358 INJURIES OF THE EXTERNAL EAR. 



which has been described as erysipelas, but is in reality an inflam- 

 mation of the loose connective tissue of the outer ear and of its base. 



The animals usually hold the head inclined towards the affected 

 side. Dogs often begin to shake the head, but are soon deterred by 

 pain and give up the attempt. The external ear is greatly swollen, 

 in pigs of a fiery red, and shows numerous scratches and tears, from 

 which serous fluid exudes. Handling is very painful, and the parts 

 feel intensely inflamed. In pigs the inflammation soon extends to 

 the inner ear and brain, as shown by somnolence, loss of appetite, 

 and burrowing in the straw, where the animal seeks to hide itself. 

 Pigs not infrequently die of this disease, an event of very rare 

 occurrence in dogs. 



Prognosis. The wound, when confined to the skin, is unimportant ; 

 but the cartilage being closely attached to the skin, often suffers, 

 and may be more or less injured. In a horse Moller saw a torn 

 wound extending from the base of the ear to its summit, and dividing 

 it into two exactly equal portions. Transverse wounds occur, or 

 pieces of the cartilage (recognised by its white colour) may be entirely 

 lost. In long-eared dogs, the cartilage does not reach to the point 

 of the ear, but is continued by a fascia-like membrane. Healing, 

 easily effected if the parts are undisturbed, is often checked by the 

 animal continually rubbing or shaking the ears. Longitudinal wounds 

 heal better than transverse ones. Injuries to the point, produced 

 by shaking the head, are difficult to heal, because the animal is prone 

 to irritate them afresh. After a time thickening results, and ulcera- 

 tion of the edges of the wound occurs, laying the cartilage bare and 

 producing exfoliation. The surfaces are usually invested with a 

 brown crust, and bleed easily. This condition, termed " external 

 canker," is indicative of chronic mischief, and is usually a sequel of 

 otitis externa. 



Treatment of injuries. Loose shreds, brought into apposition 

 with sutures and treated antiseptically, will often adhere ; but where 

 appearance is not regarded, they may be removed with the scissors. 

 After cleansing and freshening the edges with scissors, the bare and 

 projecting margins of the cartilage are pushed back as far as possible, 

 and pin sutures inserted on both the external and internal surfaces. 

 It is usually sufficient to pass the pins through the skin, but it may 

 be desirable to insert a few through the cartilage. After another 

 thorough cleansing, the wound should be covered with gelatine and 

 wadding, and in large animals a thin bandage passed round the ear. 

 In dogs, the ears may be bound together on the sides of the head ; 

 whilst in horses movement can be prevented by placing the animals 



