what are the signs of distemper in a dog ?

Question

our dog is a 6 1/2 yr old English Springer and he has just in the past 2 weeks started to get more and more cranky and he has now started to get snappy at myself and our children.Tonight he tried to bite me and he has never been an angry dog??
The vet's office is closed tonight but will be open in the morning(and we will be taking spike) but i am asking these questions now as i would like to have some sort of an idea as to whether or not our dog has distemper and what should i expect.
also if spike has distemper should we get him put down or not ??
we have 4 children all under the age of 8 yrs old and we have 1 child in a wheelchair who if spike was to get snappy at would not be able to take care of herself.
right now we have spike in a room by himself so that he cannot snap at anyone else.

THANKS FOR EVERYONE'S ANSWERS
We took Spike To See The Vet This Morning as She Recommended For Him To Be Put To Sleep As She Felt It Was Springer Rage

Thanks For All Of YOur Help

Answer 1

He does not have distemper, as it isn't a disease affecting the personality..but he does have a major issue going on. Get him to the vet in the morning, and he will be likely to figure it out..He is certainly sick..It may be a condition known as 'springer rage' which is much as epilepsy, and can be treated with medication..but it could be that he is in pain, or having a head trauma..
(tumor, etc) anyway, just keep him quiet, and see the vet as soon as you can..

Answer 2

Symptoms:

Dullness and redness of the eye
Discharge from nose
Vomiting and diarrhea
Cough
Shivering
Fever
Loss of appetite and energy
Weight loss
Seizures
Thickened footpads
Tooth enamel hypoplasia



Treatment and prevention:

There is no specific treatment for canine distemper. The dog should be treated by a veterinarian, usually with antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections, intravenous fluids, and nutritional supplements. The prognosis is poor.

There exist a number of vaccines against canine distemper for dogs and domestic ferrets, which in many jurisdictions are mandatory for pets. The type of vaccine should be approved for the type of animal being inoculated, or else the animal could actually contract the disease from the vaccine. Animals should be quarantined if infected. The virus is destroyed in the environment by routine cleaning with disinfectants, detergents, or drying. It does not survive in the environment for more than a few hours at room temperature (20-25° C), but can survive for a few weeks at temperatures slighty above freezing.

Answer 3

Distemper is a respitory infection. symptoms include runny nose, fever, coughing, gummy/runny eyes etc. Your dog is most likely suffering from something else. Rabies is one disease that can affect behavior basically the dogs go crazy and it is painfull. :Your dog may have some type of brain tumor causing this change in behavior. You are doing a good job by keeping him isolated.... something is bothering him. Just keep an eye on him and try to keep him comfortable until you can get him to a vet.
good luck

Answer 4

Canine Distemper Symptoms

Macrophages (cells that ingest foreign disease-carrying organisms, like viruses and bacteria) carry the inhaled virus to nearby lymph nodes where it begins replicating (reproducing). It spreads rapidly through the lymphatic tissue and infects all the lymphoid organs within 2 to 5 days. By days six to nine, the virus spreads to the blood (viremia). It then spreads to the surface epithelium (cell lining) of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and central nervous systems, where it begins doing the damage that causes the symptoms.

Early symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, and mild eye inflammation that may only last a day or two. Symptoms become more serious and noticeable as the disease progresses.

The initial symptom is fever (103ºF to 106ºF), which usually peaks 3 to 6 days after infection. The fever often goes unnoticed and may peak again a few days later. Dogs may experience eye and nose discharge, depression, and loss of appetite (anorexia). After the fever, symptoms vary considerably, depending on the strain of the virus and the dog's immunity.

Many dogs experience gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, such as:

* Conjunctivitis (discharge from the eye)
* Diarrhea
* Fever (usually present but unnoticed)
* Pneumonia (cough, labored breathing)
* Rhinitis (runny nose)
* Vomiting

These symptoms are often exacerbated by secondary bacterial infections. Dogs almost always develop encephalomyelitis (an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord), the symptoms of which are variable and progressive. Most dogs that die from distemper, die from neurological complications such as the following:

* Ataxia (muscle incoordination)
* Depression
* Hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli, such as pain or touch)
* Myoclonus (muscle twitching or spasm), which can become disabling
* Paralysis
* Paresis (partial or incomplete paralysis)
* Progressive deterioration of mental abilities
* Progressive deterioration of motor skills
* Seizures that can affect any part of the body (One type of seizure that affects the head, and is unique to distemper, is sometimes referred to as a "chewing gum fit" because the dog appears to be chewing gum.)

Many dogs experience symptoms of the eye:

* Inflammation of the eye (either keratoconjunctivitis, inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva, or chorioretinitis, inflammation of the choroid and retina)
* Lesions on the retina (the innermost layer of the eye)
* Optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve which leads to blindness)

Two relatively minor conditions that often become chronic, even in dogs that recover are:

* Enamel hypoplasia (unenameled teeth that erode quickly in puppies whose permanent teeth haven't erupted yet - the virus kills all the cells that make teeth enamel)
* Hyperkeratosis (hardening of the foot pads and nose)

In utero infection of fetuses is rare, but can happen. This can lead to spontaneous abortion, persistent infection in newborn puppies, or the birth of normal looking puppies that rapidly develop symptoms and die within 4 to 6 weeks.

Answer 5

Dullness and redness of the eye
Discharge from nose
Vomiting and diarrhea
Cough
Shivering
Fever
Loss of appetite and energy
Weight loss
Seizures
Thickened footpads[3]
Tooth enamel hypoplasia[2]

Answer 6

First, I would recommend finding an emergency vet clinic in your area. Here are symptoms of distemper:

Early symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, and mild eye inflammation that may only last a day or two. Symptoms become more serious and noticeable as the disease progresses.

The initial symptom is fever (103ºF to 106ºF), which usually peaks 3 to 6 days after infection. The fever often goes unnoticed and may peak again a few days later. Dogs may experience eye and nose discharge, depression, and loss of appetite (anorexia). After the fever, symptoms vary considerably, depending on the strain of the virus and the dog's immunity.

Many dogs experience gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, such as:

Conjunctivitis (discharge from the eye)
Diarrhea
Fever (usually present but unnoticed)
Pneumonia (cough, labored breathing)
Rhinitis (runny nose)
Vomiting
These symptoms are often exacerbated by secondary bacterial infections. Dogs almost always develop encephalomyelitis (an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord), the symptoms of which are variable and progressive. Most dogs that die from distemper, die from neurological complications such as the following:
Ataxia (muscle incoordination)
Depression
Hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli, such as pain or touch)
Myoclonus (muscle twitching or spasm), which can become disabling
Paralysis
Paresis (partial or incomplete paralysis)
Progressive deterioration of mental abilities
Progressive deterioration of motor skills
Seizures that can affect any part of the body (One type of seizure that affects the head, and is unique to distemper, is sometimes referred to as a "chewing gum fit" because the dog appears to be chewing gum.)
Many dogs experience symptoms of the eye:

Inflammation of the eye (either keratoconjunctivitis, inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva, or chorioretinitis, inflammation of the choroid and retina)
Lesions on the retina (the innermost layer of the eye)
Optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve which leads to blindness)


Good luck!

Answer 7

Your vet should have vaccinated your dog for distemper. Distemper can look like a cold, fever, runny nose and eyes, loss of appetite and general malaise. Can also cause diahhrea.

Answer 8

animals with distemper act drunk, they stumble around don't act like they know where they are. your dog seems like it is rabies( usually they foam at the mouth too), or some one has been to aggresive with him, has he recently been injuried or could he have broken a bone and you not know about it. Dogs get really snapy when injuried.

Answer 9

I had a dog that had the distemper.. They do get very cranky and the dog we had suffered and she a blood in her stool and she had seizers..

Answer 10

Dogs that have distemper can have vomiting and diarrhea for symptoms. Once they develop distemper, they die fairly quickly. I have never heard of distemper making them aggressive.