Volume 4, 1951 - The Arctic Circle - Home

foxes were found; most likely they were infected from eating
the diseased foxes. The sickness lasted in the dogs till
May, and l should sayat a rough estimate that over 50 died.
Most of these had not been inoculated with Distemper Virus
and so had no resistance built up. There is no doubt that
the inoculation saved the l'est of the dogs here in Hebron."
~: "From March to June, this year., sorne 20 to 30 dogs
died in the Nain District. The disease was obviously, l
think, not distemper because many of the dogs which died
·had been immunized against distemper with Canine Distemper
Vaccine 'Ferret Origin' (Gr~en Method) ••• the disease
se~ms at first ta have originated with dogs which had
fought with a fox and were possibly bitten by the fox •••
there is abundant evidence of cerébral disturbance among
the dogs affected, indeed the Eskimo claimed that sorne,·but
only some, of the dogs were mad."
, The Reverend Peacock reèords that a team of eight
dogs, which had been'immunized against distemper, caught
.the disease. They were "treat'ed with Prontylin without
'success. This was followed with sulphur but again the
disease was not arrested. By this time 3 dogs had died
and the remaining dogs were treated with Homeopathie
Spigelia, which is used for worms ••• no more dogs died •••
My experience in this case led me to think that the disease
was possibly due to parasitic invasion of the bowel, that
is, worms."
"1 only know of ubout 5 foxes dying in this district
but there were undoubtedly more. l have urged the Government
to give us vaccine in order that aIl dogs may be immunized
against distemper every three years."
"It should be noted that there was a great shortage
of seal ~eat for dog food thii'year and that in the spring
the people used roc,k cod to fee,d the dogs and this has been
the case for two years. It is possible - and perhaps someone
with greater knowledge than myself could verify it -
that the dogs got tapeworms from thE3.rock ·~od. Dogs here
have been fed on polar bear meat ~d. fresh';".seals:is there
a possibili ty of trichinosis among'dogs •• (we hadJ dogs
which suddenly became sick vv'ithvomiting 'and diarrhoea; they
also had pain and fever. Later there was swelling of muscles
and there was interference with mastication due to swelling
••• the disease was most prevalent among dogs owned by people
who are engaged in trouting in the spring and who probably
feed the trout guts to the dogs. We have often discovered
tapeworms in trout."