PSEUDOMEMBRANOUS (CROUPOUS) ENTERITIS IN DOGS.
Complication of other diseases like distemper. Symptoms: fever, retching, vomiting, tense, tender, tympanitic abdomen, irregular bowels, false membranes. Lesions: stomach empty, congested, croupous exudate, extravasations. Treatment: sodium sulphate, boric acid, sodium salicylate, salol, bismuth, by mouth or enema, strychnia, vermifuges.
In dogs the formation of false membranes on the intestinal mucosa seems to have less of an individual character, and is found associated with other affections, like canine distemper and parasitism. In the absence, however, of accurate knowledge of the specific cause of croupous enteritis in other animals it seems permissible for the present, to arrange the whole in one class characterized by the presence of false membranes.
Symptoms. Along with the general symptoms of fever and the special ones of the existing specific disease there is more or less disturbance of the digestive organs, anorexia, vomiting, tense, tender, perhaps tympanitic abdomen, irregularity of the bowels and the passage of the false membranes. A morose disposition and tendency to snap has been noticed by Röll.
Lesions. The stomach is empty with red or dark mottled mucosa, the intestinal mucosa is congested covered with a layer of mucopurulent exudate, and at intervals patches of false membranes which are also found in shreds floating in the glairy contents. The exudates are of a yellowish gray color, more or less streaked with blood, and the mucosa infiltrated, swollen, highly congested and with spots of extravasation of blood.
Treatment. Small doses (1 to 2 drachms) of sulphate of soda may be given by the mouth, or boric acid (1 scruple), salicylate of soda (10 grains), salol (5 grains), or bismuth nitrate (½ drachm). Injections of boric acid, borax, sodium hyposulphite, or even Glauber salts prove useful, and powdered nux vomica (1 grain twice daily) may be added.
In case of intestinal parasites vermifuges must be resorted to.