Distemper is a devastating, highly contagious virus. Symptoms of this deadly disease include bloody diarrhea, vomiting blood, loss of appetite, skin infections, pneumonia, shaking, disorientation, and crying out in pain. In most shelters, distemper spells death — often not just for the dogs who get sick, but even those merely exposed to the illness. Because we fill the gaps in other shelters’ lifesaving, we have become experts at saving distemper dogs — but doing so is expensive: Treating one puppy costs $2,500 on average, and can cost up to $10,000.
APA!'s mission is to innovate, collaborate, and find a way to save the pets who are most at risk, and that’s exactly what we are doing for these dogs and puppies. In fact, with weeks of round-the-clock medical care, we’ve accomplished our highest save rate ever for dogs sick with distemper.
