How well-informed owners pulled their dog through distemper.

By Susan Weinstein

Distemper has killed unknown millions of dogs. But thanks to the enlightened treatment he received when he contracted the virus, Caleb recovered fully, without any of the aftereffects that can plague some dogs who had conventional treatment.

When we decided not to vaccinate Caleb, our Bouvier des Flandres, against anything other than rabies, my friend Janice and I knew we ran a risk that he might develop a dreaded disease. We also knew that vaccination doesn’t always protect against disease, and believed it sometimes causes illness. We felt the home-prepared BARF (bones and raw foods) diet we fed him would help his body fight off many health problems. Naturally, we hoped that Caleb would never come down with anything serious like canine distemper virus (CDV). But, when he was three years old, we had to face and overcome exactly that challenge. …

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