With the view of collecting information on the subject of distemper, we
addressed enquiries to the masters of a number of those hunts in whose
kennels last season the disease took an unusually serious form, and also
to masters whose kennels had escaped lightly. The replies received are
exceedingly full and informing; and as the views of the writers cannot
fail to be of interest, we propose in the following pages to set out a
selection of opinions collected.
It will be convenient to give the letters in the alphabetical sequence
of the writers’ names.
Mr. E. E. BARCLAY, master of the Puckeridge, whose kennels sustained
very serious losses in 1904–5, writes:—
“Distemper is like ‘scent,’ the more one sees of it the less one knows
about it. All I do know is that it is a terribly fatal disease amongst
hounds of all sorts, and in my experience almost invariably seems to
pick out and kill the strongest and best of one’s entry. I have kept
hounds (harriers and foxhounds) now for twenty-eight years, and have
always bred a good many young hounds, so necessarily have seen a good
deal, in fact, far too much, of distemper, and have now come to the
conclusion that physic of any sort has very little to do with getting a
hound through an attack. The only thing one can do is to keep them warm;
don’t let the temperature of the hospital fall below 60° during the
twenty-four hours, with plenty of fresh air but no draughts, and nurse
them very carefully, feeding them a little at the time and often. Keep
them clean, often sponging their eyes, nose, and lips with disinfectant
to keep the offensive discharge, which usually accompanies bad cases,
from getting caked.
“In the form that attacks their heads with twitching and blindness,
setons in the back of the neck often help. In the more fatal lung cases
with pneumonia, applications of mustard to the chest and sides is the
only thing that may do good, but this form often turns to double
pneumonia and the patients die in a few hours. In some cases distemper
seems to turn to blood poisoning, attacking especially the feet, so that
the feet almost rot away.
“I have found that those hounds that have frequent fits seldom recover,
and if by chance they do pull round they are generally left with
‘snatches’ or chorea. Strychnine will often help ‘snatches’ at first,
but if a hound has got them badly he seldom gets much better of them,
though he may recover from the distemper itself.
“I only remember two summers when we did not have distemper badly in
kennel, but in both these years the young hounds went down with it badly
in the middle of December and we lost several, just when they were in
hard work; and of course those that recovered were of little use for
that hunting season.
“A medical friend was telling me one day of the way they now treat bad
cases of pneumonia by putting the patient into an iced bath. This is
done, of course, to get the temperature down, for what so often kills in
cases of pneumonia is the collapse of the heart owing to high fever.
Just at this time I had a very nice young dog-hound, who had been ill
with distemper for a long time; it turned to pneumonia and he was
‘blowing’ like a grampus. He had a temperature of 105°,[4] and was
apparently as good as dead and would have been so in an hour. We carried
him into the feeding room and turned the cold water hose on him—down his
neck, back and all over him. He very soon began to revive and in a short
time stood up with his stern erect, evidently enjoying the treatment; he
stopped ‘blowing’ after a short time, and in about fifteen minutes his
temperature was 101½°. We carefully dried him without rubbing him more
than we could help, and put him back into hospital. He seemed quite
comfortable, the ‘blowing’ had entirely ceased and did not return.
“That hound did well for the next ten days, and we quite thought we had
saved him when he suddenly died of heart failure. I own this experiment
was not a success entirely, but here we had a case of very bad pneumonia
in which the patient after a long illness was at the point of death, who
through our success in getting his temperature down and completely
stopping the ‘blowing,’ lived on and did well for ten days. I firmly
believe if his strength had not been undermined by a long spell of
illness before we tried the experiment that he would have recovered.
“I have tried all the so-called ‘cures’ for distemper, both old receipts
and new, in the form of balls, powders, and liquid, and have come to the
conclusion that they have little to do with a hound’s recovery.
“You use someone’s ‘Distemper Balls’ one year when you happen to have a
mild run of the disease, and having very few fatal cases that year, you
at once think it is this wonderful ball that has cured them!
“Next year you use the same ‘cure’ and your young hounds die like flies.
I notice that puppies at walk often get what seems to be distemper and
get over it, but when they come in down they go with the kennel
distemper and they die.
“We always keep going in the hospital one or more Cresoline lamps, such
as are sold at chemists, for burning in rooms of children suffering from
whooping cough; this, I am sure, helps the lung and throat cases, and at
any rate is a good disinfectant and can do no harm. I am now erecting,
detached from the rest of the kennel buildings, a large brick hospital
with a range of hot water pipes round three sides of the room, with
Tobin ventilators to admit fresh air without creating a draught, and a
good-sized lantern skylight in the roof to let out the foul air; and
hope this may help us to nurse a larger proportion of distempered hounds
through their trouble.
“It is a curious fact, but I have constantly observed that when, as
there often are, among the lot ‘down’ with the disease, a young hound or
two which, by reason of size or some other cause, are useless, and for
that reason get no extra attention and no physic; these pull through
without difficulty, whilst the pick of the entry, with every care
bestowed upon them, die off wholesale. I am quite sure the distemper one
gets in hound-kennels is quite different from that which the ordinary
cur dog gets.
“I have tried carefully for two seasons Dr. Physallix’s inoculation
serum, under two different veterinary surgeons, both clever men; but all
to no purpose, the mortality being quite as high in the inoculated cases
as in the whelps that had not been inoculated.”
Mr. Barclay holds that the subject of distemper is one that should
receive the special attention of the M.F.H. Association, that it should
be taken up in earnest and researches pursued systematically.
Mr. ASSHETON BIDDULPH (King’s County) holds that the strictest care and
cleanliness in the kennel do much to minimise the consequences of an
attack of distemper. In his kennels a very thorough system of cleaning
and ventilation, combined with very free use of disinfectants, is
enforced. The kennels are washed carefully and often with disinfectants,
and are subjected to a weekly purification with chloride of lime, which
is spread about under the benches; moreover, they are washed out at
intervals daily with some carbolic fluid. “For several years,” says Mr.
Biddulph, “I had no distemper in my kennels, from the time I began to
follow the system above mentioned; and I feel convinced that it was
neglect and the omission to carry out my orders that caused a sore
visitation of it some five years ago. Since then I have had years
without suffering an attack at all, and when the disease has appeared it
has been in the mildest form.”
Mr. Biddulph attributes the immunity from illness enjoyed by his horses
to similar precautions.
Mr. A. SCOTT BROWNE, who reported last summer that distemper appeared in
the worst form known in twenty-five years’ experience, states that the
disease took the form of septic pneumonia; hounds attacked often died
before they lost condition, sometimes within thirty-six hours of the
first symptoms of illness appearing. Most of those that succumbed had
been inoculated with the serum tried by Mr. Barclay, “but,” adds Mr.
Scott Browne, drily, “I have no reason to suppose, from a previous
experiment, that this caused them to contract the disease in a more
virulent form.”
Mr. T. BUTT MILLER (V.W.H., Cricklade) is unable to express any opinion;
his experience is representative of the mysterious and fitful character
of the disease. In 1904–5 he was very fortunate in escaping lightly.
This year he has had it very badly, not only among the puppies at walk,
but also among the young hounds that were entered this season.
Captain H. A. CARTWRIGHT (Wilton), writes as follows in explanation of
the comparative immunity his hounds enjoyed in 1905:—
“I believe my walks on these Wiltshire Downs are very healthy, and being
few, we only breed from the very best bitches likely to produce vigorous
offspring, and do not breed from inferior bitches on the chance of
getting something good or having a draft to sell. We are, however,
handicapped by the necessity for confining the bitches in whelp, and
with whelps, to the paddock, as it is near a big game preserve; and
although I have a couple of bitches at a time on my own farm here, it is
dangerous, owing to the prevalence of poison.
“As regards treatment, Sweetman, my huntsman, relies more on nourishment
than physic, and allows the sick puppies no water. We lose more by
yellows than distemper.”
Mr. A. W. HALL DARE (Wexford), believes that all hounds must have the
disease some time in their lives; he has found that a really bad attack
always leaves some weakness. Most cures are useful in some cases,
according to his experience, but none are infallible.
Mr. HENRY HAWKINS, whose harriers suffered severely last spring,
attributes the numerous deaths among his puppies chiefly to the fact
that there was a continuous and cold east wind blowing at the time of
the mortality.
Mr. M. L. W. LLOYD-PRICE, who has kept hounds for sixteen years, and a
great many other dogs for over thirty years, having usually reared from
twenty to thirty couples of whelps annually, writes as follows:—
“I have taken great pains to try to discover everything I could _re_
distemper. I can give you no fresh idea for prevention of the malady. I
have been, I may say, very lucky with regard to it, only getting it on
an average bi-annually, and losing on an average only 10 per cent. Of
this fact I feel confident, that the disease is not so bad among
_hounds_ in Wales as in England; possibly English hounds are higher
bred, and that may be to some extent a reason. Also, I believe, hounds
in Wales are more roughly brought up at their walks than in England, and
allowed more liberty. This may be a reason also, although, as the
farmer’s sheep-dogs get it very severely and many succumb, this is
doubtful. I have been much troubled by kennel lameness, and a prevention
for this would be more valuable to me even than one for distemper.”
Mr. R. W. MCKERGOW (Southdown) writes: “In answer to your letter of
yesterday, I cannot give any definite reason as to why we lost so many
young hounds at walk in 1904–5. I think we had too many in some of the
villages, and when the distemper broke out the whelps infected each
other. We found that puppies at walk in more isolated districts stood a
much better chance of recovery. I may add that this year we have chosen
our ‘walks’ rather more carefully, and I believe we shall have a much
better return. We sent out about fifty couple last year, and have, I
believe, about thirty-two or thirty-three couple standing up and doing
well. I may add that motor-cars were responsible for the death of some
three couples last year, and during the last few months we have lost a
further couple and a half from the same cause.”
Colonel A. C. NEWLAND (Tivyside) says that although he lost only one
hound last season the whole of the young entry suffered from distemper,
and badly, too, in several cases. He continues: “I can only attribute
our being fortunate enough to lose but one to the fact that every care
was taken from the moment distemper showed in a hound to feed it up as
much as possible, port wine, eggs, and beef tea being administered if
necessary.”
Mr. A. L. ORMROD (Aspull Harriers), in course of an interesting letter,
says: “Two or three of the puppies that came in from walk in the spring
of 1905, so far as I can tell, have not suffered at all from distemper.
The change of food and general conditions of living on first coming into
kennel is always a trying period for puppies, and any inherent weakness
in their constitution is likely to make itself manifest then. I should
be interested to know how the proportion of hounds received back into
kennels from puppy walkers compares with the experiences of breeders of
other classes of hounds or dogs, such as greyhounds, sporting dogs, or
even terriers.”
Mrs. PRYSE RICE, who last summer was happy in her ability to report “no
losses, nor have there been any for a number of years,” writes: “I
regret to say I know of no prevention for distemper. All our hounds have
it either at walk or when they come in to kennel. In the last ten years
we have sent out to walk 115 couples, and the total losses, as returned
in our puppy register, by distemper, have been two hounds in kennel
(when we had it in a very bad form), and one of the whelps now out at
walk. This year I think we have had distemper in its very worst form,
not only having the puppies at walk down with it, but also the whole of
the entry taken ill within three days of one another in the middle of
the hunting season. Of the former we have lost the one previously
mentioned; of the latter the greater part are now hunting again, and the
others will be out in a few days. I think the small losses we have are,
in the case of the whelps at walk, due to the very great interest taken
in the puppies by the walkers, who, immediately a puppy seems out of
sorts, report to the kennels, and on learning what to do take every
possible means to save it. The reason we lose so few in kennel is, I
think, due to the fact that neither we nor our men neglect the slightest
symptoms of distemper in a hound that has not had it, and even though it
appears to be but a slight cold, give at once a distemper powder. The
cure for distemper I would sum up in a few words—good nursing, plenty of
fresh milk, and use of Heald’s distemper powders _immediately_ the
slightest symptoms declare themselves.”
Mr. E. P. RAWNSLEY (Southwold) writes: “My losses of last season were
not serious, because, instead of losing the best hounds, the worst died,
though all had it. In the Southwold kennel we never fail to have the
disease badly, though I have tried every sort of prevention and cure. My
own idea is that it is almost an inevitable complaint, but if hounds
could be separated, only a couple being put together, and one
experienced man was told off to each four couple to nurse them night and
day, with special cooking for them and the use of every modern
antiseptic treatment, very few would die; the amount of room required
and the expense entailed would be enormous, as thirty couple or more may
be all down with it.”
Mr. THOMAS ROBSON (North Tyne) attributes the virulence of the disease
to the kennels. “Although,” he says, “we had no loss when the puppies
were at walk, I lost some after they came in—in fact, this place seems
fatal. I have lost as many as nine puppies in a fortnight, the only
survivor being a collie which lay outside in a straw stack and got no
attention whatever, while the other patients were coddled and got every
attention; these, however, were younger than the collie. I lost seven
greyhounds out of nine in October, and it is only an odd terrier I am
able to rear here. I have known a tame fox die at the same time as
terrier and foxhound puppies.”
Mr. H. W. SELBY LOWNDES (East Kent) writes: “There is no doubt that
distemper is contagious. It assumes different forms at different
periods. I consider that there is a difference in dogs as regards their
susceptibility. It is noticeable that mongrels and hardy dogs will
escape, while pure-bred dogs of a valuable breed are most
susceptible.... As a rule, dogs have distemper but once, but I
understand cases are known of dogs having it three and even four times.
There are several forms of the disease. (1) That which is accompanied by
a nasty husky cough, sneezing, increase of pulse, and temperature
irregular; sickness is an early symptom, the animal soon wastes away,
and there is a discharge of muco-purulent matter, and weeping from the
eyes. (2) This form takes the shape of fits, and is most fatal. (3) The
hepatic form, in which the leading features are yellowness of the skin
and visible mucous membrane, constipation, hard and colourless fæces,
urine deeply coloured, with little wasting, no cough, but symptoms of
fever.
“As regards management, the following are the methods adopted in my
kennel, which are fairly healthy. I have a grass yard and lodging which
was used for _many_ years for young hounds that came in from walk.
During the first two years of my mastership, when the young hounds used
the grass yard, distemper broke out very badly, and I lost a great many.
Since then young hounds have not used the yard, and have been kept, as
far as possible, on entirely fresh ground each year. They are kept in an
ordinary kennel and flagged yard, but have any amount of liberty and
exercise, and are taken where they can eat fresh grass, the natural
physic of dogs. My kennels are annually disinfected, and, above all, the
drains are carefully overhauled.
“When young hounds come in from walk Benbow’s mixture is a rare tonic
for them. When seized by distemper, in the first stage we give an
emetic—tartarised antimony 2 grs., and calomel 2 grs., followed up by a
vegetable tonic such as gentian, ginger, &c., 10 grs., and in all cases
_good nursing_. If the hound rejects his food and is sick, we give
diffusible stimulants, and as a tonic 1½ grs. of quinine and a little
port-wine three times a day. When a hound’s brain is becoming affected,
as a rule any discharge from the nostrils diminishes; the animal begins
to eat, and appears to be doing well; then suddenly he becomes excited,
and fits follow. When this occurs a seton should be put in between the
ears, and if the hound is constipated a mild purgative should be given.
Fits, as said above, however, usually indicate a fatal form of
distemper.
“In cases of yellow distemper give an ounce of Peruvian bark and a glass
of port-wine three times a day.... Whatever remedy of the many in favour
is used _good nursing_ is most essential, plenty of air during the day,
and warmth at night. Benbow’s mixture gives an appetite, and thus helps
to keep the hound’s strength. When the appetite is gone, the patient
should be given any dainty morsel procurable. Artificial heating in the
hospital is a mistake. In all cases tonics should be the foundation of
the treatment, with good nursing.”
Captain STANDISH (West Hambledon) remarks that distemper varies in
intensity from year to year. The diaries kept by his father during his
mastership of the Hursley, 1862–69, and the New Forest Hounds, 1869–74,
show that he sustained heavy losses: and this despite the fact that in
those days the absence of motor-cars and less rigorous game preserving
made it possible to give hounds at walk greater liberty.
The EARL OF STRADBROKE (Henham Harriers) writes:
“After enjoying freedom from distemper for several years, it broke out
last November, having been introduced by a retriever. The disease
attacked the older hounds, none of the younger ones being affected;
possibly the latter may have had distemper while at walk. One hound
died. The disease seemed to be in the head and lungs. The treatment I
adopted was to give a dose of castor oil directly a hound showed any
sign of being amiss, and then Spratt’s Distemper Pills, feeding on milk
or gravy, and avoiding all solid food for some days. Several of the
hounds were very ill, the strongest being the most severely affected,
but, with the one exception, they all pulled round, and none of them
seem any the worse now, though it took them some weeks to recover
condition.”
Mr. HUBERT M. WILSON (Cheshire) thinks that his small losses of the
spring of 1905 were rather a matter of good fortune than anything else.
But he says: “I certainly had the young hounds put in couples as soon as
they came in from quarters, and regularly exercised instead of being
turned loose into the kennel. I also built a new kennel of wood, with a
very good cinder yard, where they seemed to do very much better than in
former years. These are all the precautions that occur to me at the
moment that were taken. But I cannot help thinking that the hounds that
are in-bred to certain strains are, if not liable to distemper,
certainly less able to resist it.”
In answer to a further query, Mr. Wilson says that his last remark was
meant to apply to in-breeding to any strain too much, and not to any
particular strain of blood.
Some interesting and suggestive points are raised in the foregoing
letters; as these indicate the necessity for further enquiry, and as
space forbids any adequate review in the present number of the
information kindly furnished by our correspondents, we propose to return
to the subject in a future issue.
Recollections of Seventy-five Years’ Sport.
I.
I saw a good deal of sport with the Pytchley and Quorn and also with Mr.
Tailby’s hounds in old days. I remember one season, when I was staying
with Mr. Angerstein at Kelmarsh, the Pytchley had been passing through a
phase of indifferent sport, not having killed a fox for several days. On
one of these days, after dinner, there was much talk on the subject, and
some abuse of the huntsman, Charles Payne, and the hounds; I had a high
opinion of both, and defended them, saying that the fault lay not with
them, but with the Northamptonshire squires and the field. Mr. Vyse
thereupon said he should like to know what I should do were I the
master. I told him I would not put meat in my mouth until my hounds had
been fed upon fox.
The reply brought down a good deal of chaff upon me. Next day, as it
happened, we had a good run with an afternoon fox. After passing
Yelverton Gorse, I felt sure that the main earth on the Hemploe was his
point, and determined to give hounds a helping hand if it could be done;
so, riding straight across the vale to the Hemploe, I reached the main
earth barely two minutes before the hunted fox arrived, and turned him
away. Hounds were coming steadily along, but half-way up the hill
several foxes were afoot, and the pack divided, only five hounds
sticking to the line of the hunted fox. Payne blew his horn to get them
together, and the second whipper-in, attempting to stop the five, I told
him they would kill their fox if he left them alone.
“What am I to do, Sir?” he asked.
I said, “You hear the huntsman’s horn?” and the man did nothing. Very
soon after Payne came up, rather angry. The whipper-in, however,
disarmed him by confessing that he had done wrong; “But,” he added, “I
could not stop them, as Mr. Fellowes said they were killing their fox.”
Whereupon Payne laid the body of the pack on the line, and killed in a
few minutes.