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My vaccinated dog has distemper, lost weight, won't eat. What can I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Rottweiler | Male | 2 years and 1 month old | 68 lbs

Hi, My two and a half years old lovely dog is suffering for the past 20 days from distemper (called by a veterinarian) despite he has been vaccinated. He has lost 3kg weight in the past 10 days and somehow getting better from the distemper symptoms. However, he has completely lost his appetite and only drinking water. In addition, he has huge saliva production. Appreciate if you can guide us what to do. Attached are some of the photos of my Pando. Thank you.

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on April 8th, 2018

Poor Pando! It is unusual for a dog to get distemper if properly vaccinated and boostered over their life. It is not impossible though. It is great news if he is getting better from the distemper symptoms but still concerns me that he is suffering from distemper or some other issue with the large amount of weight loss and loss of appetite. I would talk to your vet about rechecking any bloodwork to see what it looks like and also make sure he is on antibiotics. If he isn't eating, he may need to be on intravenous fluids and injectable antibiotics. Also, if possible, you may talk to your vet about doing some x-rays to see what his chest and abdomen looks like to see if there are any additional problems. I have seen dogs with distemper develop pneumonia and other secondary issues. He may also need a feeding tube if he is refusing to eat. It sounds like he has been in good hands but just needs more treatment and maybe even more aggressive treatment to help him continue to improve. Unfortunately, if he truly does have distemper, it is very tough for them to recover. Hang in there and I hope he start to gain weight and improve soon.

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