Symptoms. The disease is one of pet dogs, kept in towns, deprived of exercise, fresh air, and of the opportunity to relieve the bowels at will, and gorged with highly spiced meats, and sweets at least three times a day. Sluggishness and obesity are marked characteristics of the dog when first attacked though in the advanced stages the violence of the paroxysms and their frequent recurrence may have induced extreme emaciation.
The affection is usually ushered in by a cough, at first slight, but soon becoming frequent, hard and sonorous, as in the early stages of bronchitis. The cough becomes very troublesome and the breathing habitually labored, but at irregular intervals a paroxysm comes on which threatens death by suffocation. The dog stands or sits on his haunches with open mouth, pendent tongue and staring eyeballs, panting for breath, and has his condition aggravated by every change of position or other source of excitement. By the frequency and severity of the attacks may be estimated the danger of the patient.
An examination in the intervals of the attacks detects some disturbance of the digestive organs. The tense and distended condition of the abdomen usually manifests the existence of overloaded stomach and bowels, of indigestion, tympany and constipation. Piles are often present as a result of long continued costiveness. The skin is dry and unthrifty, and often in patches denuded of hair. The teeth are covered with tartar and the breath fœtid.
Retching is occasionally seen to occur during a violent access of coughing, but only a little glairy mucus is brought up.
The cough, hurried breathing, and paroxysms of dyspnœa become aggravated, the general health suffers largely, and death often ensues in a state of great weakness and emaciation.
On dissection of such cases the lesions of various old standing diseases of the heart, lungs, or abdominal organs have been met with at times, and such disorders have doubtless assisted in maintaining and aggravating the asthma. The most constant lesions, however, are emphysema of the lung, and accumulations of fat in the mediastinum.
Treatment. 1st. During a paroxysm. This is confined to the administration of antispasmodics either by inhalation or as an injection to avoid the additional suffering of swallowing. Ether or chloroform may be inhaled from a sponge, but the employment of these should be guarded especially in advanced cases when besides the prevailing weakness there is reason to suspect structural changes in the heart. The same agents in doses of one, two or three teaspoonfuls, or laudanum in double that quantity may be thrown up as an enema, and may be combined with a couple of ounces of castor oil when costiveness exists. The fumes from burning stramonium or from burning brown paper which has been previously soaked in a strong solution of nitrate of potass, will in many cases suddenly cut short the paroxysm. If on the other hand there is reason to believe that the stomach is overloaded the attacks will often be suddenly cut short by giving an emetic. For this purpose a grain of tartar emetic may be shaken upon the tongue, or a dessert spoonful of wine of ipecacuan, or of antimony, poured over the throat. 2d. In the intervals between the paroxysms. Attention must be given to counteract any inflammatory action in the chest by which the disease may be maintained. Our chief object, however, must be to divest the animal of its superfluous fat and bring the digestive organs into a healthy condition. Unfortunately the propensity to fatten in some dogs seems to be a morbid condition. The food appears to be stored up as fat at the expense of muscular and other tissues even when the animal is kept on the borders of starvation. All flesh must be withheld and coarse vegetable fare alone allowed. A well boiled pudding (porridge) made with oatmeal or Indian corn meal, water and a little salt, with a small quantity of skimmed milk or buttermilk, is an excellent diet in such cases. The amount must be small, though the hitherto pampered favorite will rarely seek to fully replenish his stomach until he has forgotten his former extravagant habits.
A good deal of open air exercise must be given, not violent, but gentle and long continued, and this though the patient may appear physically unfit for it. Exercise should be given three hours or more after a full meal. Purgatives (one ounce castor oil) should be administered twice a week. A clean bed, not too soft nor luxurious, should be allowed in a dry, airy place. The skin should be well brushed daily and occasionally washed thoroughly with soap, care being taken to dry the coat completely afterwards. Sedatives should be given daily, such as a half grain each of stramonium and tartar emetic, and in advanced stages with weakness and emaciation vegetable tonics will be demanded.
Blaine strongly advocates a course of emetics, given every alternate day, and Mayhew lauds frequently repeated ammoniacal blisters to the sides. Such measures will be especially applicable when there is irritation and discharge from the bronchial mucous membrane. Strong subjects can alone, however, bear such treatment.
All cases of asthma in the dog are obstinate and critical and require much judgment in treatment.