Coping With Canine Distemper

My Parents got Candy from a dog farming place outside of shields (newcastle). This was a 3 hour drive for them even though the fliers sed that they delivered. But as we live in leeds we didnt think they would. My patents paid £375 for Candy which was a Pedigree King Charles Spaniel. Like all people we fell in love with her the moment she came home. She played, and played from day 1. We noticed though that she had a bit of a cough. 2 days later we took her too the vets for her shots as she was stil a pup. We also had her checked out as she was still coughing. The vets diagnosed her with a kennel cough. Also 2 our demise we found out that she wasn’t insured or enything. Even though the people we bought her from sed that she was. We then had to pay an extra £400 to get her insured. My mum then contacted the place were we got her from to tell them that the dog was not insured and also that she had a kennel cough. they immediately sed that they had to go and attend to the cows?????? and that there was nothing they could do. we then contacted the RSPCA adn they said it also sounded a bit fishy so they would look into it.

My nana then came down to leeds from newcastle to visist as her daugter ( my auntie) was refurbishing her whole house. this was due to my Grandad passing away just recently and my nana needed cheering up; as she was looking at things and always looking back. Enyway she came down for 2 weeks with her yorshire terrier. Candy then lived up more and more as there was someone 2 play with. Cloe (my nana’s dog) didn’t seem to want to play with Candy as she wasn’t used to being around other dogs either. Yet candy was still pesisting in playing. After spending a week together the two began 2 get used 2 each other. Chloe even taught Cadyhow to bark ( as she didn’t even bark previously). It was so cute, she sounded like lady from lady and the tramp. Another week passed and by this point Candy followed Chloe everywhere round the downstairs of the house. My nana then went back home to newcastle taking Cloe with her.

Meanwhile Candy was stil as playful as ever attracted all the attention of neighbors and passers by as she liked to play in the garden with her teddy bears and toys. She then developed diarrhea and my mum took her back to the vets thinking that she just needed de-worming. The vets then said that she had a parasite in her stomach and then perscribed her with some medication for both of the symtoms.

The RSPCA officer then contacted us back to say that they had previously had difficulties with this dog farming place but were unable to give details as they do have a dog licence to breed ( i think, sorry i dont know the full story on that). We then phoned up the dog farming place as my mum wished to speak to the owner in person with a visit. They replied with “i’m sorry but we can’t give out any address or refunds, you paid for the dog so it is now yours.” My mum then immeadiately asked for reccomendations from the RSPCA officer on what to do about it and the officer said that they would get back to us on it as there was the incident of no insurance. Soon after the owner of the dog farming place phoned up and said to my mum that they would refund us for the dog. My mum complained about all the vet fees n such but as she doesnt know much about legal laws n such she accepted this proposal. (meaning the RSPCA had caught up with the owner and caught them out).

At home Candy was just as cute as ever. She had just been weighed and she now weighed 7 kilo’s. the vet said that this was great and gave us some more medication for her diarrhea and kennel cough. But she had to stay over night at the vets just so that they could keep an eye on her. Aparently she sulked and sulked the whole time she was there. And when my sister came to pick her up she livened up and was runing around in circles playing like she used to. My sister brought her home and we had her for another 2 weeks when she still had diarrhea and a so called kennel cough. She was on the medication for this for another 2 weeks.

After she began to discrete blood as she still also had diarrhea. My mum then thought that it was the parasite giving way but she still took her back to the vets as she was also due for her second shots. the vet then ssaid then it should have gone by now and took a blood sample. he said that they would no the results in five days so we took her back home. My sister went to Newcastle for a week to look after my nan at this point. Stil Candy persisted to play around making everyone laugh like she did. 3 days after bringing her home she began 2 foam at the mouth and sort of bend her body to one side chaterring her mouth ( as though she was chewing bubble gum). She was also excreting at the same time. I woke my mum and told her as it was late at night, she stayed up all night with her. the net morning she immeadiately took her to the vets with notification to the vets of what happened the previous night. They closed the place down so that my mum could take Candy up there. The vet then said that it could be epilepsy but there was a slight chance that it could be Distemper None of new what this was but we left her at the vets for the whole day. Later that day the vets phoned us back to say that Candy had 2% Distemper My mum was shocked as we had done our research to find out that there was no treatment and that she was most likely going to die( according to the vets). Then the vet said that Candy was suffering and it would be a cruelty not to let her live as she was throwing up all day. My sister is still currently in Newcastle and my mum is scared of breaking the news 2 her as it is her dog which she got for her 15th Birthday. Me myself, i believe that we should let Candy fight it out with the required medication possible to relieve paain and stress for her. As i have read the other stories written by others and if they can do it then so can she. My mum seems to think that it will never cure up and she would just keep suffering. she said that she couldn’t bear seeing her in pain so she has just gone to the vets now to have her put down. As i whipe the tears from my face all my thoughts go towards Candy and how even though how short her life was she constanly was always trying her best to bring fun and laughter into every face she met. I still disagree with what my mum is doing as she stil hasn’t told my sister yet!!!!

All i have left to say is goodbye Sweet Candy and thankyou for all the joy you brought into our lives. You will be dearly missed.R.I.P xxxxxxxxxxx

P.S has enyone got eny ideas on what or if enything we should do about the dog farming place as most likely the other pups in the area would most liely also have distemper and they are selling these dogs to many others.