CANINE DISTEMPER 67 



into thousands every year, and it is inconceivable 

 why this preventive treatment, so highly successful 

 in other countries, is not practised. Statistics show 

 that in herds where the mortality had been as high 

 as 80 to 90 per cent., it was reduced to 5 to 10 per 

 cent, by the serum simultaneous vaccination. The 

 use of serum alone only confers an immunity lasting 

 from four to six weeks, and is only to be recommended 

 in an actual outbreak of the disease. 



Canine Distemper. — Distemper is an acute, con- 

 tagious, infectious disease of young carnivorous 

 animals. 



Etiology. — The disease is due to an ultra-visible 

 virus, as shown by the experiments of Carre ; 

 secondary lesions are caused by invading organisms, 

 chief of which are B. hronchisepticus, streptococci, 

 and staphylococci. 



Recovery from the disease confers an immunity. 



Prophylaxis. — An antidistemper serum has been 

 prepared from the blood of horses hyperimmunised 

 against virulent strains of the B. hronchisepticus, 

 isolated from acute cases of canine distemper. As 

 this serum is only specific for the B. hronchisepticus, 

 and as the organism is a secondary invader, it 

 cannot be expected to have an immunising effect 

 against the primary factor of the disease. In practice 

 this serum is more or less useless as a preventative, 

 but it has a decidedly beneficial influence on the 

 course of the disease, inasmuch as it prevents the 



