My puppy has discharge and soft stool. Could it be distemper?

Hi there and thank you for posting your question! She may just have an upper respiratory infection starting. Puppies are quite prone to getting sick with a developing immune system. If you are concerned about the sneezing, I would have your veterinarian examine her to give you peace of mind. With distemper, sneezing can certainly occur. Puppies with distemper also go downhill fast and begin developing multiple other symptoms such as lethargy, inappetance, seizures / neurological symptoms, fever, etc. If these symptoms begin showing, I would certainly be worried about a viral infection like distemper. I hope this helps! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions / concerns you may have.

They will not vaccinate a sick puppy as it will not work and stress their immune system more With those signs I would worry about an infection such as distemper or respiratory virus. She does need to be seen by the vet so she can get treatment for that

Usually dogs with parvovirus or distemper are very lethargic and ill. If your dog is eating and drinking fine and has lots of energy then I don’t think the diarrhea is from either of those diseases. I do recommend a fecal exam soon, perhaps you can drop one off before your appointment to check for intestinal parasites that could cause diarrhea. Also I would monitor what she’s eating and check to make sure she’s not getting into things she shouldn’t in the yard. She’s a puppy and they love to eat anything! Should she become lethargic, stop eating or the diarrhea worsens then don’t wait, take her in to a veterinarian right away for treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dog.

It could be Distemper, but for Halo's sake, I hope it isn't. Distemper often starts similarly to what you are describing and can quickly get worse. I understand that she may seem OK today, but that can quickly change with Distemper. If she becomes less active, or starts having seizures, then it's very important that she go to the vet for hospitalization in order to give her the best chance of recovering. There are some tests for distemper, but they are not always reliable. Therefore, even if Halo did get tested and showed positive for distemper, I would not call it a definitive diagnosis; but I would definitely treat her for distemper. If no test was done, then the diagnosis is not 100% and the cause of the sneezing and diarrhea is possibly due to some other infection. However, I'm sure the vets there have seen many cases of Distemper and may know of an outbreak at this time - which would go a long ways to support their diagnosis. I hope this helps and Halo gets better soon.

Poor Pookie! It definitely sounds like something is wrong. These symptoms could certainly be caused by distemper, but could also be due to many other illnesses, so it's not possible to say what's wrong without being able to examine her and run some tests. I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam. He/she can do blood work or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment depending on what is found.

This is very concerning as, while her vaccinations were done on time, she is not fully protected against distemper and parvo yet. Purulent discharge from her nose and eyes are concerning as they could , of course be a simple respiratory infection, but also a sign of canine distemper. Please take your puppy to a veterinarian for an exam and some diagnostics.

If she has been fully vaccinated then the likelihood of her getting distemper is low. If you have any concerns, however, have her examined by your veterinarian. She may just have a viral respiratory infection. Your vet can do a physical examination, run labwork, and prescribe medications, if needed to treat.