DISTEMPER OF DOGS 571 



and limbs cause regular or irregular movement of the head 

 or limbs. These movements may be present constantly or 

 periodically. Convulsive contractions of certain groups of 

 muscles are frequently observed, in which the animal at 

 first becomes restless, excited, runs aimlessly about, is sud- 

 denly seized by tonic and clonic spasms, the head and 

 neck usually drawn backward, falls down as if from epilepsy, 

 barks, cries and becomes unconscious with relaxation of 

 the sphincter muscles. In some cases the animal will die 

 during these convulsions; in others there is a gradual return 

 to consciousness and in one or two minutes the animal 

 is able to rise. Some cases pass into a long-continued state 

 of coma. These convulsive seizures may become less fre- 

 quent, and entirely disappear; or they may terminate in 

 partial or complete paralysis. Paralysis is a very common 

 sequel to this disease. It very rarely begins at the onset of 

 the disease, but appears in most cases during the latter 

 period. The paralysis may be confined to certain groups 

 of muscles, in fact the posterior limbs are most often affected. 

 The paralysis of the sphincter muscles is a very frequent 

 sequel. Some cases begin with a paralysis of the posterior 

 limbs, and result subsequently in complete recovery, while 

 others show a progressive ascending paralysis, resulting in 

 death from general paralysis. Various paralytic compli- 

 cations are often observed following the nervous form of 

 distemper, such as deafness, amaurosis, hemiplegia laryngis, 

 aphasia, loss of sense of smell, hydrocephalus, etc. 



6. Symptoms Shown by ihe Skin.— In a large number of 

 cases there will be noted a characteristic pustular exanthema. 

 Small, red spots appear along on the abdomen, on the inner 

 surface of the thighs, occasionally on the skin of the face, 

 around the eyes and on the internal surface of the external 

 ear. In twenty-four to thirty-six hours these red spots are 

 transformed into miliary nodules, each surrounded by a 

 red ring. These nodules change very rapidly into vesicles 

 which become infected to form pustules. The pustules vary 

 but are usually the size of a pea. They dry up either into 

 a yellow, brown crust, or rupture and leave reddened, moist 

 places to become .covered later by a scab. When the 



