Scleroderma occurs in boars especially in the region of the shoulders and back.
ACUTE ECZEMA OF THE DOG.
Prevalence and forms. Red Mange. Causes: constitutional, hereditary, races most susceptible, short-haired, delicate skins, 1st and 2d years, flesh fed, overfed, spiced food, secondary to internal disorders, heat, cold, dust, irritants. Symptoms: blush inside elbow, thigh, belly, heat, tenderness, itchiness, scratching, vesicles, abrasions, sores, skin thickens, wrinkles, moistens. Diagnosis: from demodex, distemper, mange. Treatment: change diet, restrict in quantity, from flesh, or stimulating food, one meal daily, laxative, bitters; locally, cleanse skin, antipruritic non-poisonous dusting powders or lotions, starch, magnesia, bismuth; with muzzle, phenol, lead, thymol, thiol, later creolin, oil of cade, lysol, etc. Acute general eczema. Causes as in red mange. Symptoms: Common on head, ears, back, rump, eyelids, lips, scrotum, arms, digits, crusts and depilation, large vesicles, bleeding digits. Treatment.
In none of our domestic animals is this condition so common as in the dog, and of all skin affections of this animal this is the most frequent. As in other animals it may show itself in all forms or grades from simple erythema, through the papular, vesicular, pustular and scurfy or scabby, and all of them may often be seen at the same time in one animal. Yet special names have been given to different forms and localizations and it seems convenient to retain some of these for every day use.
Eczema Rubrum. Red Mange. This form is familiar to dog fanciers as one of the acute types of this disease.
Causes. Among these are recognized a constitutional predisposition, so that the disease appears in successive generations in the same family, without apparent reason for charging the trouble on any particular feeding or management. While not confined to any race or group of races it has been noticed especially in greyhounds, setters, pointers, fox hounds, harriers, bulldogs, St. Germains and braque hounds. It is especially common in dogs in their first and second years, and those that are nervous and lively, with a delicate and naturally dry skin. Again, the dog fed largely on flesh, and above all the house dog fed thrice a day or oftener on highly spiced animal food from the table, or on cakes, rich in fat, is a frequent victim. There is besides that tendency to irritation of the skin which comes from hereditary peculiarities and idiosyncrasy, from diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver or kidneys, from faults in sanguification, nutrition and secretion, agencies that disturb the circulation in the skin, like excessive heat or cold, irritant dust, dessicated perspiration or sebum, overheating and subsequent plunging in cold water. These acting locally may serve to precipitate that which was otherwise imminent from a generally acting cause.
Symptoms. There is first erythema, usually on the inner side of the elbow, or thigh, with redness, heat and tenderness, which soon extend to the belly, breast and intermaxillary region, but it confines itself as a rule to the ventral aspect of the body where the hair is sparse and delicate, and the skin thin and sensitive. The symptoms are more marked in white haired dogs. The tender skin is more or less (usually intensely) itchy, causing violent scratching with the development of minute vesicles and even open sores. The skin may become moist, thickened and wrinkled, but is rarely encrusted to any degree. Spontaneous recovery may take place under a change of diet (restricted or vegetable), or an outdoor life in summer with liberal exercise, or the disease may last indefinitely so long as the etiological conditions are unchanged.
Diagnosis. The affection is easily distinguished from demodectic acariasis which attacks a different part of the body, namely, the head, the eyelids, the feet, and the back, whereas, this form of eczema confines itself to the ventral aspect of the trunk. From the eruption of distemper it is diagnosed by the absence of the hyperthermia and catarrhal symptoms of that disease, and by the very small size of the vesicles; those of distemper are broad, flattened and often have dark colored contents. From acariasis it is differentiated by its confinement to the ventral aspect, in place of attacking the head, ears, neck and back, by the less severe and incessant itching, and above all by the absence of the acarus, and the element of contagion.
Treatment. A change of diet is a prime consideration. It may be in the direction of simple restriction, but usually also in the avoidance of meats that are highly peppered or spiced. A change to vegetable food,—biscuit or mush and milk, is of great importance, but in some animals a little fresh plainly cooked steak or raw lean meat may be essential. In other cases a little beef juice or gravy well skimmed of fat may tempt the patient to eat mush. In the same way it may be necessary to temporize in the matter of meals. Some dogs can be safely put on one meal a day, while for others accustomed to frequent feeding it may be needful to give two and restrict the amount. For the overfed or dyspeptic animal a laxative, at the outset, serves to remove irritating and fermenting ingesta, and to place the stomach and liver, and indirectly, the skin in a better condition for recovery. Any persistent indigestion should be treated in the ordinary way.
Locally it may be requisite to first clean the surface by sponging with tepid water, to be followed by soothing and antipruritic agents, due care being taken to avoid such as when licked will poison the patient. Starch powder, magnesium carbonate, and bismuth oxide may be used without apprehension. The same is true of limewater and to some extent of zinc oxide. When we advance to others we must take the precaution to use a close wire muzzle, to prevent the ingestion of the agent. Carbolic acid lotion (1–2 ∶ 100) acts as a local anæsthetic, and often materially lessens both licking and scratching. Lead acetate or thymol or both (1 ∶ 100) have a similar action. Thiol 20, glycerine 50, water 50, often acts as well. When the acute symptoms have subsided the more stimulating agents may be employed: Creoline (2 ∶ 100); oil of cade 1, vaseline 5; Canada balsam 1, vaseline 5; zinc ointment, or lead acetate ointment.