Meet Leo. He is a one year old who survived distemper. This horrible disease has caused serious damage to his nervous system. On a good day he can walk about 10 meters before he falls. Most days he spends just lying on the floor, shaking. He has to take medication daily or he will suffer from epileptic seizures. He is a sweet little dog who tries so hard to socialize with the other dogs but can’t because he has so little control of his body.
Distemper is one of the canine diseases that every dog, and particularly puppy, should be vaccinated against. The normal recommendation is for puppies to have series of 2 to 3 injections of a multi-vaccine that covers contagious canine diseases including Canine Distemper Virus, Canine Hepatitis, Adenovirus Cough (kennel cough), Parainfluenza, Parvovirus and Coronavirus. All of these can be fatal to unvaccinated puppies and are very easily transmitted between animals. Parvovirus, for example, is carried in the animal’s stool. It can survive on the ground for months under certain conditions. Distemper is transmitted through the air, or by direct contact between animals. As these are viruses there is no cure and both can be fatal even with medical treatment.
All dogs should also have a rabies vaccination. Rabies is not only a killer of dogs but also of people. All dogs should have rabies booster vaccinations every year.
Please check with your vet and be sure to vaccinate your dogs so none of them end up like Leo. The Hope for Strays Foundation, and many other organizations around the area make sure that every dog we come in contact with is vaccinated, at least for rabies. This protects not only the dogs but also the people of Pattaya. If you are interested in giving Leo a home or would like to see the other dogs we have for adoption, please contact us at hopeforstrays.org or at 0891588345
