CONTAGIOUS DISEASES 107 



A discharge, clear and watery at firsts later be- 

 coming of the color of blood serum, exudes 

 from the nostrils and eyes. Sneezing and 

 coughing occur, the cough being painful and 

 repressed. 



Upon examination of the throat it is found 

 somewhat painful to outside pressure and the 

 pharyngeal mucous membrane and that of the 

 soft palate is seen to be congested and covered 

 with a diphtheritic membrane. The mouth 

 emits a foul odor and there is often an offen-' 

 sive diarrhea. The disease develops very rap- 

 idly, and the animal soon shows signs of a gen- 

 eral toxemia, becoming at first semicomatose, 

 with widely dilated pupils, perfectly indifferent 

 to surroundings, but moaning or crying out if 

 disturbed. In course of time the: intoxication 

 becomes more and more profound, the animal, 

 finally dying either in deep coma or in convul- 

 sions. 



Acute cases of diphtheria in cats that ter- 

 minate fatally run their course in twenty-four 

 hours or less. '' 



Treatment.— At the very onset of /the symp- 

 toms a full dose of diphtheria antitoxin should 

 be administereed hypodermically. One-grain 

 doses of calomel should then be given and thp 

 douchmg of the nose, mouth and pharynx car- 

 ried out as advised for distemper. The anti-. 

 toxin may be repeated with advantage in twen-^ 



