Symptoms. There is usually erection or roughness of the hair, and the formation at such points of minute papules like small peas collected in groups. The skin may feel hot, thickened, lacking in pliancy, not to be pinched up in folds, the panniculus is contracted and manipulation shows tenderness. Soon the papules flatten and desicate and more or less violent itching sets in. The patient rubs or scratches himself, causing deep red congestion of the surface or even abrasion, or ulceration. Apart from abrasion the skin becomes covered with crusts or even scales which agglutinate tufts of hairs and dry up and desquamate.
In other cases the eruption advances from the condition of papules to that of vesicles and even of pustules, though finally drying up with the same pruritus as in the papular form.
In either case the affected parts are more or less depilated, red if on unpigmented skin, grayish and scabby or scurfy if on the darker. At times, after recovery, the patch remains devoid of pigment and hairs growing from it are white.
Treatment. It is usually desirable to clear out the prima viæ by aloes or Glauber salts, to resort to a carefully regulated, non-heating diet, to clean the skin of all concretions from sweat or otherwise, to give pure air and shade and to protect the animal from active exertion, profuse sweating and friction by harness or otherwise. In the early stages benefit will often come from the use of alkalies, especially sodium bicarbonate. Locally an inunction with vaseline to soften crusts, and the subsequent removal of these with tepid water, may be followed by some soothing or astringent application, always bearing in mind that what is soothing to one skin is irritant to another. Dusting powders (starch, lycopodion, magnesium carbonate, oxide of zinc, calamine, bismuth) will often do good; soothing lotions or liniments (lead acetate with laudanum, lime water and olive oil; sodium bicarbonate in well boiled gruel of oatmeal or marsh mallow; zinc oxide or sulphate in water or glycerine or as ointment in vaseline, etc, etc). In chronic stages with much squama and pruritus tar water or ointment; a lotion of tar and alcohol; creolin lotion; chloral lotion; or other stimulant application may be used.
CHRONIC ECZEMA OF THE HEAD IN SOLIPEDS.[[1]]
Affects face, eyelids, cheeks. Symptoms: papules, vesicles, dry, rigid skin, scurf, glistening, shedding hairs. Treatment: as in eczema; antiseptics.
[1]. Acute eczema of the heels. See chapped heels and grease.
The cheeks and forehead are the most liable to suffer in this affection, yet the eyelids and the parts below the inner canthus may participate in connection with the escape of tears and the disease of the lachrymal sac or ducts. It has been seen in the young when strangles had merged into skin eruption, but also in the aged and independently of that affection.
Symptoms. Following strangles the papules or vesicular eruption may have passed leaving the skin thick, rigid, dry and scurfy. The pigment may be increased and the hairs are usually shed in connection with atrophy of their follicles and rubbing of the itching surface, so that the cuticle is smooth, glabrous and even glistening. In implication of the lachrymal apparatus, there is shedding of hairs beneath the eye or the wet matted condition of those that remain.
Treatment. In strangles use a lotion of silver nitrate or sodium hyposulphite to destroy the local infection. In other cases treat as for ordinary eczema.