450 DISEASES OF THE SKIN 



as a dusting-powder alone, or after any of the watery solutions and 

 tend to hasten healing of broken or denuded parts. 



In chronic and long-standing cases, where fissures of the skin have 

 formed and the animal tends to bite the affected parts, causing bleeding, 

 touch them a few times with Monsel's solution of iron, and then use one 

 of the powders. 



For softening the parts, equal portions of lanolin and pure cosmoline, 

 with ten per cent of ])oric acid, will be found useful and cleansing. 



Itching of the Skin Without Presence of a Rash. — This condition may 

 extend over the entire boily or it may be limited to the back or abdo- 

 men, or the internal surface of the thigh. Frequently there is intense 

 itching, with little or no evidence of change in the skin. The skin ap- 

 pears red in some cases with only the slightest evidence of papules. In 

 some cases the animal will scratch constantly, and at night the itching 

 is apt to be particularly violent (this is seen generally in animals that 

 are particularly well fed, house pets that are bathed often) . They scratch 

 their sides with the paws, bite different portions of their anatomy with 

 the teeth, and rub under or against furniture until there is great irrita- 

 tion of the skin. A similar condition is also seen in dogs that have been 

 clipped, and the short stubby hairs sticking in the folds of the skin cause 

 great irritation, l)ut in this condition, while the itching is intense just 

 after the animal is clipped, in a short time the hair grows and, becoming 

 more flexijjle, does not cause irritation and the itching soon disappears. 



Seborrhoeic Eczema. Eczema Seborrhoeicum. — This generally origi- 

 nates from a seborrhoea sicca; it may be local or general, and is distin- 

 guished by a number of eczematous calculse or oval disks which are 

 either solitary or in groups, each elevation being clearly outlined from the 

 other. There is no itching, as a rule, and if there is, it is insignificant. 



Eczema of the Toes. Interdigital Eczema. — Eczema between the 

 toes is quite common. It is apt to occur in well-fed, well-taken-care-of 

 house pets, and also a certain numlier of cases originate from actual 

 external influences, such as sporting dogs in the field working through 

 stubble, short grass and weeds; generally, however, it is due to good 

 feeding and want of exercise, and may occur in any of the various forms — 

 eczema vasculosum, eczema medidans, or eczema pustulosum. 



Therapeutic Treatment. — In the treatment of eczema we must con- 

 sider the following facts: 



(«) That in many cases the tar preparations which have been 

 used almost exclusively are very harmful, as is also the method of 

 systematically washing the animal with strong alkaline or carbolic 

 soaps. The first thing to do is to give attention to the causes and find 

 out from what cause the itching really occurs, as many cases of eczema 

 disappear as soon as the irritation has been suppressed. 



