364 KENNEL DISEASES. 
A dog attacked with distemper, or one presenting suspicious signs, should 
be at once taken from his mates and put into a room by himself, as far from 
them as possible. 
That room should be of good size; so situated, if possible, that it is acces- 
sible to the sun the greater portion of the day; admit of good ventilation ; and 
can be artificially heated if the weather is cold. 
Its temperature should be about 60° F., or only a trifle below that point, 
and the volume of heat be sufficient to permit of an opening for fresh air, but 
without draughts; for the latter must be carefully avoided. 
The bedding should be straw, and sawdust the covering of the floor. Both 
should be changed at least once daily ; and better twice if possible. 
The sawdust should be removed without sweeping, for in catarrhal troubles 
the irritation must be greatly aggravated by fine dust. 
There should always be a powerful disinfectant in the room, with the odor 
of which the air should be kept loaded as much as possible. A very good 
one is a powder composed of carbolic acid and lime. If the weather is not 
hot, and it is therefore possible to have a fire in the room, chlorine gas can be 
easily generated, and that, under right conditions, has a noxious effect upon 
disease-germs. 
A large kettle nearly full of water should be kept on the stove, and in it, 
at frequent intervals, should be put a piece, of good size, of the best chloride 
of lime that can be obtained ; the water being renewed as often as necessary. 
Chlorine gas will be given off during the slaking of the lime, and the atmos- 
phere of the sick-room being moistened by the steam from the boiling water, 
the gas must be very destructive to the germs of disease therein, provided it is 
of sufficient volume and it is constantly generated. 
Another measure which has a favorable effect upon the atmosphere of the 
sick-quarters, and which might be resorted to in hot weather, is the burning 
of tar, in the following manner: 
Into a milk-pan, or other large tin basin, pour tar to the depth of about one 
inch. Put into the fire a common brick, stone of about the same size, an old 
and discarded flatiron, or something of the sort, and heat, but not make red 
hot. This when dropped into the tar will generate a dense vapor or smoke, 
which is quite agreeable to the irritated air-passages, for it loosens the secre- 
tions, and thus renders the cough easier. 
That the body may be of nearly uniform temperature, and thus danger of 
brain congestion and lung inflammation be lessened, a jacket made of several 
thicknesses of flannel or cotton wadding, to cover at least the chest, if not the 
entire body, should be sewed onto the dog; care being taken to have it fit 
snugly at the neck and over the breast. 
In cases of distemper in which the disease is detected early, it is well to 
clean out the bowels by means of calomel, provided of course there is no 
