88 CANINE DISTEMPER 
persistent and distressing cough, a diminution or dis- 
appearance of respiratory rales, and sometimes at the last 
by a stinking nasal discharge. When severe, the dog 
seems to find a difficulty in breathing except in an 
upright position, and he blows out his cheeks at each 
expiration—always an ominous sign. 
Only. too frequently in such cases death supervenes, 
and is ushered in by a rapid, feeble pulse, diminished 
temperature (perhaps even to subnormal), cold extremi- 
ties, short, decreasing respiration, oedema of the lungs 
(with severe dyspnoea and tympany on percussion), and 
cyanosis, the patient becoming delirious or comatose, 
and succumbing finally to asphyxia. I treated recently 
for several weeks a case of this sort in a two-year-old 
Alsatian wolfhound, and towards the termination of its 
illness it showed all the distressing symptoms herein 
enumerated, in addition to excessive weakness, emacia- 
tion, and restlessness. Its temperature, however, hovered 
about 103° F., and never once exceeded 104° F.; but its 
peculiar retching kind of cough, accompanied by cries 
as of pain, was most pathetic to witness. Upon post- 
mortem examination, I was rather surprised to find 
that only about one-third of the lung appeared to be 
implicated. 
(5) Croupous Pneumonia.— Distemper subjects have 
been occasionally observed to suffer from croupous 
pneumonia, occurring sometimes as a terminal pneu- 
monia, and hastening a fatal termination to the primary 
disease. It is marked by inflammation of one or more 
lobes of the lung, usually beginning in the lower third, 
the organ being first intensely congested or engorged, 
afterwards becoming red and consolidated from accumu- 
lation of exudate and blood-cells in the alveoli (red 
hepatisation) ; and, later, grey from degeneration of the 
exudates (grey hepatisation), which are finally absorbed. 
