No very special medicine is required unless the heart is affected, which is often the case, when the following mixture is useful:—
Recipe: The Mixture:
| Tincture Digitalis, | 1 drachm. |
| Tincture Nux Vomica, | 1 drachm. |
| Concentrated Solution of Acetate of Ammonia, | 2 drachms. |
| Water to | 6 ounces. |
From one[1] to four teaspoonfuls to be given every four or six hours, according to the severity of the symptoms. If the fever is very high, from two[1] to ten grains of bicarbonate of potash may be added to each dose. Some brandy may also be given with advantage, from ten[1] drops to a dessertspoonful every two or three hours, given as previously recommended.
When the nervous system becomes affected during distemper, or just afterwards, it is always a serious matter; in fact, when the brain is attacked and fits are the result, the case is practically hopeless, and if the fits are very severe and frequent it is better to destroy the dog at once, rather than waste time and money in continuing the treatment. When the disease attacks the spinal cord, St. Vitus’s dance (chorea) generally follows. This is also practically an incurable disease, and in severe cases it is best to put the dog out of its misery, for if it lives it will always be a hopeless cripple. Slight cases improve with time and judicious treatment, but the twitching never entirely disappears, though the dog may recover sufficiently to be shown, and also to be bred from. The disease is not hereditary, though I have sometimes thought that puppies of parents suffering from chorea are more disposed to the disease than others. Again, as the result of distemper, the patient may become paralysed to a more or less extent in different parts of the body or limbs—generally the back legs, though occasionally the fore ones are affected, and sometimes all four legs become useless. I have seen some cases when only the tail has been affected, the dog not being able to move it in the least. In other instances the eyes are the seat of the mischief, and amaurosis is the result. Unfortunately, treatment is quite useless in this latter case; in fact, I never saw a dog recover. The blindness may not be complete at first, but this paralysis of the eyes is a progressive disease which no treatment seems able to stop. I may here mention in amaurosis that the eye remains clear and bright, and to the casual observer there is nothing to be seen except a widely dilated blue pupil, which ordinary light does not cause to contract, though exposure to the strong rays of the sun will do so slowly. If the owner of a patient thus affected is anxious to try some treatment, then I suggest the following:—
Recipe: The Lotion:
| Sulphate of Eserine, | 1 grain. |
| Distilled Water to | 1 ounce. |
One drop to be placed into each eye three times a day.
For medicine, give nux vomica as the following:—
Recipe: The Mixture: