DOGS*. THEIR MANAGEMENT. 121 



bring me an animal affected with this complaint, that if 

 my directions are strictly followed, the creature " shall 



not die" When saying this, I pretend not to have life 

 or death at my command, and the mildest affections will 

 sometimes terminate fatally ; but I merely mean to imply, 

 that when proper measures are adopted, distemper is less 

 likely to destroy than the majority of those diseases to 

 which the dog is liable. 



Distemper has been hitherto regarded as an inflamma- 

 tory disorder, which was to be conquered only by 

 antiphlogistic remedies. Bleeding, purging, vomiting, 

 sedatives, blisters, and setons were employed ; and the 

 more acute the attack, the more violent were the means 

 resorted to for the purpose of its conquest. Under such 

 treatment I do not wonder at the evil character which 

 the malady has obtained ; for in proportion as the efforts 

 made were great, so would be the probability of the 

 disease proving destructive. There can be no doubt that 

 more dogs have been killed for the distemper than would 



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