CHAPTER VII.—PART IV.
DISEASES OF THE SKIN AND EXTREMITIES, AND MECHANICAL INJURIES
Eczema—Surfeit—Blotch
DEFINITION.—A non-contagious, vesicular disease of the skin, not occasioned by the presence of parasites, but dependent on constitutional predisposition. It is sometimes termed mange, but is distinguished from that disease by the absence of _acari_. Foul mange is an aggravated form of eczema.
CAUSES.—Hereditary constitution; insufficient exercise; gross diet; food too spare or too full in quantity, or unwholesome in quality; close kennel; dirty bedding, too hard or too luxurious a bed, etc. Flesh food will produce it; so, also, will sleeping on barley straw.
SYMPTOMS.—The disease begins with irritation of the skin, which causes the dog to be continually scratching; from inflamed patches a serous fluid exudes, which mats the hair and forms scabs; these fall off together, leaving the skin bare, inflamed, red, and discharging a thin, watery fluid. This fluid dries in thin scales, which cause considerable irritation. The scabs and scales are scratched and rubbed by the dog, and are thus aggravated till pustular and vesicular eruptions give the appearance of general ulceration. The patch usually occurs on the back, at the root of the tail, outer surface of thighs or rump.
In other cases, in fat, over-fed animals, the skin is devoid of hair, is greatly thickened (especially along the back or before the tail), and is almost devoid of sensation. The dog is very foul, and smells very offensively; the skin is wrinkled, chapped, cracked, ulcerated, emitting disgusting serum or pus; thick, yellowish crusts are formed; and the dog lies dull all day long, sleeping, licking, scratching, biting its sore places, a disgusting object to look at.
The disease may be confined to certain parts, when it receives the name of the part attacked. In sporting dogs there is frequently an eczematous eruption between the toes and at the roots of the nails, which causes redness, swelling and tenderness of the feet, together with lameness.
Puppies almost invariably inherit the disease when it has occurred on one of the parents.
As it is a constitutional disease, its duration is uncertain, its cure difficult, and its return probable.
TREATMENT.—In old cases, give the I.I., each morning, and the J.K., at night, and anoint, once per day, the sore, rough or scabby places, with ZINC OINTMENT. In urgent recent cases, the remedies above referred to may be given, four doses in a day. But in general the treatment first named will suffice.
ACCESSORY MEANS.—Strict attention must be given to diet; flesh must be utterly prohibited, except in the case of weak puppies, or when the disease has occasioned great debility, and then broth will be better than solid flesh. To gross dogs a few days’ abstinence will do no harm; they may thus become willing to take boiled rice, which should be offered fresh every day; but if declined, withdrawn at once. If the dog refuse to eat more than three days, an ounce or two of meat (according to his size) may be given to keep him alive, without satisfying his hunger. Vegetable or farinaceous food should still be offered sparingly, and when taken, the morsels of flesh should be discontinued. Do no more washing than is necessary. Dirt scabs, etc., should be removed with olive oil. The dog’s bed should be repeatedly changed, and his kennel well ventilated; he should have free, moderate exercise in the open air, and be fully supplied with fresh water.
Boils—Furuncles
Boils, which may appear on any part of the body, are small, round, red, hard, painful tumors, with raised centers, from which they supperate. When ripe, the boil should be opened and the pus pressed out. Warm fomentations will hasten the ripening.
TREATMENT.—Give A.A., a dose three times per day, one to three drops, according to the size of the dog. If the boil is red and painful, apply HUMPHREYS’ VETERINARY OIL, two or three times per day. The boils should be opened when they have come to a head.
Louse—Tick—Flea
The dog louse (_trichodectes latus_), the dog tick (_irod ricinus_), and the dog flea (_pulex canis_) are sources of no little torment. They cause considerable irritation, which induces the dog to scratch and rub himself; small pimples are formed, their heads are rubbed off, serum exudes, perhaps matter, and thus sores are produced. Lice are found in every part of the body, but particularly on the head and about the eyes and lips. They do not live on man. Ticks do not infest house dogs.
TREATMENT.—Fleas are best removed by means of Persian Insect Powder (Flores Pyrethri), this may be dusted on the dog or better dissolved in alcohol or water and sprinkled or rubbed on, another convenient way is to dust on the powder after a bath and before the hair has entirely dried. As this powder renders the fleas insensible rather than killing them, means should be taken to prevent the fleas getting back on the dog after they have recovered.
For house dogs a convenient way is to stand the dog on newspapers while dusting on the powder and hold him there for a few minutes until the fleas have dropped off; then carefully gather up the papers and burn them.
For larger dogs in the country the powder may be dusted on out-doors and away from stables, kennels, etc., and the dog kept out until the fleas have left him.
The sleeping quarters of the dog must also be carefully attended to, the box or basket should be washed with creoline or lysol solution or may be washed with water and dusted with the powder while still damp; the bedding should be washed in boiling water if possible or if a pillow is used it may be placed in an oven sufficiently hot to kill the fleas but not hot enough to scorch pillow.
If the dog is very young or feeble brush the powder off after it has been on for 15 minutes.
Lice and ticks are readily killed by Kerosene (Coal Oil). For small house dogs, Spirit of Anise or Oil of Anise, with 10% of Olive Oil, is probably a better remedy. Any of these should be applied night and morning, for two days and then washed off. Then the dog should be carefully combed to remove the eggs which adhere to the hair paying particular attention to the face, around the eyes etc.
Do not attempt to pick lice or ticks off dogs, as very often the head remains in the skin, causing a small sore. Wait until the application has killed him and he will drop off. The bedding should be treated as for fleas.
Mange
Mange differs from eczema in being contagious and caused by parasites. The eruption in each case looks the same to the layman; however mange usually comes on those parts of the body where the hair is short and the skin tender, such as, the head, chest and abdomen, the inside of the thigh. White eczema usually does the opposite and attacks the back and outer parts, where the hair is long and the skin thick.
TREATMENT.—The acari must be killed by an external application of some sort, Creoline or lysol are excellent, these may be bought at any drug store, and diluted according to the directions on the bottle. For small house dogs, Peruvian Balsam is undoubtedly the best application, but it is expensive; any of these should be applied twice a day for several days, means should be taken to keep the dog from licking off the ointment.
In addition, give the I.I., three to five drops, night and morning, to relieve the itching and promote a healthy growth of hair and skin.
Sore Feet
These may be occasioned by injuries, long traveling over rough and frozen ground, or in very dry weather.
SYMPTOMS.—The foot is swelled, and small, hard, painful lumps are felt in it; there is much pain, and the animal cannot bear its weight upon them. The skin becomes red, and the nails fall off. There is usually considerable fever and no desire to eat.
TREATMENT.—Bathe the feet three or four times per day in HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL, or apply HUMPHREYS’ VETERINARY OIL, and give, morning and night, a dose of three or five drops of A.A.
If matter forms, a poultice may be applied, and the abscess afterwards opened.
Fractures
Simple fractures of the leg are very readily cured in young and vigorous dogs. It may be readily known by the distortion of the limb, by the ends of the bone grating upon each other, lameness, etc.
TREATMENT is very simple. Extend the limb and put the bones in place, and apply splints with a firm bandage, wetting the limb with HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL WITCH HAZEL. Examine them from time to time to see that they are kept in place. After three or four weeks they may be removed, and the animal trusted to use its limbs. Give B.B., night and morning, for a few days, three or five drops, according to the size of the animal.
Hemorrhage
Occasionally dogs discharge blood from the nose, mouth or anus, after a long run, after going uphill, or after blows or other external injuries. Consideration should be given to the specific cause. Arnica, internally and externally, will often be found curative, or a dose of A.A. For an alarming hemorrhage, give a spoonful of HUMPHREYS’ MARVEL, WITCH HAZEL, and repeat it every hour if necessary.
PART V. Diseases of Swine and Hogs