Distemper in dogs – signs and what to do

Updated 2026-09-30 · 1 sources

Based on: PDSA

Contact a vet today

Contact your vet today if you think your dog has this – it can become serious. Distemper is a serious virus that can cause a wide range of signs in dogs.

What to do now

What you can do now

  1. Contact your vet
  2. Note when it started, how often it happens and what else you see
  3. Take a photo or short video to show the vet
  4. Keep fresh water available
  5. Let your pet rest somewhere calm

Don't

  • Do not give any human medicine
  • Do not wait if it gets worse

What it is

Distemper is a virus that can cause a wide range of signs in dogs.[1] Distemper is a very serious illness that is sadly, often fatal.[1]

Signs

  • High temperature (fever)
  • Runny eyes and nose (first watery, then with pus)
  • Low energy (lethargy)
  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhoea
  • Thickened paw pads and nose (hard pad)
  • Coughing
  • Tremors
  • Paralysis
  • Fits and seizures

Causes and risk factors

  • Spread through the air
  • Contact with infected dogs
  • Contact with items infected dogs have touched

How vets treat it

  • Supporting your dog’s body while it tries to fight the infection
  • There is no specific medicine used to treat distemper
  • Antibiotics do not work because distemper is a virus, not a bacteria

What the experts say

“There is no specific medicine that we can use to treat distemper (antibiotics don’t work because it’s a virus not a not a bacteria) so instead, treatment involves supporting your dog’s body while they try to fight the infection.”

If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure or can't stand up: go to the nearest vet now.

Not sure how serious it is?

OkPaw asks a few quick questions about your pet and tells you in 30 seconds whether it can wait. Free on Google Play for Android.

Get it on Google Play

OkPaw is on Android now – an iPhone version is on its way.

Common questions

What is distemper?

Distemper is a virus that causes a wide range of signs in dogs.[1]

Can distemper become serious?

Distemper is a very serious illness that is sadly, often fatal.[1]

How do vets treat distemper?

There is no specific medicine used to treat distemper, so treatment involves supporting your dog’s body while it tries to fight the infection.[1]

Sources

  1. PDSA

How this page was made: written with the help of AI from the sources below, then checked claim by claim against those sources. Urgency levels follow OkPaw’s fixed safety rules. It is guidance, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages

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