Health
Gummy eyes, a thick runny nose, a cough and a fever in a puppy with no vaccination card. Distemper looks like a cold at first, but it will not clear up on its own.
Caution. An unvaccinated puppy with fever, gummy eyes and a thick runny nose, or any dog with a rhythmically twitching muscle, wobbly walking or seizures: ring your own vet today and say in your first sentence that you suspect distemper, so they can see you in isolation.
Do not look for the answer in a Facebook group, on TikTok or on a forum. Look for someone trained for this: your dog's own veterinarian, the only person who can examine, investigate and treat them.
Use this page to know what to observe, what to note and what to ask at the appointment, not to treat at home. If you still have doubts after a consultation, ask another vet or a specialist (dermatologist, internist) for a second opinion, not a group. And if you do not have a regular vet yet, find one now, while your dog is healthy: how to choose a veterinary clinic.
You picked up a three-month-old puppy from a yard on the edge of town. "He's had his jabs," they said, but no vaccination card came with him. A week later he wakes up with gummy eyes, a thick yellowish discharge from his nose and the odd cough. A neighbour says it is a cold and will pass. The other story we hear just as often: an adult dog, not vaccinated for years, who has started blinking oddly and whose face twitches while he sleeps. Distemper can start exactly like a cold and end up in the brain. Below are the signs that mean phoning today, what to gather for the vet, how the visit goes and what not to try at home.
Distemper (canine distemper virus, sometimes called Carré's disease in veterinary books) is a serious viral illness and spreads very easily between dogs. No medicine kills the virus. The vet keeps the dog going while his body fights it off, and the earlier that starts, the better his chances.
In a puppy, an unvaccinated dog or one whose vaccinations are uncertain, call the same day if you see:
With seizures, a dog who cannot get up or a dog who has stopped drinking, do not ring. Go.
Few owners know that the nervous signs can show up one to three weeks after the "cold" has cleared, sometimes in dogs who seemed to have recovered. A puppy who coughed in October and has a twitching jaw in November is a picture vets recognise straight away.
Tests make the diagnosis. You bring the dog's story, and with distemper the story counts for a lot.
Vaccinations. Find the record card or passport and photograph the vaccine page with the sticker and the date. If the puppy came from a breeder or a rescue, ring them to ask what vaccine he had and when. "He's been vaccinated" without a sticker tells the vet nothing.
Where he came from and who he mixed with. The puppy bought at a market, off the internet or from a yard full of dogs is the most at risk. Note whether he has recently been in kennels, a rescue centre or at a show, and whether foxes or martens come into your garden, as they can carry the virus too.
His temperature, if you have a thermometer kept just for the dog: rectal, with a little petroleum jelly on the tip. Write down the reading and the time. Distemper fever often comes in two waves, with a few quiet days in between, and those quiet days fool a lot of people.
What is coming from his eyes and nose. One photo a day at the same time. From the photos the vet can see how the colour and thickness have changed.
Twitching muscles. If you see a rhythmic twitch, film it then and there. It lasts a few seconds and will not perform on cue in the consulting room.
Food and water. How much he ate and drank today compared with a normal day. A puppy who is not drinking dehydrates fast.
| What you see | Points towards distemper if… | Could also be… |
|---|---|---|
| Cough and runny nose | an unvaccinated puppy with fever and gummy eyes | kennel cough, usually without much fever and with a bright dog |
| Vomiting and diarrhoea in a puppy | they come with a cough and eye discharge | parvovirus (bloody diarrhoea, a very foul smell), worms, something off he ate |
| Hard, cracked pads | they appear after a respiratory illness | allergies, autoimmune disease, old age |
| Twitching and seizures | in an unvaccinated dog, after a "cold" | epilepsy, poisoning, other brain infections |
The table helps you know what to say on the phone. Nobody diagnoses from it.
Ask, too, how long he may keep shedding the virus once he is better. Usually weeks, sometimes a few months. The answer decides where you walk him and who you have round to the house.
Distemper is one of the core vaccines that the international guidelines (WSAVA) recommend for every dog, wherever it lives. Puppies get a course of doses starting at 6 to 8 weeks, repeated every 2 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks or later, then a booster at 6 or 12 months. For adult dogs, your own vet sets the schedule. A properly vaccinated dog very rarely falls ill.
Clean bowls and bedding with an ordinary household disinfectant. Then the floor. Wash your hands after caring for him and change your clothes before you touch another dog. The virus will not make you ill; it can make the neighbour's dog ill.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer. The answers are a guide only: the decision belongs to your dog's own vet, after an examination.
At first it looks like a cold: fever, gummy eyes, a runny nose that turns thick and yellowish, a cough, a poor appetite. Vomiting and diarrhoea can follow, then the pads and nose thicken and crack. The worst phase is the nervous one, with a rhythmically twitching muscle, wobbly walking and seizures, sometimes one to three weeks after everything else seemed over.
Some do, especially when it is caught early and has not reached the brain. No medicine kills the virus, so the vet keeps the dog going: fluids, keeping the fever down, treating the infections that move in and the seizures. Some survivors keep a twitching muscle for life. Once the brain is involved, the outlook is guarded.
Canine distemper virus is not known to make people ill. Cats do not get it either: "feline distemper" is a different disease caused by a different virus, and it does not pass to dogs. The virus does pass from dog to dog, though, and circulates in foxes, martens and other wild animals, which can bring it right into your garden.
Very rarely, if he had the full puppy course and his boosters. The risk lies with puppies who have not finished the course, dogs vaccinated too early or never boosted, and vaccines that were stored badly. That is why the vet wants to see the card with the vaccine sticker, not just hear "he's had his jabs".
He sheds the virus from the moment the fever starts and for weeks after he recovers, sometimes a few months. Your vet will tell you how long to keep him away from other dogs. Outside the body the virus does not last long and ordinary disinfectants kill it, but only bring a new puppy home after you have spoken to the vet.
The information on this page is educational and does not replace an examination. For full details and a diagnosis, consult your dog's own veterinarian.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
A flat puppy who turns down his food and vomits. With parvovirus the hours matter: treatment started early saves most puppies.
A goose-honk cough a week after kennels, a night-time cough in an old dog, bursts of sneezing after a field walk. Three sounds, three directions, one first step: film it.
He went over on his side, paddled his legs, drooled, then got up dazed. What to do next time, what to film and how you get to a diagnosis.
A stamp with no date on the record card, a seven-week-old puppy, a rescue dog with no paperwork. The schedule is simple once you know what was done and when.
We work with your dog's behaviour, not its health. For any sign described here, book an appointment with your own vet; the related services page explains how to choose a clinic.