Death from Distemper or heartworms is not quick, the suffering is immense. There is no cure for Distemper, and any treatment available is only meant to ease suffering or help the dog stay strong enough to attempt to fight the virus on it’s own. Distemper slowly destroys, the lymphoid organs, respiratory organs, gastrointestinal organs, and urogenital organs, one-by-one. Most dogs that die from distemper, die from neurological complications, many of which are horrific to witness: swelling of the brain, seizures, deterioration of mental and muscle function, paralysis, disabling muscle spasms, depression and an increased sensitivity to stimuli like pain or touch. Heartworms is as equally devastating. Read Livy’s story to understand why waiting to see if a dog gets heartworms to take action is not only expensive but very, very dangerous for the dog.

Ruby was very, very lucky to have survived and found a wonderful home to live out a healthy and happy life. Her illnesses were easily avoidable with simple and relatively inexpensive preventive measures. Sadly, heartworm prevention costs only about $7-$10 a month, and the DHLP-P vaccination, which protects against more than just Distemper, costs only about $8-$12 a year. The cost in your time to carry out this prevention is even less. We hope that Ruby’s story (below) and the suffering she had to endure will educate so that other dogs don't have to suffer or die from these preventable diseases.


May 25: My German Shepherd

May 17: Olivia, Henrietta, Sunshine and Ruby

April 10: First Trip to the Beach

July 23: A Stumble.

Ruby is much stronger than when she came to us, but I’m still concerned about her energy level. She does not seem to be bouncing back as quickly as we expected, especially after the progress of that first week. Sometimes she will be energetic and perky, at other times it takes everything she has to walk out to go potty or wag her tail and smile her “hello.” For example, this morning, Ruby stumbled getting out of her crate, again going through the back door, and several more times as she tried to step off and then back on the patio. It’s as though her balance is not quite right. I cannot tell if she is just trying to move faster than her body can handle right now, or if there was really something else going on. The change is ever so slight; more of a curiosity than a cause for alarm. Her energy level is still the same, but at least she’s eating fine and is still very happy.