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My dog has distemper. What should I do immediately for treatment?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered | 1 year old | 180 lbs

My 1 year old pit bull mix is suffering from distemper and I don’t know which kind of antibiotics I should give him?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Sara Farmer, DVM

Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 5th, 2020

If your dog has been diagnosed with distemper virus you definitely need to seek veterinary care immediately - this is not something that can be treated at home. Distemper has a high mortality rate and is highly contagious. I would not recommend starting antibiotics without the direct supervision of a veterinarian who has performed a physical exam.
Vote Icon1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Published on January 28th, 2017

    Unfortunately distemper is a very severe infection which is often fatal in dogs. Treatment is only supportive and the main goal is prevent and treat secondary infections. I would say that vaccination is the best treatment.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 9th, 2018

    I recommend that you read the following article regarding Distemper and it's treatment, basically the treatment is mainly symptomatic as it is a virus that cannot be eradicated directly, some dogs will recover eventually but many others will succumb to the disease. if she has been diagnosed with Distemper i recommend that you continue the treatment with the vet that did the diagnosis:

    http://dogtime.com/puppies/785-distemper-in-dogs-vin

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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