3.78 DISTEMPER 



are capilliary bronchitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, jaundice, paralysis, and 

 worst of all, chorea. 



"Diagnosis. — When the animal is dull, has a poor appetite, and loses 

 flesh rapidly, the disease should be suspected, especially if there has been 

 exposure to the disease. The harsh dry cough is characteristic, and the 

 eye symptoms when accompanied by fever are diagnostic of this disease. 

 The thermometer should be used in these cases. 



"Prognosis, — The prognosis of distemper we regard as favorable if 

 the case is seen early and properly treated. The danger increases with 

 the severity of the symptoms at the onset of the disease. A persistent 

 high temperature, or a subnormal temperature are both serious symptoms. 

 The following are unfavorable occurrences: Much emaciation and the 

 animal refuses food, or when there are grave complications such as pneu- 

 monia, etc., or when the animal is very young or weak, and senemic, or 

 when the disease attacks different organs at the same time. Death may 

 occur from paralysis of the brain or oedema of the lungs, from septicaemia 

 or from general exhaustion. Among the favorable circumstances are the 

 mature age of the patient, good constitution of the animal, mildness of 

 the attack, and when the disease is confined to circumscribed regions, or 

 to one organ of the body. 



"Prophylaxis. — Due attention to hygienics is one of the most impor- 

 tant considerations. It is a good plan to have a small kennel or room 

 where there will be plenty of fresh air without draught into which cases 

 of suspected distemper may be put under observation, housing all distem- 

 per cases during the whole course of the illness in a separate kennel or 

 room. Everything that has been about the animal and all quarters where 

 the animal has been should be burned if possible. If it is not desirable to 

 burn the quarters there should be a thorough disinfecting of them, and 

 especially all bedding burned. All utensils that have been used in con- 

 nection with the case, such as feeding and drinking pans, should be thor- 

 oughly disinfected. A dog with distemper should not be allowed to mingle 

 with others, however well he may seem, so long as he has any discharge 

 from eyes or nose, and never before from four to eight weeks have elapsed. 

 Then, after the nose and eyes have been especially disinfected by washing 

 or injecting a suitable solution, the animal should be washed all over, the 

 water being medicated with Clayton's Ceoline Dog Wash, Sanitas, or the 

 Standard Disinfectant. As an animal in a run-down, debilitated condi- 

 tion will contract distemper more easily than one in perfect health, it is 

 essential that the animal be kept in as perfect health as possible. As all 

 dogs are subject to constipation, especially if confined in the house, his 

 bowels should be seen to and kept open, and there is nothing so good for 

 this purpose as Clayton's Laxative Pills. 



"Pathological Anatomy. — Lesions of the respiratory tract are as fol- 

 lows: The pituitary membrane or lining membrane of the nasal fossa is 

 injected, infiltrated and covered with a muco-purulent exudate; numerous 

 eccymosecl spots are found on the membrane. The mucous membrane of 

 the larynx, trachea and bronchi shows various inflammatory alterations. 

 The large bronchi are filled with bloody mucous, the smaller filled with 

 a thick, tenacious exudate. The pleura is covered with a rose or citron 

 colored exudate. The bronchial lymphatics are infiltrated, tumefied, and 

 in rare cases purulent. The surface of the lungs are covered with red 

 spots and the lungs are collapsed or distended with air. Lesions of the 

 digestive tract are as follows: The mucous membrane of the small intes- 

 tines is red, and numerous eccymosed spots are found, also hemorrhages 

 in the subucous tissue. Occasionally the contents of the intestines are 

 found to be bloody. 



"In the brain there are the alterations of the cerebral oedema, the 

 nervous substance is soft, the convoltions are flattened. There is an exu- 

 date of a serious character in the lateral ventricles and dilation of the 

 blood vessels of the brain. We also have found evidences of fatty degenera- 

 tion of the heart, liver, kidneys and an abnormal swelling of the lymphatic 

 gin nds. 



