100 | CANINE DISTEMPER 
power. There is generally increased thirst, a dry, hot 
mouth, and some degree of constipation. 
Diarrhea.—A considerable conflict of opinion exists 
as to whether diarrhoea is an early symptom, or appears 
at a later stage in the course of the malady. From my 
own observations, it appears usually after a brief period 
of costiveness, though sometimes only at a very late 
stage, and at other times precedes every other discernible 
symptom. Ferry declares: “An important point is the 
fact that diarrhoea is one of the earliest symptoms in 
distemper, and it is found in nearly every case providing 
we look for it early enough. I have often seen it before 
1 have recorded a cough; I suppose because it is a 
symptom that leaves behind a record of its own. I soon 
learned that if I saw a young dog with a watery diarrhcea 
I would be pretty sure to find a case of distemper within 
a few days.” 
Infection in the Foces.—Ferry frequently found his 
B. bronchisepticus in the feeces of distempered dogs, and 
maintained that diarrhoea was thus to be regarded as a 
classical symptom, and, being one of the earliest, of 
the gravest importance. In contention with this view, 
M‘Gowan says: “The group of symptoms usually 
classed as abdominal distemper to my mind are not indi- 
cative of distemper fer se, but of a cachectic septic con- 
dition entirely secondary to the disease. It includes 
wasting, ulcers on mucous membrane of mouth ‘and 
gums, dirty teeth, stinking breath, vomiting, and diar- 
rhoea. Usually along with these are included jaundice, 
and, in some cases, bloody diarrhcea and the passage of 
pure blood fer rectum.” 
It is difficult to reconcile these contrary opinions, but 
greater credence seems due to Ferry from the obvious 
clinical fact that diarrhoea is so frequently (though not 
in the majority of cases) seen before any other pheno- 
