because we have another puppy and Mary. Gave all of them COLLOIDAL SILVER per Joyce’s advice and confirmed by Dr Nielsen. Bought it at VIP. Amount depends on the weight of the dog.  Colloidal Silver is a natural antiviral, anti fungal and anti bacterial. We gave this to all of them since they were exposed to the virus. They might catch from Venus the complications like Pneumonia.

That night, I emailed Mr Bond with so many questions anxiously waiting for his reply… True enough with what Joyce said, he responds fast! I was so happy to hear from “THE” MR ED BOND! He patiently answered all my questions and gave me articles to read on. He assured me that the New Castle Virus is safe and will not hurt Mary in any way. Another answered prayer… Mr.Bond was so accommodating. We really appreciate it coz he has been a great relief for us!

 

AUGUST 22, 2012, 6AM

Brought Venus to VIP for her 1st shot. Venus was rather weak and lethargic. No apetite as well.

AUGUST 22, 2012, 6PM

Brought Venus back to VIP again for her 2nd shot. When we got back home, Venus was rather playful and she ate a lot.

 

AUGUST 23, 2012, 6AM

Venus’ 3rd shot at VIP. At this time, Venus seems back to her old self again. She’s so playful, gnawing on anything and running after our butts! Her eyes are not gloomy anymore and no signs of discharge from her nose and eyes. Her appetite was heavy and she barks like crazy!

 

AUGUST 24 to 26, 2012

Venus seems to be not sick. She is lively and her tongue is pinkish and her eyes are bright! She’s back!!!! She developed some rashes on her tummy and neck. The doctor said it might be manifestations that she had distemper. She had a lump on her back near her nape as well. We just put hot compress. We thought it is something serious. I was just from the serum shots. The skin just got inflamed or something but after a day it was gone!

 

AUGUST 27, 2012

Brought Venus back to VIP. Dr. Melay checked on her and she doesn’t have any signs nor symptoms of Distemper anymore. We continued her antibiotics . We waited for another week just to be sure.

 

SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Brought Venus back to VIP. They took her blood and tested her for distemper. She is already negative from distemper! We were just so overjoyed! God is so good and amazing! The serum really worked! We didn’t even have to do the spinal tap anymore. Good thing we detected it at a very early stage.

Now we are just waiting for next week for Venus’ shots and deworming and after a week she could be with us outside the park again!

It is very important that the very first sign of colds (sneezing) and watery eyes and cough (choking) as well as low appetite to see the vet right away and have the pup checked for distemper if the pup is below 4 mos of age and shots are not yet complete. We did see a vet first signs of sneezing but vet told us it might just be allergies and was given allergy medicine. We came back the next day coz Venus seems to be choking. It was again diagnosed as allergies, since there were no symptoms yet of distemper some vets won’t test them. Vet told us to wait for 3weeks until there’ll be symptoms of distemper. But better insist. We brought Venus to another vet (Dr Nielsen VIP) and had her tested for distemper and came out positive. Venus was even tested 2x at VIP to be sure. Good thing we had her tested right away coz if not she could’ve gotten worse, and it would have far more complications and be too late to save her.

 

I would like to thank first and foremost our dear God for healing our Venus through Dr. Sears’ serum. I thank God for Dr. Sears for without him, my dog’s life wouldn’t have been saved! I thank you Mr. Ed Bond for being so supportive, accommodating and kind. Thank you for all the encouragement, knowledge about the disease and for answering all my so many questions. Thank you for sparing time to reply to me. Without you and Joyce Burton, I wouldn’t have made it through this. Of course, I thank you Joyce Burton! You are my angel! You are heaven-sent to us! God allowed Bailey to experience such for you to help people like me. Thank you for being there all throughout the process day and night. Thank you for your replies to me even late at night and wee hours of the morning even though my text messages are just plain old anxieties. Thank you for praying with us. Thank you for offering your dogs to donate blood for Venus just in case Mary my dog won’t be a good candidate. Thank you so much Joyce for being a friend and a confidant. Surely, God brought you to our lives for this very reason! And my family, dogs and I will be supporting you and Ed Bond in sharing the whole world the news about this remarkable serum of Dr Sears. I hope and pray the medical world will accept Dr Sears work that can save a lot of dog’s life and save a dog owner’s heart from the pain of putting their dog to sleep instead because they thought there is no cure for this disease. We want to be with you to share to the world that there is still Hope if their dogs have distemper.

And of course, A million thanks to you Dr Nielsen Donato, Dr. Melay Pelayo, Dr. Allison,  Dr. Gina Pineda, Dr. Kathleen Tiu and all the doctors and staff  of Vets in Practice for being the instruments of God to make the serum of Dr Sears and care for my Venus. VIP, YOU ARE THE BEST AMONG THE BEST! I keep on telling others, VIP ain’t perfect, who is? They are not God who knows everything. But they are the best!  I am so blessed to have known you guys! Thank you for believing Dr Sears and for doing everything you can to make this serum and find a cure for dog’s with distemper . Thank you for not giving up on Venus and on us. Thank you for everything!!!!!!!! We are forever grateful! I will tell the whole world how wonderful you guys are and that VIP is the best not only in the Phils but one of the best in the world! Dr Nielsen, you are just one of a kind! I am in awe how good you really are! Dra Melay, you’ll be the next generation Nielsen! Keep it up guys! Thank you so so so much VIP!!!!!

God is so amazing!!!!!!!!!!!

Liz Bartolazo
The Philippines
Sept. 5, 2012

 

 

 

 

Categories
Canine Distemper Saved Dogs

Boomer survives distemper

Aug. 1, 2012

Ed,

I would like to thank you for your efforts to bring the work of Dr. Sears to the public forum and inform people about distemper and it’s possible treatment.  I am especially grateful for Kind Hearts in Action because our puppy, Boomer, was able to survive this terrible virus thanks to the information you gave me.  I will never be able to thank you enough.

We got Boomer not knowing much about his history other than that he was part of a litter that was to be euthanized and was rescued from a county animal shelter by a local rescue group.  Luckily, my fiancé was able to talk them into giving Boomer to us a week early and I am convinced that this saved his life.  He came to us with an upper respiratory infection and some antibiotics.  Less than a week went by and his symptoms began to appear; discharge from the nose and eyes, lack of energy, blood in his stool. We took him to see the vet for the rescue that was overseeing the litter.  There, she informed us about a strong possibility that he may have distemper and that there was not much she could do.  The look in her eyes was one of sadness and she kept telling us that she was sorry.  She suspected that he was exposed to it while in the county shelter and asked us if we wanted to leave him there with her.   We informed her that we were not going to give up on him and leave him there all alone.  She sent us home with strong antibiotics and an IV to administer fluids.  We were absolutely devastated.  We had become so attached to him after only a few days.  The next morning I got online to read everything I possibly could about distemper and it’s possible treatments.  Within ten minutes I found your website and read all I could about the Newcastle serum.  I hoped so badly that someone in our area was using this experimental treatment.  I talked it over with my fiancé and we immediately decided to email you.  It wasn’t two minutes later that you responded with a vet in our area who was using the treatment.  I couldn’t believe our luck.  It was 20 minutes away.  Boomer’s symptoms were terrible but he never reached the point of having neurological problems.  We immediately called his original vet to ask her if it would be alright to take him.  She agreed that it would not interfere with the care she was already providing him and we were on our way.  The staff at the clinic were exceptional.  They informed us that sometimes the serum works and sometimes it does not and wanted us to be prepared for that.  Boomer got his first serum shot that day.  After a few early morning and evening visits his shots of the serum were complete and it was time to wait and see.  In addition to distemper, Boomer also had kennel cough and for weeks he was on a number of antibiotics.  We had to keep a journal because our poor little guy was taking so much medication.  He was still very lethargic and looked so sad.  During this time he would sleep with his head nuzzled up to our necks, I suppose to feel a heartbeat.  I was constantly cleaning discharge out of his nose, giving him pills, trying to get him to eat or drink, nebulizing him in the bathroom…  It was a difficult time and I was worried at first because Boomer did not seem to respond right away to the serum like I had seen in so many of your success stories.  He was improving but it was at a slower pace.  It took about two weeks for his nose and eyes to finally start clearing up and for his energy to return.  Another week for the cough.  It took months for me to leave the house and not worry about him.  Only a month ago his dry little nose finally healed up.  I just want people to know that every dog is different and not to be discouraged if their dog isn’t chasing it’s tail after the last dose of serum.  It’s been 7 months since then and you would not know that Boomer was ever sick.  He’s full of energy, loves people and other dogs and is incredibly sweet and silly.  I especially love when he tilts his head when I talk to him.  He’s just a great dog and I am so happy that we were able to find out about the Newcastle serum through you, Ed.  He means the world to us and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I attached a couple of pictures of Boomer when he was sick and a video and a picture of him now.  I’ll send the video in a separate email.

Sincerely,
Lindsay, Joe & Boomer
Phoenix, Arizona

Categories
Canine Distemper Saved Dogs

Mater gets to be a puppy again

Here is Mater today. You wouldn't know that Mater had gone through this and was a couple of days from being put down to avoid the misery of distemper.
Here is Mater today. You wouldn't know that Mater had been a couple of days from being put down to avoid the misery of distemper.

This is Mater.

Mater already has an interesting tale to tell at the tender age of 6 months, but only because of Kind Hearts in Action, we are able to show the above picture just two weeks after he was diagnosed with canine distemper.

We picked up Mater from the local animal shelter already malnourished with little hair on his ears due to a fungus.  Except for a missed case of some worms, we figured it wouldn’t

Here's Mater when we picked him up from the shelter. We were happy to find him. My son named him on the way to the shelter even before we saw him.

take much to bring this pup around and make him a part of the family.  He made a quick impression.  He bonded immediately with us and his older brother, a pound mutt we have had for 12 years now.

A week after we brought Mater home, I noticed that he was developing a dry cough.  Our initial thought was kennel cough that was picked up before he left the shelter.  We let it go for a couple of days before I took Mater to our usual vet.  He expected it to also be kennel cough and prescribed some antibiotics and anti-cough medicine to take over the next 2 weeks.  One thing he did mention that I didn’t pay much attention to was that it could be distemper.  I probably should have listened a little more intently, but he didn’t seem to emphasize it too much.

I went away that weekend for a business trip.  On the day before I came back, my wife mentioned that Mater wasn’t really eating much anymore, was very lethargic, and looked even skinnier than before!  I told her to get him some soft food, as his throat was probably sore from his coughing spells.  He was probably tired from the medicine he was taking.  We hoped.

Upon returning from my trip, just a week after the coughing had started, I started fearing the worst- distemper.  Mater rarely left his kennel, would only eat a few mouthfuls of food, and had lost over 10% of his already low body weight.  I knew that I needed to see the vet the next day.

Driving to the vet, I wasn’t sure that I would even be able to bring Mater home.  He didn’t want to move much and only perked up to go outside for his breaks.  The vet didn’t have to look for long before telling me that Mater had distemper.  He could run tests, but he had seen this enough times to see the symptoms- crusting nose, gunky eyes, non-productive coughing, loss of weight, sensitivity to light, and so on.  There would be no saving Mater if this was true, but just in case it wasn’t distemper, I was given a different antibiotic to treat the developing pneumonia free of charge.  I could tell the vet felt sorry for what we were about to go through.

I went home pissed off!  This dog had endeared himself to us.  His personality was perfect, he had had only one “accident” in the house even while deathly sick although this was the first house he had lived in, and he was a fighter.  I had to find some videos of other dogs that went through distemper to see just how bad it would get so I would know how soon to put Mater down.  The first few videos were terrible.  I could tell that I would have to take Mater back to the vet in just a couple of days just so he could avoid the attack on his nervous system.  He had already had the respiratory symptoms for about 8 days at this point so he didn’t have much longer until twitches and seizures would set in.  The last video I looked at piqued my interest; it was of a pair of dogs that were taken to a vet in New Mexico for treatment of distemper.  One of the dogs lived, one died.

With visions of an overnight drive to New Mexico already racing through my mind, I watched the movie clip to see a seemingly easy procedure done to save a dog that had distemper.  Fortunately for Mater and me, there was a website address at the end of the video that saved me the drive- kindheartsinaction.com.

It was already late in the afternoon so I quickly skimmed what I could to see if this was a legitimate website.  If my vet said that there is no cure, then there is no cure.  This had to be some type of scam.  Against my better judgment, I emailed Mr. Ed Bond for some info on any local vets.  An email came back within minutes with the name of a local vet.  Yep, a scam, but I was dealing with a dying puppy.  I decided to call the vet.

The lady on the other end of the phone seemed patient enough with me when I asked her about treatment for distemper.  She, in fact, talked about it like it wasn’t necessarily a big deal.  I tactfully brought in my final question, “How much?”

I laughed at the answer!  Not because of the high cost but at the ridiculously low cost.  I jumped at the first available appointment the following afternoon.  My hope was that Mater would make it through the night and wouldn’t develop any symptoms that would show that the virus had entered his nervous system.

Mater did make it through the night and to the vet’s office.  The vet explained what I had already read through on the website.  Mater would need 3 serum injections, 12 hours apart, and some more penicillin for the respiratory infection.  Mater’s white blood cell was in the normal range, a good sign.  I told you he was a fighter.

At home, we waited for my wife to come home from work.  She thought that Mater already looked livelier although it would take 24-36 hours to get back to normal.  Mater’s next serum shot would have to be done by us in the middle of the night.  To make a long story short, we visited an urgent care clinic at 4 in the morning where a nurse offered to inject Mater out of the kindness of his heart, as we weren’t the best at getting just under the skin.  Even better would be the next injection where I was the only one around.  I got lucky and it went right in.

My wife arrived home from work a couple of hours after the last serum injection.  With nervous anticipation, she called out Mater’s name.  Joy rang out as Mater ran around the corner towards her already on a fast path to recovery.  This was the same day I had originally set aside to put Mater down after the last visit to my regular vet when I was told that there was nothing that could be done.

It has been less than two weeks since Mater received his treatment.  He is back to being a puppy- chasing the ball, chewing on my slippers, wagging his tail by the door when he needs to go outside.  I bet Mater feels fortunate to be here.  I know we feel fortunate to have Mater here and to be able to spread the word that there is a treatment for distemper.

Craig Blackburn
Feb. 20, 2012

Mater's first bath, the day after we picked him up.

Categories
Canine Distemper Saved Dogs

Titan conquers distemper

Received Dec. 9 2011

I have to say that one of the worst days of my life was September 7th 2011 when I found out that my dog Titan may have distemper due to the symptoms he was having.

I thought that it was some kind of cold that he would get thru since he is a strong dog that has never been sick, until I noticed a green/yellow discharge from his nose and more eye buggers than normal. We decided to take him to

Titan

the Vet and get some blood tests to see what was going on with him. Effectively, the morning of September 8th I was told that Titan had tested positive for distemper and that he would probably not make it.

My world, and heart broke into little pieces at the thought of my boy not even making it to his 3rd birthday, I could not give up and give into the doctor’s pessimistic view on Titan, and as hard headed as I am, I started researching more and more to understand the virus, then I came across the www.kindheartsinaction.com web page and almost immediately received a response to my desperate email providing me with some information on NDV vaccine and some contacts in Florida that can possibly have the NDV vaccine.

I quickly called and made an appointment with a vet in Orlando which is 4 hours from my house and then continued to look if there was anyone closer to me that I could receive a faster vaccine since the vet in Orlando only had space to see Titan until Friday night. I could not wait and finally came across a vet in Venice, Florida. I arrived that morning at his clinic and Titan was given the NDV vaccine intravenous, and was prescribed antibiotics to help fight the Distemper virus. Lucky for us titan had no neurological damage yet, and only had the first symptoms of distemper with the discharge, and a wild cough.

The next day I woke up Titan had taken a full 180 and was looking so much better and not coughing as much as before. He started running around chasing lizards, and climbing trees again, and on the second day he was totally over all of his symptoms and back to his normal self again.

I can’t thank you guys so much for saving my dog and giving me the information, hope, and motivation to fight for Titan. As of September 21 he was officially done with his antibiotics and doing great. I am so happy that there is no signs of damage to my boy and he can now live the normal and happy dog life that I have always wanted to give him, if there is anything I can say about this is, don’t give up when people tell you “NO” because when there is a will there is a way and I am living proof.

In conclusion please make sure that your dog has his distemper shot every year, I believe that with the NDV vaccine, antibiotics, God, and being there with my dog thru the whole time allowed him to see that it was worth fighting so he can be with his best friend till the end of days. Today December 09 2011, Titan is 200% and a healthy, happy boy.

Thank you again.

Regards Josh Zepeda and Titan

Miami, Florida

Categories
Canine Distemper Saved Dogs

Distemper dog saved in South Africa

Tjoppie, before treatment for distemper
 

Received Sept. 1, 2011

13 week old Pitbull Pup with Distemper

My name is Chantel van Rensburg and I’m from Sasolburg, South Africa. My pitbull, Tjoppie, has been diagnosed with Distemper at 11 weeks. We got him on 8 weeks old the 29th of July 2011. I noticed that something was wrong as his eyes were red and he had a discharge from the nose as well as ‘pimples’ on his face and he had diarrhea. I took him to the vet immediately and I was told that he had Kennel Cough, so I they gave me anti-biotics and something to stop the diarrhea. It went well for three or four days and then it started all over again but worse. So I took him back to the vet and they gave other medicine to try. It went well for a week or so, but then I noticed that he was twitching in his one front leg, we first thought that he just get cold easily. But then on Sunday the 21st of August in the evening he was twitching all over his body and worsened during the night. I rushed him to the Bryanston Veterianary Hospital in Sandton Johannesburg, where he was submitted and diagnosed with Distemper and that’s when I was told that there is no cure or treatment. I couldn’t leave it at that and couldn’t believe that death was going to be my puppy’s fate. I took him home and gave him all the love, care and attention that I possibly could and where ever I could make his life easier, I did, even sitting up with him right through the night. It has now been two weeks and so far he has beaten the odds. The discharge from his eyes and nose has stopped, although his nose is still very dry and cracked. The dairrhea has also improved, but its not perfect. The twitching has worsened even more, to the point that it makes his life very uncomfortable, he’s crying and moaning all the time.

Does he have neurological distemper or is he now in that stage? Is there still hope for him? Can the virus still be treated? And if it still can be treated, is there a vet in South Africa that does the treatment, because I will travel to where ever he his. If there is any hope for my puppy, I want to give my pup the best or any chance there is. I have tried finding one by presenting them with your procedures on how to produce the serum, but no success, either they don’t have the guts to try it or just don’t have the passion and love for dogs to care enough to trey it.

PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!! I AM DESPERATE!!!!!

Kind Regards

Chantel van Rensburg

Tjoppie gets hydro therapy, spa and swimming, after his treatment for distemper.
   
Received Dec. 5, 2011
Good Morning,
My pup went for the treatment 3 months ago, I found a doctor in Darling, Western Cape, South Africa who has made the serum and send it to me via courier. A neuro surgeon then performed the spinal tap on Tjoppie in Bryanston, Gauteng, South Africa.

Today my pup is 6 months old and doing VERY WELL!!!!! 3 Days after the spinal tap he was a completely different puppy! His energy levels rose, his appetite grew, running around, being naughty and playfull like a healthy puppy should be. Although he still has the twitching, that is also improving as he is going for hydro therapy twice a week and he also gets a supplement called Muscle Dog to help build his muscle strength. His overall health is very good and haven’t had any more problems thus far, he is improving every day, I can honestly say that he or any of the symptoms of distemper HAVE NOT worsened at all!!!

I’ve included some before and after photos of him as well.

Kind Regards
Chantel van Rensburg

Sasolburg
South Africa

TJOPPIE’S story has been updated in the book “Save Dogs From Canine Distemper”:

Tjoppie, the South African dog treated with NDV serum in a spinal tap, lived for more than 5 years. Chantel’s husband Noel wrote me with an update: “Unfortunately Tjoppie passed away last year on the 25th of October 2016. We made the hard choice to put him to sleep as his symptoms flared up again and had just too many seizures a day and not recovering well after them. But he was almost 6 years old and if I had to do it again, I would. Thank you for everything.”

Categories
Canine Distemper Saved Dogs

Three puppies saved in Colorado

Ptarmigan & Annie Oakley

Ptarmigan & Annie Oakley

Received Aug. 12, 2011

My name is Laurie. My boyfriend and I adopted two puppies from Texas that have been exposed to distemper. We are located in Vail, Co. The puppies have been coughing and sneezing for almost 3 weeks now (since we received them). Our little male puppy (6ish months, maybe a lab/Dane mix??) woke up this morning with a cracking nose And coughing up mucus. He also threw up his food after a car ride-could be car sickness or an upset stomach from clavamox or a distemper symptom. They both previously have had a clear liquid coming out of their nose but nothing more than a watery nose that dogs get. They had a little bit of eye discharge but that has since stopped. Their poop was runny but they are on probiotics that seem to be helping. They have not had seizures. They had their 1st round of shots..we are torn about getting their next set with them showing symptoms?? Our little girl puppy is better than the male. She is a 4ish month old pug mix. They both still act like happy, playful pups. Not lethargic. We rescued them because they were about to be put down. We don’t have much money but want to do everything we can to help them survive and have a life they deserve.  …  They have not been diagnosed but did spend their trip to co  with an distemper infected puppy that passed away this week. Thanks so much for your help!!

Laurie Lilley
Vail, Colorado

Received Dec. 4, 2011

We treated 3 puppies with the NDV treatments.

We fist gave all 3 of them the straight vaccine, then when the serum came we treated them all with the serum.
After 3 weeks, 2 of the puppies started showing neurological signs (after seeming almost 100% cured) so we immediately did the spinal tap on both and gave each of the puppies(all 3) another round of the serum.  This week, we gave one of the puppies that had the neurological distemper another round of the serum (his nose is drying out again).

All 3 of the puppies are alive and well, thanks to the NDV treatments.  Though we are still waiting on pins and needles, they all are acting like healthy little pups without a worry in the world.

Both puppies that had the spinal tap have remaining twitches, however, after receiving the procedures the rapid progression ceased in both.

We soo greatly appreciate all your hard work in getting this treatment out there.  Our pups are finally living a life they deserve.  If it isn’t bad enough that they were all strays in a kill shelter hours away from death, they came down with an “hopeless” virus when they finally had been saved from the needle and given a chance to live.  You helped make believers out of 4 people that just wanted to save some lives from euthanasia, and 4 vets that were 100% skeptical of the treatments we were asking them to preform.

We thank you!! As do our children, Ptarmigan, Annie Oakley, & Sully.

Laurie Lilley
Vail, Colorado

Categories
Canine Distemper Saved Dogs

Mojave survives neurologic distemper

en español

I adopted Mojave (Moe) in June 2011 from a Border Collie Breed Rescue program. Moe was found wandering in the Mojave Desert and breed rescue picked him up from a shelter in that area. Moe was covered with foxtails, not neutered, and apparently had never been vaccinated for distemper as a puppy. He subsequently received all of his immunizations (including distemper) upon being picked up by the rescue folks. However, Moe was unfortunately exposed to distemper in the shelter where he stayed initially.

About 10 days after I adopted Moe, he came down with double pneumonia and a collapsed lung. My vet was hoping that this was not a complication from distemper, but we had no way of knowing that at the time. Moe’s infection cleared up after several weeks of intensive antibiotics, IV hydration, and breathing treatments.

Approximately a week after Moe recovered from the pneumonia he began to have tremors in his hind legs. We went back to his primary vet who suspected that these symptoms were distemper related. A blood test was drawn, but the

Moe and Shasta

results were not to be available for several weeks. At that point we saw a neurologist who confirmed the diagnosis of distemper based on Moe’s symptoms. She videoed him for teaching purposes since distemper is not common in adult dogs and basically told us to go home and say our goodbyes to Moe. I found that unacceptable!

Fortunately around the same time one of women from rescue told me about the Newcastle serum vaccine. She told me at 8 in the morning and at 11 am the same day Moe and I drove to see Dr. S. at … Dr. S. is awesome! He spent time talking to me on the phone while I was making the 400 mile drive and explained the spinal tap infusion treatment in great detail. When we arrive Moe was checked in and scheduled to have the infusion the next morning. All went well, we drove home three days later and now the Moe dog you see in the videos is our recovering warrior dog!

Conventional veterinarian medicine does not accept this treatment as valid. I wish more doctors did because the Newcastle vaccine discovered by Dr. Sears does work if administered in time. Mojave is living proof of this!

Pam Nabors
Nov. 9, 2011

Categories
Canine Distemper

A special Halloween treat for Project Carré

On Oct. 20, I received this e-mail from Heather Hewitt, who lives in Houston.

“Hi Ed,
“I have been in contact with you about my puppies this past year – I know you must get tons of email. My daughter (7th grade) wants to try to raise some money to fight distemper/help with NDV research. She is going to bake dog treats, and put them in the reception area of [a] vet office (Houston, Tx). We will send donations to Kind Hearts In Action in a couple of weeks. May not be much, but just wanted you to know about this. Thanks!”

My reply:

“That’s wonderful! Thanks so much for letting me know. Tell your daughter I really appreciate how thoughtful she is. Every little bit helps us get closer to the goal of beating this disease. Sometimes the smallest donations means so much more than the big ones because they mean they come from a real effort or when someone really cares.”

On Oct. 31, I came back to my computer after my wife and I took our 7-year-old trick-or-treating. This message was waiting for me:

“Hi again,
“Sadie’s project raised $67.14.  We decided to top it off and just donated $100 online (instead of sending you an envelope full of cash)!  Thank you for all you do –“

Sure enough, there was a $100 donation through the Microgiving site in the name of Sadie Hewitt. Heather later sent me the pictures, above. That’s their dog, Snoopy, a distemper survivor who received two NDV spinal taps.

Of course, every donation from every one of you is important, but this one had such a special story that I had to share it. We adults get wrapped up in our causes and issues so much, but when a kid wants to get involved, that’s when you know you’re doing something worthwhile.

Thanks Sadie! Keep making the world a better place!

Ed Bond

Categories
Canine Distemper

Q&A on distemper

Questions and answers for people who have not experienced canine distemper. These are based on questions I’ve been asked over the years. Post your own questions as a comment.

So, canine distemper, that’s like rabies, right?

Wrong.

Rabies and distemper are separate diseases caused by different viruses.

“Rabies is spread by infected saliva that enters the body through a bite or broken skin. The virus travels from the wound to the brain, where it causes swelling, or inflammation. This inflammation leads to symptoms of the disease. Most rabies deaths occur in children.” [PubMed Health.]

Distemper is often spread through the aerosol discharge from the nose of an infected animal. It does not transmit from dog to human the way that rabies does. It also does not increase the anxiety, stress and aggressiveness of the victim. Both diseases include seizures among their symptoms, but while rabies is a threat to humans, canine distemper only attacks dogs. The distemper virus affects every system and every organ of the dog. The symptoms of the early stages of distemper include a gunky/runny nose, dry eyes, dry/cracking nose, dry/cracking pads of feet, vomiting and diarrhea and fever. In the latter stage, the virus attacks the nervous system, causing seizures. However, the disease does not attack every dog the same way. So, symptoms don’t come in the same order.

I heard the only way you can be sure it’s distemper is when you see seizures.

No, there are ways to tell. And you don’t want to wait that long. That’s the stage where it is hardest to save the animal’s life. One way to diagnose distemper is by checking the cells of the bladder through what is called a Brush Border Smear. There is also a new lab test that can tell the difference between antibodies from an active infection rather than from a vaccination.

What’s it like to have canine distemper?

I recently asked Dr. Al Sears this question, and this is what he had to say:

“Have you ever had the flu? You’re dizzy. You sit up, and you get dizzy. You’ve got diarrhea. You’re vomiting. You can’t eat. You can’t drink anything. You’ve got a fever. You’re sweating. You’re laying there in bed, just wishing you could die. How does that feel? The difference for dogs is the majority of them go on to stop breathing. When you have a real bad case of the flu, you almost wish that would happen. That’s basically how I’m sure how those dogs feel. I’m sure in an acute case, they wish they were dead. I’m sure the majority of them go on to die, but that’s only because of organ failure. God, it affects every organ of the body practically. …  Your eyes are all full of mucous. You can’t see. Are those dogs comfortable? No they’re miserable. They’re in severe pain and they don’t like what’s going on. They’re hurting. …  You can have hardpad, which makes it almost impossible for the dog to walk. Consider somebody shaving off all the skin on the base of your foot and then ask you to walk across the room. You can’t do it. Think about the dog that gets bad teeth, loses all the enamel on their teeth …  Or the ones that lose their ability to make tears, so they can’t even blink. These are all secondary problems that occur.”

Why worry about canine distemper? I thought there was a vaccine to take care of that.

There is a vaccine that can prevent the disease, first developed in 1950, but the disease continues. Without an accepted treatment, unvaccinated dogs still get sick and die. There are hotspots of distemper all over the world. In the U.S., it is most common in the South and West. It keeps spreading because of outbreaks in shelters, hitting stray dogs and puppies. Contact with wildlife also spreads the disease. But nobody seems to be keeping statistics on the disease, so no one really knows how big a problem there is. But we’ve received thousands of e-mails from hundreds of people begging for help from around the world. We’ve maintained a page on stats that we have tracked through our site.

Why should I care if strays and shelter dogs get distemper?

Because you, or someone you love or someone in your community, may someday fall in love with a stray or a shelter dog. It happens. [That’s what happened with me.] People bring home a dog that seems healthy, fall in love with it, and the children in the home get attached, all before the first symptoms hit. Eventually, a vet may make the diagnosis of distemper, and it hits with the finality of a death sentence. But then, owners are told that a few dogs might survive. This gives a false sense of hope, and they struggle to save their pet with the accepted protocols — antibiotics, fluids and supportive therapy — but to no avail. The animal dies after the family has gone through hell — and a lot of money — to save their pet. We believe they could have been spared the pain, misery and financial expense with an early diagnosis and a vet who had a ready supply of NDV-induced serum.

I don’t hear about distemper in my community. So, it’s not a problem here.

Distemper can crop up literally anywhere. For example, it is not very common in the Northeast. But in the past three years, we have received requests for help on distemper cases in Buffalo, Syracuse, Scranton, Pa., New Jersey and the New York City area. Unfortunately, vets in the Northeast have been very reluctant to try the NDV treatments, and we have yet to save a dog in the Northeast. Eventually, it can come to your town.

I thought only puppies get distemper

No, it can hit any unvaccinated dog, at any age.

I read on the Internet that there is no cure, and no absolutely no proof that NDV can cure dogs of distemper.

It’s accurate to say the treatment has not been proven. But all we are asking for is a chance to prove that it does work. This is a new way to fight disease. When Edward Jenner injected cowpox into an 8-year-old boy in 1796, he had no guarantee that it would save him from smallpox. When it did, it opened up new possibilities in fighting disease. Alexander Fleming did the same thing in 1928 when he discovered penicillin when his lab samples were accidentally contaminated with mold. Dr. Sears’ protocol may have unlocked a new weapon against a disease, even though we don’t know what it is or how it works, yet.

Ed Bond

Oct. 25, 2011

Have more questions on distemper? Please post in the comments below, and we’ll answer them here.

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