AILMENTS OF THE DOG. 149 



some practical information on another of the 

 more common dog ailments : 



The term distemper is particularly applied 

 to animals of the brute creation; to the dog 

 when afflicted with that disease somewhat resem- 

 bling typhus fever in the human race. We have 

 now become quite familiar with the nature of the 

 disease and the remedies indicated ; consequently 

 the loss by death is comparatively small when 

 proper treatment and attention are employed. 

 In early days, those dogs that were fortunate 

 enough to survive this disease did so merely 

 through strength of constitution and not from 

 the assistance of any remedial agent, as utter 

 ignorance of the subject then prevailed. The dis- 

 ease doubtless then appeared in a much milder 

 form than that with which our present highly 

 bred animals are afflicted. 



Owing to more or less inbreeding that has 

 been indulged in to intensify certain forms and 

 characteristics in dogs of most all breeds, con- 

 stitution has to some extent been sacrificed. An- 

 imals bred in this way are in consequence less 

 able to resist or combat disease than those with 

 less pretentious claims to family distinction. 



Causes — Bad sanitary conditions, crowded 

 or poorly drained kennels, exposure to dampness, 

 insufficient or over feeding, improper diet, lack 

 of fresh air and exercise, all conduce to the de- 



