that it is a contagious disease, and that a dog to have it must 

 have been exposed to its ravages. It is a highly infectious dis- 

 ease and can be carried in drinking vessels, bedding, or in fact 

 anything that the sick dog has been in contact with. It is this 

 that makes it so deadly an adjunct to shows where the bench- 

 ing, feeding and drinking vessels, etc., are such excellent con- 

 veyors of the contagion. While the knowledge that distemper 

 is a transmissible disease is valuable in aiding preventive 

 methods being adopted, still it has not, so far at least, been of any 

 material aid to dog owners in curing the sickness once it attacks 

 an animal. Germany, which has been aptly called the "Home of 

 Science," claims to have discovered a preventive and cure for this 

 disease in the form of an antitoxine. A celebrated German pro- 

 fessor has made extensive experiments in this line and is supposed 

 to have discovered the germ of distemper and a serum that, while 

 it gives the dog a mild form of the disease, still the sickness is not 

 serious and it is said to be an effective preventive. Dog 

 breeders in Europe are all most enthusiastic over the discovery 

 and. claim that the inoculation does all that it could possibly 

 accomplish. While there is little doubt in the minds of leading 

 doctors that it is possible to discover an antitoxine for the 

 disease, still it seems highly improbable that it will act as a 

 sure preventive, for it is well known that even when a dog 

 has real, true distemper he is not necessarily immune from a 

 second or even third or fourth attack. This seems to make it 

 a doubly hard task to find a preventive for the sickness. No 

 one in America has, however, ever had any practical experi- 

 ence with the new discovery and we are still doubtful of its 

 unfailing success, still it is to be sincerely hoped that it may be 

 as good as report says it is. This is a great field for some one to 

 make an important and valuable medical discovery and the in- 

 ventor of the real cure and preventive of this dread disease 

 will reap a great reward. 



Distemper is not a very difficult disease to diagnose as its 

 symptoms are quite unique. The first signs of distemper may, 

 it is true, be taken for nothing more serious than a bad cold, 

 but the past history of the case, this cold coming generally as 

 it does either after a show or exposure in other ways, make the 

 matter of determining the nature of the disease a comparatively 

 easy one. The first symptoms are dullness, lassitude, and gen- 

 eral disinclination to move about. The dog will also show a 

 jreat fondness for warm places and seems to avoid the light. 



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