DOG. PLEURISY.
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.