Causes: faults in diet, musty food, foreign bodies, poisons, lack of
sunshine, retained fæces, parasites, ill health, chronic diseases, icy
bath, septic drink. Symptoms: irregular appetite and bowels, fever,
foul breath, red tongue, tartar on teeth, dullness, prostration,
vomiting of mucus or bile, tender epigastrium, arched back, fœtid
stools, emaciation. Treatment: regulate diet, sunshine, pure water,
scraped muscle, soups without fat, antiseptics, calomel, pepsin,
muriatic acid, strychnia.
_Causes._ The irregularity and variability of the food, overfeeding,
highly spiced foods, putrid or spoiled food, musty food, the swallowing
of pieces of bone, and of indigestible bodies, the consumption of
poisons, the absence of open air exercise, the compulsory suspension of
defecation in house dogs, and the presence in the stomach of worms
(spiroptera, strongylus), are among the common causes of the affection.
As in other animals, ill health, debility, lack of general tone, and
chronic diseases of important organs (liver, kidney, heart, lungs) must
be taken into account. The plunging into cold water when heated and the
licking of septic water must also be named.
_Symptoms._ Appetite is poor or irregular, the nose dry and hot, the
mouth fœtid, the tongue reddened around the borders and furred on its
dorsum, the teeth coated with tartar, the animal dull and prostrate,
vomits frequently a glairy mucus mixed with alimentary matters or yellow
with bile, and there is constipation alternating with diarrhœa. The
epigastrium is tender to the touch, the back arched, the fæces glazed
with mucus or streaked with blood, and offensive in odor. Emaciation
advances rapidly and death may occur from marasmus.
_Treatment._ Adopt the same general plan of treatment. Stop all
offensive and irritating food, give regular outdoor exercise, free
access to pure water, and every facility to attend to the calls of
nature. Give plain easily digestible food in small amount. In the worst
cases pulped or scraped raw meat, in the less severe mush, or
well-prepared soups with the fat skimmed off, and bread added. Check the
irritant fermentations in the stomach by salol, bismuth, salicylate of
bismuth, or naphthol. In case of constipation give 8 to 10 grs. calomel.
Then assist digestion by pepsin (5 grs.) and hydrochloric acid (10
drops) in water with each meal. If the bitterness is not an objection 1
gr. nux vomica may also be added.