CHAPTER IV.—PART IV.

DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS

Angina—Sore Throat

DEFINITION.—Inflammatory swelling of the larynx and trachea.

CAUSES.—Exposure to sudden cold when heated; damp lodgings.

SYMPTOMS.—The first are generally sneezing, hoarse cough, ears and nose alternately hot and cold, noisy breathing, caused by swelling of the glands under the throat and jaw; difficulty of swallowing. The front of the neck, especially about the larynx, is much swollen; when the swelling is considerable, internally and externally, the breathing sometimes becomes so much embarrassed that the animal dies of suffocation.

TREATMENT.—Give A.A., a dose every hour at first, and then every two hours, until relieved.

ACCESSORY MEANS.—The frequent application to the throat of cloths dipped in hot water; cold water, frequently renewed, for the dog to lap; cold milk and broth as diet.

Catarrh—Coryza—Cold

DEFINITION.—As a rule, coryza in the dog consists of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose. It is most frequent among dogs that are petted and kept in warm rooms. It may lead to bronchitis and other diseases of the respiratory organs.

CAUSE.—Change of temperature, especially in spring, during the prevalence of easterly winds.

SYMPTOMS.—Running from the nose and eyes; sneezing; diminished appetite; accelerated breathing; dullness; heaviness; sleepiness.

TREATMENT.—C.C., is the proper remedy, a dose, one to three drops, three or four times per day.

ACCESSORY TREATMENT.—It will facilitate the cure if the dog is kept in a warm place for a day or two, not allowed to go out at all, and fed upon milk or thin oatmeal gruel. He should also have plenty of water to drink. The nose and eyes should be sponged with tepid water several times a day.

Bronchitis—Acute and Chronic

DEFINITION.—Acute bronchitis is active inflammation of the membrane of the air-tubes of the lungs. Chronic bronchitis more particularly affects old dogs.

CAUSES.—Sudden changes of temperature; standing in the cold when heated; cold draughts of air in the kennels, or wherever the dog is kept, frequently cause bronchitis.

SYMPTOMS.—The first symptoms of acute bronchitis are generally those of common cold; shivering; short, hard cough; constant distressing cough, at first dry, afterwards accompanied by a sticky mucous; feverish symptoms; accelerated pulse and breathing; loss of appetite; dullness; an anxious look depicted on the countenance. Auscultation detects a wheezing sound, or rattling of mucous, in the trachea and bronchial tubes. The nose is hot and dry at the commencement of the attack, but becomes moist when the inflammatory stage is passed. Chronic bronchitis consists of a cough during the winter months, which comes on after changes in the temperature, and is attended with shortness of breath and wheezing.

TREATMENT.—Give, at first, and during the feverish stage, a dose, of A.A., one to three drops, according to the size of the dog. After the more urgent symptoms have been relieved, E.E., may be given, in alternation with the A.A.

ACCESSORY MEANS.—The dog should be kept in the house, and in one temperature, as nearly as possible. A pail of boiling hot water may be placed in the kennel from which the steam will evaporate and keep the air moist; this will be found very beneficial. Milk, or bread and milk, constitute the best diet; farinaceous food, but no meat; fresh supplies of cold water. Meat broth may be given in cases of great debility and old age.

Asthma

This disease, which most nearly resembles broken wind in the horse, is characterized by difficult breathing, with intervals of free respiration.

CAUSES.—Close confinement, want of outdoor exercise, excessive feeding; it is observed almost wholly among fat and petted dogs, from four to seven years old.

SYMPTOMS.—The disease is insidious in its invasion; it begins with a slight cough, which returns at irregular intervals, and is therefore likely to escape observation. It, however, becomes more frequent and troublesome; is harsh, dry and sonorous, and may give the mistaken impression that there is a bone in the throat. It is then provoked by every change of temperature, food or posture; becomes almost incessant; disturbs sleep; produces nausea and sickness; but nothing is expelled besides mucus from the respiratory passages, where its presence is a cause of irritation. Meanwhile the breathing is affected, and is not unfrequently very labored and painful. The digestion may be impaired; the appetite slight or morbid; the breath offensive; the teeth covered with tartar; the coat rough; the skin mangy. In some cases the dog is worn down by the irritation of the cough; in others the pulmonary congestion arrests respiration, and causes suffocation; or cardiac difficulties cause accumulation of blood in the head, and consequent convulsive fits. But the disorder generally ends in hydrothorax or ascites—generally the latter. In these cases the body wastes, the abdomen is enlarged, the legs swell, the coat is staring, the breathing very laborious, till, ultimately, suffocation puts an end to the animal’s existence.

TREATMENT.—If the disorder be treated judiciously in the early stage, it is curable; but if it has continued for any length of time, only palliation can be looked for. Give E.E., a dose, according to size of dog, two or three times per day. For a fit of asthma or bad breathing, give A.A., every hour. For old, bad cases, try I.I., three times per day.

ACCESSORY MEANS.—Exercise should be regularly taken in the open air, except when the weather is cold, or damp, or sultry. The food should be of the best and most nutritious quality, given frequently, but in small quantities at a time.

Inflammation of the Chest, Pneumonia or Pleurisy

Inflammation of the chest usually involves both the pleura or lining membrane of the chest, and the substance of the lungs, so that they may be advantageously treated. It is usually the result of cold and exposure after being heated; it may also be produced by wounds.

SYMPTOMS.—Shivering chill, followed by heat and thirst; the sides are painful when pressed upon; stitches are observed; the dog sits upon his haunches, with the fore legs separated from each other, and the head held forward; the breath hot; cough short and painful; breathing frequent, labored and heaving; pulse full and quick; tongue hangs out of the mouth; eyes thrust forward and red; finally drowsiness, and death. Sometimes the effusion of water in the chest is very abundant, when the legs swell, and breathing becomes difficult, labored and suffocating.

TREATMENT.—Give first, three or five drops, according to the size of the dog, of the A.A., and repeat the dose every two hours for the first twenty-four hours. Then alternate the E.E. with the A.A., at intervals of two or three hours.

Cough

In most cases cough is symptomatic of disease, and often indicates the commencement of some serious disorder of the respiratory organs, when it should not be allowed to continue unheeded. Well fed dogs often have a dry, searching cough, which, if they are old, degenerates into asthma. Cough is sometimes consequent on obesity, when the amount of food should be lessened, exercise taken, and J.K., administered. If it be caused by the dog going into the water, or being washed with warm water in winter, or being confined for some time in a low, damp situation, I.I., or E.E., are the remedies. Such a cough is generally harsh and hard, and accompanied by vomiting of tough mucus. A dose two or three times per day is sufficient.