116 CANINE DISTEMPER 
Paraplegia —Paraplegia is a paralysis of the hind-legs 
and hinder part of the body, affecting both motion and 
sensation, the condition being indicative of disease or 
injury of the spine. The dog remains strong ‘and active 
in his fore parts, but owing to the debility or total 
disability of the hinder parts, he totters during progres- 
sion, or may drag the inert remainder of his body after 
him. The paralytic affection may in other cases be more 
universal, and cause him to reel about as if intoxicated. 
Hemiplegia.—In hemiplegia, paralysis ‘is observed in 
the muscles of one side of the body only, as a result of 
disease or injury in the brain on the opposite side. 
None of these paralytic states need be regarded as 
necessarily fatal, and, indeed, they often prove to be 
only temporary conditions; but I hasten to disabuse the 
reader of any idea that they can be lightly regarded, 
since even where voluntary control of the muscles is 
regained there is always a possibility of permanent 
muscular atrophy limiting power and creating disfigure- 
ment. 
Muscular Atrophy—Where the condition is compara- 
tively quickly amenable to treatment, little or no atrophy 
takes place, and the same may be said of paralyses 
arising from a cerebral source. Muscular atrophy, how- 
ever, is a feature of spinal paralysis, and the degree of 
diminution will be an indication of the duration of the 
disease. 
Sequele of Paralysis.—Other phenomena occasionally 
noticed as sequelz of paralysis are loss of sight, hearing, 
smell, and even voice, mental deficiency, and respiratory 
whistling. 
Opisthotonos—What has always proved a fatal symp- 
tom is the very distressing condition known as opis- 
thotonos, in which the head is bent over the back by 
tetanic spasm. It is attended by periods of partial or 
