How long until serious distemper symptoms appear in puppies?

Distemper doesn’t live very well outside of an animal. To be on the safe side I would wait a few weeks to a month before bringing a new puppy into the environment. I would also clean everything with bleach. I would also make sure the new puppy has already had its first set of vaccines. The puppy will need shots every 3 weeks until it is 15-16 weeks old. I hope this helps.

I am very sorry your new dog came with a distemper infection. Unfortunately this virus is notoriously unpredictable and whether your dog will develop any neurological signs and when will depend on the strain of the virus. Here is some excellent information on the canine distemper virus: http://download.skyscape.com/download/ota/5mvetcf5/documents/pdf/canine_distemper.pdf If your dog is lucky, he will recuperate without neurological damage. I am crossing my fingers!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Odette. Puppies infected with the distemper virus are very ill. They can present with respiratory (cough, think nasal discharg), GI (vomiting, diarrhea) and neurological signs (unable to walk properly, seizures, etc). They are typically weak, lethargic and refusing to eat and drink. If these signs describe your puppy, then you will need to seek emergency veterinary care for her tonight. Otherwise if she is eating, drinking and acting normally, then I would have her seen on Monday. I hope this information helps!

It depends on the strain of the disteper virus. The disease usually lasts for 7-14 days, sometimes longer (but some dogs die within 2-3 days from the start of the clincial symptoms). There is no medication to cure distemper, however, some puppies will fight the virus and survive infection with supportive treatment (antibiotics, intravenous fluids, parenteral feeding, nursing etc).

I am so sorry to hear that her disease has progressed. Unfortunately if distemper starts to cause neurological symptoms then it is unlikely that she will recover. Typically seizure activity will follow in the near future. I am so sorry to relay this poor prognosis. However, every patient is different and there is always a chance of improvement. I would encourage you to consider having a follow up appointment with your veterinarian for a reassessment . Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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.

Dogs which develop the neurological stage of distemper have a very poor chance of functional recovery and in the rare cases they do survive for any length of time tend to have permanent neurological side effects and seizures. Euthanasia is recommended to prevent further suffering and prolonged starvation