142 DOGS: THEIR MANAGEMENT. 



in contortions, and the saliva flows freely from the mouth, 

 stretches the poor brute upon the earth. "When this is 

 over, the dog recovers as from a trance, being always 

 disposed to ramble, and should its strength permit, will 

 start away at its utmost speed. There is neither to the 

 number nor duration of these fits any limit ; they may 

 be few or frequent, and long or short. The second may 

 end the life ; or every five minutes, nay oftener, they 

 may occur, and the animal survive for days. Any 

 excitement will bring them on, and the passage of the 

 faeces invariably is accompanied by an attack. Diarrhoea 

 always begins when they commence, and the dog soon 

 loses strength, and lies upon its side unconscious and 

 incapable of motion ; the pulse is not to be felt, and 

 gradually without a struggle it expires. Let no man, 

 however, be hasty in saying positively when death has 

 taken place. Often has the life seemed gone, for the 

 heart has been still ; but minutes afterwards the animal 

 has gasped, and then began to breathe once more. Death, 

 however, comes at last, for if the dog sinks to such a 

 state, I have never known it to revive. 



A pustular eruption is often witnessed during the 

 existence of distemper, and I have not seen the same 

 phenomenon distinct from the disease. The two appear 

 to be united, and yet we do not know the manner in 

 which they are connected. The other symptoms are 

 not mitigated when the pustules are matured, nor does 

 their appearance denote any particular crisis or stage of 

 the disorder. I have, however, most frequently seen 



