MYELITIS 117 



Cerebrospinal Meningitis 



This is a rare disease in canine patients. It is of 

 undetermined etiology, and, as its name implies, is 

 an inflammation of the meninges of the brain and 

 spinal cord. 



Symptoms. — Great depression and stupor, trem- 

 bling, fever, incoordination, and involuntary move- 

 ments are indications of cerebrospinal meningitis. 

 The muscles of the neck are hard and prominent 

 and in a state of spasm, and spasms may afifect the 

 ■ whole body, finally causing death by exhaustion. 



Treatment. — The same treatment as that for 

 encephalitis, with the addition of full doses of 

 H-M-C hypodermically to control the spasms, is 

 indicated. 



Myelitis — Meningitis Spinalis 



(Inflamoiation of the Spinal Cord and Membrane) 



These two diseases are of rare occurrence and 

 cannot be distinguished clinically. Their causes arc 

 mostly traumatic, blows, shocks, vertebral fractures, 

 carious vertebra, metastasis during septicemia, py- 

 emia, and distemper. ' 



Symptoms. — (1) Disturbance of motion. The gait 

 ia stiff and staggering, and there is muscular twitch- 

 ing and partial or complete paralysis. The para- 

 lysed limbs are dragged along the ground and are 

 irresponsive to the electric stimulus. 



When the cervical portion of the cord is affected 

 the four extremities are affected and sometimes the 

 pupil of the eye contracted ; when the lumbar por- 

 tion is affected, the hind extremities alone are para- 

 lyzed. 



2. Disturbances of sensation occur either in a 

 hyperesthesia or anesthesia of the cutaneous nerves. 

 The former manifests itself in pain, excitement, and 



