Brandi
We have some devastating news - Brandi, the first dog to get Distemper in this current outbreak - died very unexpectedly at 950pm on 17 May 2023, just 6 days after symptoms first started to show.
Distemper is a truly awful disease that can drag on for weeks ending in a very painful death. The only consolation is that Brandi didn't have to go through a long agonising illness.
Brandi
After a few months, she started to develop lumps on her abdominal area. We initially removed them surgically, but they grew back quite quickly. After that we tried two different chemo drugs, but they didn’t have any effect. We were considering our options, when she suddenly passed away suddenly on 11 May 2023. Up until the evening before, she had been active, eating well, and enjoying her walks.
Brandi
The difficulty with distemper is that it is so unpredictable. A dog can pass away in any of the three stages of the disease.
The Respiratory phase can cause death from respiratory failure or pneumonia.
The Gastrointestinal phase can cause death from multiple organ issues - especially pancreatitis.
The Neurological phase - usually the final phase - causes death from slow paralysis and multiple seizures.
All our adult dogs are vaccinated and we gave the Distemper antibody Canglob D to Brandi. We did everything possible but sometimes the viral strain is too potent or the dogs immune system can't fight it off. At 8pm Brandi was following Raymond around and able to walk. At 9:50pm she died.
For those of you who would like to know more about Brandis story - you can see her profile here.
We are currently living in fear as to who else may get sick - please keep all our dogs in your thoughts.
Rest in Peace Brandi - we know you thoroughly enjoyed your stay at the shelter - you were so full of life. Run Free sweet girl.