My 8-week puppy has a fever and is sneezing. Is it distemper?

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 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.

If he is regularly vaccinated you should not be worried about distemper and the signs you noticed are probably due to another cause (possibly upper respiratory tract infection of other source). If the antibiotics are not helping a check up would be needed anyway. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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.

I recommend to take your puppy in to have an exam. Although something like a cold or a virus is a very common cause of sneezing, if you notice it more after eating or drinking that can be suspicious for a cleft palate. The doctor needs to take a good look inside her mouth and make sure that her hard palate appears normal. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions!

It's most likely the illness that is causing her to act like this. It's common for puppies to get various upper respiratory infections at this age. She could have been perfectly normal last week, but she is definitely sick now, so I recommend a recheck by the veterinarian. Upper respiratory infections are often treatable and do not cause severe disease in pups, but there are a few scary diseases (i.e. Canine Distemper) that can start-out like this and become very serious later on. For this reason, I recommend scheduling an appointment with a vet in the next day or two. I hope that helps and Piper gets better soon.

As I was reading your description, I was suspecting Distemper as the cause. The signs of illness that you described are very typical for Distemper and a cough or fever is not necessary to make the diagnosis. Unfortunately, providing a second opinion is quite difficult without examining and doing some testing with Caeser. There are some tests available for diagnosing distemper, but the accuracy of the test varies. You can ask your vet about this test. Otherwise, I recommend following your vet's advice for treatment, because Distemper can be a very serious disease. I hope that helps and Caesar gets better soon.