Treatment
There is no cure for canine distemper virus. Therapy consists of supportive care only: intravenous fluid therapy can alleviate dehydration, and antibiotics can be beneficial in preventing bacterial infection, which is secondary to the virus. Once an animal develops neurological symptoms of the disease, such as seizures or paralysis, its chances of surviving are slim and its quality of life is bound to become progressively worse. Thus, these animals are usually "put to sleep," or euthanized, in order to ensure a humane death.