Distemper hi Dogs and Cats. 217 



nnilk, or in patients accustomed to animal food, lean meat, minced, 

 scraped or pulped. Warm baths are often advantageous, but 

 they must be given with great caution to avoid chill. 



Medicinal treatment is largely symptomatic. An excessively 

 high temperature (104° F. and upward) may be met by warm 

 baths, or antipyretics— quinine, acetanilid, salicylate of soda, anti- 

 -pyrine, phenacetin, or even damp compresses to the sides. As a 

 rule, however, it is not well to continue such agents as acetanilid, 

 antipyrine or phenacetin longer than is absolutely needful to re- 

 duce excessive temperature. 



Attempts have been made to check microbian proliferation by 

 antiferments, such as quinine, calomel, creolin, phenol, lactophenin 

 and phenacetin. The tonic action of quinine specially recom- 

 mends it but like all bitters it is obnoxious to a dog with a deli- 

 •cate stomach. Calomel is especially recommended by Frohner as 

 a gastric and intestinal antiseptic and its indirect action on the 

 liver renders it valuable in many cases. Creolin and carbolic acid 

 exhaled from saturated cloths tend to disinfect the air passages 

 and give tone to the mucosa. My colleague. Dr. P. A. Fish, gave 

 carbolic acid, 2 per cent., and afterward 4 per cent, in normal 

 -salt solution, and in doses of J^ to i drachm, subcutem once and 

 twice a day. In the initial stages, it seemed often to be of great 

 value, quieting the nervous excitement, improving the general 

 -symptoms, and in some instances apparently cutting short the 

 affection. Trasbot recommended strong infusion of coffee, and 

 -others potassium bromide, ergotin, or better hydrogen peroxide 

 in spray or as a draught. Iodine trichloride (i:20oo-5cc) sub- 

 cutem is claimed to abort an attack. 



EUminative treatment. As in all depressing contagious dis- 

 eases, we must favor elimination of the toxins, and in this case 

 without risking any material encrease of debility. Calomel (7 

 grs.), sodium salicylate or benzoate (4 grs. ), sodium bicarbonate 

 (7 grs.), potassium iodide (4 grs.), chlorate (7 grs.), or nitrate 

 (7 grs.) may be cited. Digitalis (i gr.), strophanthus, or 

 -caffeine are especially recommended by their power of encreasing 

 the tone of the heart when that has become weak or exhausted. 



For the respiratory symptoms we may employ the antiseptic 

 inhalations already named, or, in place of these, iodine or sul- 

 phurous acid. The nervous cough may be met by syrup of 

 poppies, or anise, by morphia, or codeia. (Recipe : morphinse 



