DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS. 499 



This disorder may be prevented, by providing your dogs with 

 plenty of quitch grass. A fluid extract made from this grass, 

 {Triticum repens 48), will be all the medicine puppies will need. 



DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS. 



Pneumonia ; Simple Inflammation of the Lungs ; Lung Fe- 

 ver. — With the canines, pneumonia and pleuro-pneumonia are 

 each more strongly marked than in the human race. Of the for- 

 mer, nothing need be said, the treatment, etc., as laid down in the 

 succeeding subject being ample. 



Distemper Proper. — True canine distemper is of extremely 

 rare occurrence, if indeed it ever m.akes its appearance in the U. S, 

 and Canadas. As laid down by that eminent pathologist, Kolli- 

 ger, it is a disease attended by a catarrh, consisting essentially in 

 an irritation of the brain and spinal marrow, and characterizedby 

 frequent convulsions tetanic in character ; its fatality being en- 

 hanced by the supervention of inflammation of the lungs. 



The disease is wondrously fatal, only about ten per cent 

 making recoveries. 



The disease, generally known throughout the world as distem- 

 per, is commonly pleuro-pneianonia, though many other disor- 

 ders are ofttimes included under the same title. 



Distemper ; Pleuro-pneianonia ; Lung Fever. — There appears 

 to be two forms of pleuro-pneum.onia to which the dog is sub- 

 jected : one of which seems to be somewhat epizootic in charac- 

 ter. This is then, perhaps, entitled to be called distemper. 



It may be that pleuro-pneumonia as exhibited in the dog only 

 takes this form. Or it may be that it assumes two forms : the 

 one due to irritation and inflammation resultant upon the use of 

 a morbific poison ; and the other, from more natural causes. At 

 all events, the disease, though not contagious, would seem to be 

 infectious in one of its forms ; this m.ay, however, be due to the 

 fact, that gangrene of the lung is commonly attendant upon the 

 disorder, though not usually virulent in character. I am drawn 

 to this belief, not only from the deductions of pathologists, but 

 from the results of personal observation, verified by an autopsy of 

 an animal which died from an unusually severe attack of so-called 



