Giselle

We ended 2024 on such a high with the completion of the recent fundraiser, however, we are starting 2025 with a challenging, worrying situation. We have another Distemper outbreak.
We are not sure how it got into the Sanctuary as we test every new rescue for Distemper before they come in, but the tests can only detect the virus if the viral load is high enough. 

Distemper, being a viral disease, has no cure. The only way to overcome it is if the immune system can fight it off.  All our dogs are vaccinated against Distemper, but the vaccination does not always prevent the disease. If a dog is vaccinated when its immune system is compromised, it often won't build up enough immunity. 

In some cases, a dog may have just contracted the virus days before, and it doesn't register. We believe this is what happened with the puppies we found in the sack on the side of the road a few weeks ago.
Once a dog contracts the Distemper virus, it can take up to a month for symptoms to show, and in this time it can pass it on to other dogs. 

Sick, old, weak or very young puppies are always vulnerable even if they are vaccinated.  Our current Sanctuary is too small to provide adequate isolation areas. Ideally, dogs should be put into a system whereby they have no contact with other dogs until at least 6 weeks after intake. This is what will happen at the new Sanctuary.