DISTEMPER OF DOGS 567 



bronchopneumonia. The pleura is usually congested and 

 sometimes covered with fibrinous deposits. 



The intestinal tract shows marked changes, in most cases 

 a catarrhal inflammation, which may be primarily in the 

 stomach, or involving the entire tract. The glands in the 

 mucosa are swollen. Erosions and ulcerations are fre- 

 quently noted in the subacute or chronic forms. The 

 lymph glands of the mesentery are enlarged and edematous. 

 The liver is usually congested, or inflamed, frequently show- 

 ing degenerative changes. The kidneys are enlarged, the 

 capsule easily removed and the cortex markedly changed. 



The central nervous system is often involved and there 

 will be found congestion of the membranes and the cortex 

 of the brain. Small hemorrhages will be observed in some 

 cases. Other pathological changes of a minor character 

 are noted, such as conjunctivitis, keratitis and more rarely 

 panophthalmitis. Pustules in the skin are common. 



Symptoms. There is quite a variation in the symptoma- 

 tology depending upon the form which the disease takes. 

 The most prominent manifestations are those of an infectious 

 catarrh, involving the membranes of the eye, the respiratory 

 and digestive systems. The catarrhal symptoms are often 

 complicated with those of severe disturbance of the brain 

 and cord, pustular eruptions on the skin, and very frequently 

 bronchopneumonia. For clearness in the description of 

 the symptoms it is best to consider them under the following 

 headings, depending upon the part affected: 



1. Initial Symptoms. The period of incubation is usually 

 from three to five days. This period will vary consider- 

 ably, depending upon various factors. Some few cases have 

 been known to develop the disease in two to three days, 

 while in others it required two to three weeks. The peracute 

 type of distemper is ushered in by marked constitutional 

 disturbances, such as great depression, fatigue, total loss of 

 appetite, a very high temperature (106-107 F.) which in 

 the course of several hours drops to normal, and later to sub- 

 normal. This form of the disease takes a very rapid course, 

 the animal soon passing into a comatose state. 



