300 WOUNDS AXD THEIR TREATMENT 



consists in a slow tricklino- of blood, which, as a rule, lasts for a very 

 short time and is of no great importance. 



A serious hemorrhage endangers the animal 's life, and the more 

 rapid it is the greater the danger. The following symptoms are pre- 

 sented: general coldness of the skin and extremities; paleness of the 

 mucous membranes, especially the mouth and eye; great prostration; 

 staggering gait; and often inability to rise from weakness. In some 

 cases we have unconsciousness, dyspnoea, enlargement of the pupils, 

 uncontrollable evacuation of urine and fseces, finally slight convulsions, 

 and death. This conclusion is to be expected if about half or even one- 

 third of the blood contained in the body is lost in a very short time. 



Many experiments have been made upon the dog in order to find 

 what are the consequences of slight hemorrhages. One-fourth of a 

 dog's blood may be withdrawn without causing any appreciable lessening 

 of the blood-pressure in the arteries. The pulse may become very 

 indistinct while the l;)lood is withdrawn, but it is soon restored to its 

 ordinary pressure if the hemorrhage is stopped, from the fact that the 

 arteries contract in proportion to the smaller quantity of blood. The 

 rapidity of the current and the number of contractions of the heart 

 remain the same as before the hemorrhage. Any loss of blood amounting 

 to more than one-third of the blood-mass reduces the blood-pressure 

 very much. The current becomes slow and contractions of the heart are 

 much less. At the same time the composition of the blood is changed. 

 At first we observe a compensation of the water of the blood, and 

 the salts which are thereby being reabsorbed from the tissues when this 

 is exhausted; then albumin is drawn into the blood. It requires a much 

 longer time to form new blood cells after the animal has been bled an 

 amount of blood ec^ual to one-fourth of the weight of the body. The red 

 l)lood corpuscles become normal and return to their original number in 

 from seven to thirty-four days. 



The pain of a wound is indicated in the dog liy howding and crying 

 when the injury occurs, or later when the wound is examined. The pain 

 evinced by the patient also depends upon the individuality of the animal. 

 Some dogs are great cowards and show great sensitiveness to the slightest 

 pain, while others will stand any amount of it; and we must, therefore, 

 always carefully examine a wound, seeing its depth, situation, and 

 character, and not in any way be guided in making a diagnosis by the 

 symptom of pain indicated by an affected animal. Wounds of the lips, 

 lower extremities, external genitals, and of the bones are the most 

 painful. In the dog we see occasionally a series of symptoms which are 

 identical with what is known in man as "shock." This, as a rule, occurs 

 immediately after any painful injury, such as extensive crushing of 

 tissues or bone, and during or after operations. The visible mucous 



