DROPSY. 157 



active stomachic tonics followed their use : in some instances 

 they accompanied them. Nor should these be omitted where 

 tapping- is employed, as the only means likely to prevent the 

 belly from again filling. 



Hydrothorax, or Dropsy of the Chest, is, likewise, 

 not a very unfrequent complaint in dogs, and may be either 

 chronic or acute ; that is, the aqueous accumulation may be 

 slow or rapid. When it is the former, it is usually the conse- 

 quence of some other chronic affection, as asthma or neglected 

 mange : although the latter most frequently produces dropsy 

 of the belly. The rapid accumulation commonly succeeds 

 to active inflammation of the lungs ; in which cases, about 

 the third day from the pneumonic attack, the water begins 

 to be formed within the cavity of the chest, and increases so 

 as to suffocate the animal in a few hours. — See Inflamed 

 Lungs. 



Dropsy of the chest may be known to exist by the extreme 

 uneasiness the dog shews when he lies down, and by his at- 

 tempts, under such circumstances, to elevate his head. The 

 chest will also appear full and swollen, and the water within 

 may be generally heard on motion. The beating of the 

 heart will likewise afl'ord a decided characteristic of the com- 

 plaint ; for the hand, placed on one side of the chest, will 

 be aff*ected with a kind of thrill, very different from the usual 

 sensation produced by the beating of the heart of a healthy 

 dog-. 



The cure may be attempted by the means recommended for 

 ventral dropsy ; but I have hitherto found the disease fatal in 

 every instance *. 



Anasarca.— As before observed, this complaint very sel- 

 dom occurs, unless as an accompaniment of ascites. I have. 



* I never succeeded in restoring health, although I have frequently 

 evacuated the water by means of a lancet cautiously entered between 

 the ribs. Neither haemorrhage nor other immediately ill effects ensued 

 from the operation itself; but every case still terminated fatally, either 

 by gangrene within the chest, or by a fresh accumulation of fluid. 



