Causes, exposure to cold, etc. Chill, reaction, disturbed breathing,
catching inspiration, rapid, hard pulse, hyperthermia, tender chest,
friction sound, later dullness at lower part of the chest in any
position. Treatment, as in pneumonia, with antirheumatics and
diuretics freely. Thoracentesis.
This is occasionally seen in the dog as the result of exposure, and like
other diseases of the chest is easily recognized. It owns the same
causes with pneumonia.
_Symptoms._ There is first dulness, shivering and some excitement of
respiration. To this follow the more acute symptoms, the hard pulse, the
rapid, catching breathing, the animal standing or sitting on his
haunches, the open mouth, pendent tongue, the injected mucous membrane,
the costiveness, but above all the tenderness of the intercostal spaces,
the early friction sound on auscultation, the pain and normal resonance
on percussion, the muscular twitchings and the short, suppressed,
painful cough. When effusion has occurred its amount may easily be
estimated by turning the animal alternately on its feet, back and
haunches, and observing how high the dullness extends in these various
positions.
The same _treatment_ may be adopted as in _pneumonia_, with this
difference that salicin may be given freely, and when effusion has taken
place active diuretics are specially indicated, and hence tincture of
squills (a teaspoonful) may be made to replace the nitre. In advanced
and obstinate cases, or where danger exists from rapid effusion, the
liquid may be drawn off with a cannula and trochar as in other animals.