Prevalence and forms. Red Mange. Causes: constitutional, hereditary,
races most susceptible, short-haired, delicate skins, 1st and 2d
years, flesh fed, overfed, spiced food, secondary to internal
disorders, heat, cold, dust, irritants. Symptoms: blush inside elbow,
thigh, belly, heat, tenderness, itchiness, scratching, vesicles,
abrasions, sores, skin thickens, wrinkles, moistens. Diagnosis: from
demodex, distemper, mange. Treatment: change diet, restrict in
quantity, from flesh, or stimulating food, one meal daily, laxative,
bitters; locally, cleanse skin, antipruritic non-poisonous dusting
powders or lotions, starch, magnesia, bismuth; with muzzle, phenol,
lead, thymol, thiol, later creolin, oil of cade, lysol, etc. Acute
general eczema. Causes as in red mange. Symptoms: Common on head,
ears, back, rump, eyelids, lips, scrotum, arms, digits, crusts and
depilation, large vesicles, bleeding digits. Treatment.
In none of our domestic animals is this condition so common as in the
dog, and of all skin affections of this animal this is the most
frequent. As in other animals it may show itself in all forms or grades
from simple erythema, through the papular, vesicular, pustular and
scurfy or scabby, and all of them may often be seen at the same time in
one animal. Yet special names have been given to different forms and
localizations and it seems convenient to retain some of these for every
day use.
=Eczema Rubrum. Red Mange.= This form is familiar to dog fanciers as one
of the acute types of this disease.
_Causes._ Among these are recognized a constitutional predisposition, so
that the disease appears in successive generations in the same family,
without apparent reason for charging the trouble on any particular
feeding or management. While not confined to any race or group of races
it has been noticed especially in greyhounds, setters, pointers, fox
hounds, harriers, bulldogs, St. Germains and braque hounds. It is
especially common in dogs in their first and second years, and those
that are nervous and lively, with a delicate and naturally dry skin.
Again, the dog fed largely on flesh, and above all the house dog fed
thrice a day or oftener on highly spiced animal food from the table, or
on cakes, rich in fat, is a frequent victim. There is besides that
tendency to irritation of the skin which comes from hereditary
peculiarities and idiosyncrasy, from diseases of the stomach,
intestines, liver or kidneys, from faults in sanguification, nutrition
and secretion, agencies that disturb the circulation in the skin, like
excessive heat or cold, irritant dust, dessicated perspiration or sebum,
overheating and subsequent plunging in cold water. These acting locally
may serve to precipitate that which was otherwise imminent from a
generally acting cause.
_Symptoms._ There is first erythema, usually on the inner side of the
elbow, or thigh, with redness, heat and tenderness, which soon extend to
the belly, breast and intermaxillary region, but it confines itself as a
rule to the ventral aspect of the body where the hair is sparse and
delicate, and the skin thin and sensitive. The symptoms are more marked
in white haired dogs. The tender skin is more or less (usually
intensely) itchy, causing violent scratching with the development of
minute vesicles and even open sores. The skin may become moist,
thickened and wrinkled, but is rarely encrusted to any degree.
Spontaneous recovery may take place under a change of diet (restricted
or vegetable), or an outdoor life in summer with liberal exercise, or
the disease may last indefinitely so long as the etiological conditions
are unchanged.
_Diagnosis._ The affection is easily distinguished from demodectic
acariasis which attacks a different part of the body, namely, the head,
the eyelids, the feet, and the back, whereas, this form of eczema
confines itself to the ventral aspect of the trunk. From the eruption of
distemper it is diagnosed by the absence of the hyperthermia and
catarrhal symptoms of that disease, and by the very small size of the
vesicles; those of distemper are broad, flattened and often have dark
colored contents. From acariasis it is differentiated by its confinement
to the ventral aspect, in place of attacking the head, ears, neck and
back, by the less severe and incessant itching, and above all by the
absence of the acarus, and the element of contagion.
_Treatment._ A change of diet is a prime consideration. It may be in the
direction of simple restriction, but usually also in the avoidance of
meats that are highly peppered or spiced. A change to vegetable
food,—biscuit or mush and milk, is of great importance, but in some
animals a little fresh plainly cooked steak or raw lean meat may be
essential. In other cases a little beef juice or gravy well skimmed of
fat may tempt the patient to eat mush. In the same way it may be
necessary to temporize in the matter of meals. Some dogs can be safely
put on one meal a day, while for others accustomed to frequent feeding
it may be needful to give two and restrict the amount. For the overfed
or dyspeptic animal a laxative, at the outset, serves to remove
irritating and fermenting ingesta, and to place the stomach and liver,
and indirectly, the skin in a better condition for recovery. Any
persistent indigestion should be treated in the ordinary way.
Locally it may be requisite to first clean the surface by sponging with
tepid water, to be followed by soothing and antipruritic agents, due
care being taken to avoid such as when licked will poison the patient.
Starch powder, magnesium carbonate, and bismuth oxide may be used
without apprehension. The same is true of limewater and to some extent
of zinc oxide. When we advance to others we must take the precaution to
use a close wire muzzle, to prevent the ingestion of the agent. Carbolic
acid lotion (1–2 ∶ 100) acts as a local anæsthetic, and often materially
lessens both licking and scratching. Lead acetate or thymol or both (1 ∶
100) have a similar action. Thiol 20, glycerine 50, water 50, often acts
as well. When the acute symptoms have subsided the more stimulating
agents may be employed: Creoline (2 ∶ 100); oil of cade 1, vaseline 5;
Canada balsam 1, vaseline 5; zinc ointment, or lead acetate ointment.