106 
C. CATTANACH. 
CANINE DISTEMPER. 
A paper read before the New York State Veterinary Society, 
By C. Cattanaoh, D.V.S. 
Mr. President and Gentlemen : 
I will endeavor this evening to entertain you with a brief 
treatise on the subject of “ Canine Distemper,” sometimes 
called catarrhal fever in the dog. This disease shows itself under 
different forms; some writers recognize five, but to simplify mat¬ 
ters I will select two, the catarrhal and the nervous, mentioning 
the others simply as complications which may arise in conjunction 
with these two principal forms, although they may exist individ¬ 
ually in some cases. 
The cause is due to a specific poison which enters the system 
and may remain latent for some time. The period of latency is 
indifferent; it may not last twenty-four hours, or it may last a 
month. To illustrate this, I may mention I have exhibited at the 
dog show different litters of puppies, and they all showed symp¬ 
toms in from three to four weeks. Adult dogs have contracted 
it much sooner than the puppies (by this I mean dogs which I 
have exhibited.) I am of opinion that puppies should not be sent 
to shows, as I never knew any to escape distemper that were sent 
there; and the mortality in puppies is a very large per cent. 
The virus will remain for a long time about the dog and kennel 
after recovery, so it is dangerous to introduce other dogs. 
Among other causes are exposure to cold, and being kept in badly 
drained or ventilated apartments. Improper feeding, teething 
and worms are also mentioned, but I do not think these would be 
primary causes. Some writers on the subject say a dog may be 
predisposed to the various forms, as for instance, food or worms 
may excite the intestinal form. Well bred dogs are more prone 
to an attack than mongrels, and are less able to stand an attack. 
I should have previously mentioned that the origin of the disease 
is unknown, but was first recognized in the seventeenth century, 
and in some parts of the world was unknown. It was not known 
in Australia until recently, when it was first brought there by a 
dog imported from England. 
