Puppy diagnosed with distemper comes out of vegetative state and starts walking again with cannabis treatment

Before being rescued from an abandoned lot in November 2023 by tutor Juliana Arruda, the little puppy Clara contracted distemper, a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. "I already had two other animals that had distemper and, even trying all possible treatments, I ended up losing them," comments the person in charge of the Hands that Save project, in Santa Maria - RS.

Already at Juliana's house, even though eating a lot, the animal started to lose weight and have difficulty walking. After a few days, Clara's situation worsened. "She started to waste away, took two steps and fell," reports her tutor.

Between March and May of this year, Clara was in a vegetative state. She underwent acupuncture, shock treatment, but showed no reaction. "The veterinarian would tell me: 'you are bringing me a sack of potatoes, I give her the maximum shock and she doesn't react'," Juliana reports.

At that moment, a friend of Juliana's suggested cannabis treatment for Clara. "She is a patient with a neurological problem. In the first consultation, the animal was very agitated, but could not move her pelvic limbs. One of her tutor's complaints was vocalization (making sounds), so I prescribed a 3% CBD-rich full-spectrum cannabis oil, with five drops at night," reports the veterinarian, Carollina Mariga.

According to Juliana, the cannabis treatment took about a month to take effect. "In the meantime, I went to several veterinarians, and three of them gave me a euthanasia request. I only did not accept because she was eating a lot, she was hungry," she comments.

"When the cannabis took effect, Clara started sleeping better, that vegetative state regressed and, about three weeks later, I heard her crying and saw her standing up. We intensified the cannabis treatment and, four days later, she was walking," reports the tutor.

The shock therapy was tested again, this time at the minimum volume, and Clara started growling and biting her tutor, feeling pain. Now, about six months after starting the cannabis treatment, the puppy plays with other animals, runs around the yard, and even asks to take the oil before sleeping.

According to Mariga, in a new phase of treatment, Clara is using a balanced Full Spectrum oil, aiming to further stimulate the nervous system. "THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) acts mainly on the central nervous system, further stimulating the animal to move and try to regain normal movement," she comments.

Finally, the veterinarian emphasizes that cannabis has an important neuroprotective capacity, helping to reduce excitability in cases of seizures and neurodegenerative diseases, making the progression of the disease slower.