512 DOG DISTEMPER 



cells. The changes in the spinal cord, which are not well 

 marked, consist chiefly of anemia and slight edema, especially 

 in the lumbar region. Mazulewitsch states that in acute 

 paralysis there are changes in the walls of vessels, with an 

 exudate along the vessels and in the interstitial tissue of the 

 gray matter of the spinal cord. In chronic distemper, there is 

 a localized interstitial myelitis with partial atrophy of the 

 cord. Hadden found groups of emigrated blood corpuscles in 

 it. In severe cases, according to Trasbot, the spinal cord and 

 its membranes are often considerably injected with a sero- 

 fibrinous exudate in and under the arachnoid and even into 

 the substance of the spinal cord. 



Among the other changes which have been described we 

 may mention decrease in the total quantity of the blood of the 

 body, combined with a certain degree of hydremia. There 

 may be fatty degeneration of the liver and kidneys. The 

 muscular tissue of the heart is discolored in consequence of 

 cloudy swelling and fatty degeneration of the fibers. The 

 lymph glands may be edematous. 



§ 397. Differential diagnosis. Distemper is to be dif- 

 ferentiated from : 



1. A simple catarrh, such as that of the eyes, nose, 

 lungs, stomach or intestines. The differentiation is often diffi- 

 cult at first, as distemper frequently manifests itself in a single 

 mucous membrane or in one organ. In general the diagnosis 

 is obtained from the epizootic nature of the disease, age of 

 the patient, high temperature, simultaneous implications of 

 several organs and the unfavorable course of the malady. The 

 finding of the pustules of dog distemper is of much diagnostic 

 value. 



2. Rabies. The symptoms of cerebral irritation which 

 occur at the beginning of the disease may give rise to the 

 suspicion of rabies. The characteristic aggressive behavior of 

 animals suffering from rabies is, however, absent in cases of 

 distemper. The further course of the disease soon enables a 

 diagnosis to be made. 



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