u/imhungrybrother

Don’t really have any preference over what season it is, just want a retro Brazil jersey with Ronaldinho at the back. It’s to gift to somebody who’s a big fan.

I’m looking for brutally honest opinions from anyone who has experience with canine distemper, especially neurological distemper in very young puppies.
My puppy Leo is a Golden Retriever, around 8 weeks old. We brought him home on 1st June, and until a few days ago, he was an active, playful, completely normal puppy.
Here’s the timeline:
10th June
We took Leo to the vet for a routine visit/vaccine. After this, we started introducing N&D kibble alongside Pup Starter food, which he had already been eating. Almost immediately, we noticed a slight decline in appetite, but assumed he was just adjusting to solid food.

17th June
Leo developed loose stool and droopy eyes. We took him to the vet and were told he may have caught a cold due to sleeping in AC.
He was still eating around 3 out of 5 meals daily, especially after long breaks, so we weren’t extremely alarmed.

20th June (Things suddenly got serious)
At around 10 at night, Leo suddenly had his first seizure.
We found him shaking violently with heavy drooling/foaming. We rushed him to an emergency hospital. They suspected possible distemper, gave seizure-control meds + sedatives, and asked us to get testing done.
Despite the medication, he had 2 more seizures the same night.
We had to rush him again to another hospital around 3 AM.
Total seizures that night: 3

21st June
What confused us was that after this terrible night, Leo actually seemed significantly better the next morning.
He:
ate food on his own
licked my face normally
tried chasing my toes/playfully interacting
Later in the day he became slightly lethargic but was still somewhat playful.
Then around 3 in the afternoon, he walked himself to his potty pad to pee — and while trying to pee, he had another seizure.
This seizure caused the biggest decline so far.
After this:
he stopped being able to stand
stopped seeking affection
stopped eating independently
became unable to walk properly
That same night, test results came back.
PCR confirmed Canine Distemper
CT Value: 26.49

22nd June
Vet started twice daily IV drips (morning + evening) along with anti-seizure medication.
Interestingly, Leo did not have any seizures the entire day.
He slept much more peacefully than before.
However:
no major neurological improvement
began developing occasional twitching/myoclonus
At this point he still could not stand or eat on his own.

23rd June (Today)
This was the worst night emotionally.
Leo could not sleep and spent 6–7 hours continuously crying/screaming through the night. We tried everything to comfort him but nothing helped.
Eventually he fell asleep briefly.
We took him to the vet again in the morning.
As soon as we arrived —
he had another seizure.
This was his first seizure in ~40+ hours, but now the twitching/myoclonus has clearly worsened.
Current symptoms:
cannot stand or walk
cannot eat/drink independently
frequent twitching, especially front limbs/arms and some head involvement
recurring seizures despite medication
prolonged crying episodes
severe neurological decline

Our vet has now told us that in puppies this young, with symptoms this severe, survival odds are very low.
He told us to observe for another 1–2 days, but if there is no improvement or further decline, he recommends we start discussing euthanasia.

Is there really no hope left for my baby? I don’t wanna see him in pain but I would at least see the outside world. At least have one walk with me.