Dog Health Questions

How to control seizures that result from distemper

Question:  My 4 year old mixed Labrador caught distemper from another puppy in the neighbourhood. Thanks to homeopathy, the early acute period of distemper went by relatively smoothly. However, she began having seizures again on a daily basis a few weeks later. My spouse and I have been doing a lot of research and are now thinking about giving our dog Phenobarbital, also known as just “Pheno”. Is Pheno safe? How does it work?

In an animal with distemper, demyelination causes the lingin of the nervous tissue to be destroyed. Subsequently, the dog`s body attempts to fight this by using its own immune cells. The result is encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, which leads to seizures.

Phenobarbital is thought to be a good way to help fight against and limit your pet`s seizures. It might also be wise to supplement this with a Chinese herbal formula that will aid in healing the damage already done. On top of that, hemp oil, vitamin D and B, kelp, supplemental magnesium, and vitamin C can all have a positive effect on this condition.

Pheno should not be taken permanently and eventually you should wean your dog off of it. But vets dealing with holistic medicine will continue to advise you to give your dog the herbal supplementation longer term.

As is usually the case with health issues involving drugs or supplements, please be sure to consult with your veteranarian.

Canine Distemper Vaccine

4 kinds of canine distemper vaccine exist and are currently in use: serum, “killed vaccine”, MLV (also known as “Modified Live Vaccine”), and Measles Vaccine. I will outline the four types briefly below.

Serum

Technically speaking this is not a vaccine, but rather part of the blood of a dog which has immunity to distemper. It is injected into a dog that requires immediate projection from canine distemper, such as when entering a pet shop or the pound, a kennel, and so forth. The serum contains antibodies from the dog from which the blood was taken, and those antibodies provide immediate but short term protection for the receiving dog. But it is indeed a short term preventative measure and not a proper vaccination program.

Killed Vaccine

The “killed vaccine” is made by growing the canine distemper virus in a lab and then carefuly breaking it down. This creates a virus particle that won’t multiply itself or cause distemper, but still works like an antigen and stimulates the production of antibodies, providing immunity. The main drawback of this approach is that the amount of virus particles that can be injected into the dog is predetermined, limiting the power of the antibody response.

MLV (Modified Live Vaccine)

The production of this kind of vaccine entails growing the virus in a lab in a way that makes it harmless without killing it. Once injected into the dog, this vaccine can multiply, but it will not cause the disease. This kind of vaccine offers a great source of antigens and stimulates the production of an abundance of antibodies.

MLV provides great duration and strength of protection. It is the preferred method of vaccination for longterm protection against distemper. MLV distemper vaccines are often combined with canine hepatitis and leptospirosis. It’s important to be careful with the production and handling of this vaccine.

Measles Vaccine

The viruses causing canine distemper, cattle rinderpest, and measles in humans are all very similar antigens. Therefore injected the human measles virus into a dog will stimulate the production of antibodies that protect the dog from distemper. This is usually given to young puppies of 3 to 4 weeks old, because distemper antibodies consumed through the pup’s mother’s milk will not attack the measles virus. They will, however, attack killed vaccine or MLV.

The value of giving the measles virus vaccine to puppies to prevent distemper is still debated amongst experts.