102 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



ing that the animal never ralKes. These cases generally show 

 marked nervous symptoms from the beginning. The animal is 

 very restless, frequently getting up and moving about, twitching 

 the muscles of the face and limbs, and rolling the eyes. Epilep- 

 tic attacks appear in the early stages of the disease. These 

 spasms follow each other in rapid succession. Tonic spasms, 

 affecting the muscles of the neck, cause the head to be turned 

 rigidly to one side ; and involuntary movements of the limbs are 

 seen when the animal is lying. In the nervous form death usu- 

 ally takes place on the second or third day after the first symp- 

 toms are noted. The skin eruptions that occur in such a large 

 proportion of cases of distemper among domestic animals, have 

 rarely been observed by me among our wild animals. Paralysis 

 of the hind Hmbs may occur early, but more frequently after the 

 acute symptoms have subsided. 



Treatment. — Distemper is a highly contagious disorder, and 

 medical treatment is often very unsatisfactory. There is no 

 specific remedy known at the present time. The method that 

 we endeavor to follow in regard to this disease is, to closely in- 

 spect and quarantine susceptible animals when they first reach 

 the Park, and to immediately isolate such animals upon the first 

 suspicious symptoms of the malady. Unless the animal is valu- 

 able, it has always seemed best to destroy it at once and thor- 

 oughly disinfect the cage in which it has been confined. Owing 

 to the large numbers of animals in zoological collections that are 

 directly susceptible to the contagion of distemper, no precau- 

 tions, however stringent, would be unjustifiable. One may feel 

 reasonably safe from an epidemic of distemper, only so long as 

 such measures are strictly enforced. 



Such cases of valuable animals suffering with distemper, as 

 are desirable to treat, should be handled with the utmost care to 

 prevent the spreading of the disease. 



In cases where the appetite is not entirely lacking, and in 

 which we succeed in administering medicines, treatment is suc- 

 cessful ; recovery taking place in about two to three weeks. 

 Eskimo dogs, foxes, Azara dog, dingo, caracal lynx, coati mundis, 

 opossums and raccoon dogs have all been successfully treated. 



The patient, of course, should be isolated from all compan- 

 ions ; if possible in a separate building with concrete floor. It 

 should be rendered comfortable and especially guarded against 

 cold. This is of vital importance, as any sort of chill is apt to 

 aggravate symptoms and set up complications. 



