128 DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS 



DISEASES OF THE NASAL CAVITIES. 



Catarrh of the Nose. 



(Cold in the Head; Coryza; Rhinitis; Nasal Catarrh.) 



Etiology. — Catarrh of the nose (catarrhal inflammation of the nasal 

 mucous membranes) occurs very frequently and originates from local 

 causes (dust, smoke, pentastomum tsenioides, foreign bodies) or by cold. 

 Coryza is also a symptom of distemper, and may appear secondarily 

 in any inflammation of the other mucous membranes of the head. Where 

 a large number of dogs are kept together, it may occur as an epizootic or 

 may result from being bathed in cold weather and not being properly 

 dried, clipping or shaving the hair, or from ulceration of the nasal 

 passages. 



Clinical Symptoms and Course. — These are sneezing, wiping the nose 

 with the paws, or rubbing it against some object. Later a nasal dis- 

 charge, which is watery and liquid at first and later becomes turbid, 

 thicker, and more tenacious; and it may become purulent, according 

 to the complications that may appear later on. If the cavities in the 

 upper chamber of the nose are affected, the discharge is very profuse and 

 there is more or less disturbance of the general system. When the catarrh 

 is confined to the anterior chambers the nasal cavities are often very 

 much contracted and we hear a snuffling nasal bruit; and if the chamber 

 is very much contracted we may see dyspnea, and the animal is then 

 compelled to breathe through the mouth. This is apt to occur more in 

 those dogs that have narrow, twisted, or curved nasal chambers, as in the 

 case of the pug and bull dog. True bleeding of the nose (epistaxis), or 

 mucus streaked with blood, is very seldom seen. The duration of a 

 case of nasal catarrh is usually short; although we may occasionally 

 see a case where there is a tendency to a chronic condition; in such a 

 case, the secretion becomes purulent and has a tendency to dry around the 

 nose, forming a dirty crust around the nostrils and the upper lip (see 

 later under Pentastomum tsenioides) ; in such cases the mucous membrane 

 is dry, corrugated and frequently gray in color, the breath may remain 

 foetid, resisting all palliative treatment, and may continue as a chronic 

 condition and affect the animal all through life. In very bad cases the 

 secretion is purulent, with a very bad odor, and in rare instances streaked 

 with blood. This is specially the case where the pentastomum tspnioides 

 is the cause of the diseased condition of the mucous membrane. 



Therapeutics. — Xasal catarrh will generally disappear without any 

 special treatment. To protect the neighboring tissue from the excoria- 

 tion of the tissues caused by the discharge it is well to keep it clean 

 with tepid water and a little borax, or to coat the part with vaseline or 



