Prognosis. Treatment. 207 



especially the occasionally noticeable excitement and also the 

 convulsive mastication with the formation of foam at the 

 mouth, may create a suspicion of rabies. However, this condi- 

 tion exists in distemper only for a very short time, and is soon 

 followed by a period of depression, then by muscular spasms, 

 while the paralysis of the muscles of the pharynx and of the 

 muscles of mastication which are characteristic of rabies, are 

 absent. The severe convulsive attacks are distinguished prin- 

 cipally from those of epilepsy by the fact that in distemper 

 they occur at frequent intervals, are preceded by local muscular 

 spasms, and that these spasms are present even between the 

 attacks. 



Prognosis. The average mortality in the disease amounts 

 to about 50%. The cases in which the purely exanthematous 

 and catarrhal symptoms are present are the most favorable with 

 about 70% recoveries. Least unfavorable are the cases in wliich 

 the nervous manifestations predominate, as in these the recov- 

 eries sometimes do not reach 10 to 15%. The more rapidly 

 the symptoms increase in severity and the higher the degree 

 they attain, the more unfavorable becomes the prognosis. The 

 convulsions which affect the entire body, as well as the appear- 

 ance of catarrhal pneumonia, and a severe persistent diarrhea 

 are unfavorable prognostic indications. Continuous high fever 

 indicates a severe infection as a result of wliich grave changes 

 in the myocardium may be expected. A still more unfavorable 

 sign is the rapid fall in the temperature below normal, as it 

 usually indicates the approach of death. 



Pampered, very young or improperly nourished dogs usu- 

 ally become more severely affected than older and hardened 

 animals of ordinary breeds. The existing hygienic conditions 

 should also be given consideration in the prognosis. 



According to statistics of Wirth, which include 2855 cases, an average of 

 35 8% succumb to the disease. In these cases the mortality was the lowest among 

 fox terriers, and highest in hounds. Nervous symptoms were observed in 15.1% 

 of the eases, females appearing to be more predisposed to this form of affection; 

 in some outbreaks the exanthema was entirely absent. 



In localities m which the disease occurs only periodically as a result of intro- 

 duction from the outside, it rages with peculiarly destructive force, and it has 

 been observed, for instance in Greenland, that sometimes such outbreaks destroy 

 about one-third of the entire number of dogs (Hjortlund). 



Treatment. First of all the hygienic condition, and espe- 

 cially the diet, should 3be suitably regulated. The affected 

 animals should be placed iii a clean, uniformly warm place, 

 they should be protected from draughts, and if possible should 

 be furnished concentrated nourishment. For this purpose milk 

 and good strong meat broth, with the yolk of an egg beaten 

 into it, is most suitable. Several daily feedings with chopped, 

 salted ;meat cooked in steam, is very beneficial (Gerstner).^ In 

 the presence of gastro-intestinal catarrh, gruel may be given 

 to advantage. 



