84 CANINE DISTEMPER 
connected with any one of the above groups. All or 
any of these symptoms may be accompanied by discharge 
from the eyes and nose, or by either independently, and 
by emaciation, and sometimes these latter phenomena 
exist to the exclusion of most or all of the others; thus, 
it wilt be appreciated, we have to deal with a most 
uncertain disease. 
Premonitory Symptoms.—The premonitory symptoms 
are: A loss of appetite; increased desire for sleep and 
warmth; shivering; staring coat; unusual lassitude ; 
sometimes bad temper, and a hot, dry nose. The dog is 
less obedient to his master and takes less notice of him. 
The animal occasionally remains bright and apparently 
normal, the first untoward sign noticed by the owner 
being a slight cough, or efforts on the part of the dog 
to dislodge an imaginary obstruction from its throat. 
Perhaps none of these initial symptoms may be observed, 
but a watery discharge may appear from one or both 
eyes, or a small bead of indurated mucus may be present 
at the inner corners of the eyes first thing in the morning. 
The most usual train of symptoms (in the order in 
which they frequently occur) in a favourable case is: 
Inappetence, dry nose, temperature ror° F., slight cough, 
nasal discharge, temperature 102° F., constipation, in- 
creased husky cough, slight diarrhoea, temperature 102° 
to 103° F., dullness, shivering, increased nasal discharge, 
eyes gummed up in the morning, and diarrhoea more 
profuse. Although food is refused, there is generally an 
insatiable thirst, when the only consolation to the dog 
seems to be the sight of a dish of water. In a large 
number of cases this completes the picture, unless more 
serious complications are going to set in, when we may 
later find our patient in the throes of broncho-pneumonia, 
epilepsy, or great emaciation, with a higher temperature 
and increasing purulent discharges from the eyes and 
ov 
