XXV.— PERICARDITIS IN THE DOG. 



During the past few months we have seen a considerable number 

 of cases of peritoneal dropsy in the dog, and I have shown you that in 

 these animals ascites is very often associated with tuberculosis, peri- 

 carditis, or valvular endocarditis. This fact must always be borne in 

 mind when giving an opinion and directing treatment. You will 

 therefore understand why, when called on to treat dogs with abdominal 

 ■dropsy, I do not confine myself, as was usually so long and is still the 

 •custom, to evacuating the liquid collected in the peritoneum and pre- 

 scribing wine of squills or similar remedy ; but always examine the 

 heart by palpation, percussion, and auscultation, and submit the 

 patient to the tuberculin test. 



In order to estimate the gravity of the condition, and decide whether 

 the patient is or is not amenable to treatment, it is not sufficient merely 

 to show that the ascites depends on pericarditis, for, as I have already 

 shown during a previous lecture, pericarditis in the dog is often of 

 tuberculous character. When, therefore, dogs with pericardial effusion 

 ■distinctly react to tuberculin, the pericardial disease is probably tuber- 

 culous ; and although failure to react does not entirely eliminate the 

 •question of tuberculosis, it at least greatly strengthens our belief that a 

 cure maybe effected. It is this latter point which I wish to emphasise 

 to-day. I shall first describe a case affected with pericarditis and ascites, 

 which was cured by puncturing the abdomen and pericardium. 



Towards the middle of last April a three-year-old sheep-dog, which 

 had always enjoyed good health, was brought to hospital on account of 

 disease of a fortnight's standing. Without doubt it had suffered from 

 distemper, but of so trifling a character as to have escaped observation. 

 At the beginning of April the dog lost its spirits ; its appetite became 

 capricious, and was afterwards lost ; the abdomen increased in size ; 

 walking was painful, and soon caused loss of breath. 



When submitted to our notice this patient showed all the external 

 signs of some grave visceral disease. Apart from the emaciation and 



