454 DISEASES OF THE SKIN 



taining active irritants, such as tar, crude carbolic acid, and various 

 other chemicals supposed to destroy fleas, tends to irritate the skin and 

 increase the itching. First, the blood which is generally too rich from 

 overfeeding, or too little exercised, must be purified by the internal 

 administration of salines, such as a tablespoonful of saturated solution 

 of sulphate of soda (giauber salts), once daily, or the same amount of 

 Hunyadi or Apenta water, and when the animal is bathed it must be 

 with the mild superfatted soap, containing little alkali and some soothing 

 preparation, such as benzoin or ichthyol. Frequently bathing has been 

 found to aggravate the condition. The animal should be rubbed daily 

 with bay rum, spirits of camphor, or benzoin, 3 parts, lanolin 1, and 

 alcohol 2 parts, or salicylic acid and alcohol (1 to 30), or resorcin and 

 lanolin (1 to 50), and internally the regular adminstration of some of 

 the arsenical combinations — sulphuret of arsenic, 1-200, Fowler's or 

 .Donovan's solution, in 1-, 2-, or 3-drop doses. These arsenical prepara- 

 tions must be always given in the food, for when given on an empty 

 stomach are very apt to cause vomiting; at the same time the animal 

 must be exercised, the amount of meat must be lessened to a minimum, 

 and the diet be soups containing vegetables and stale hard bread or 

 toast. 



(/) If there is considerable thickening of the skin, and if the latter 

 is covered at the same time with scabs, we can obtain good results by 

 rubbing salicylic oil (1 part salicylic acid in 35 parts of warm olive oil) 

 over it daily for a week. If this does not succeed, which, however, is 

 very rare, we must first use tar or ichthyol preparations and follow it up 

 by the other. Some authors advise friction with soft soap, chrysarobin 

 ointment, or naphthalin, and washing with potash. 



For internal treatment, use saline laxatives, and where there is 

 general disorder of the digestive tract, such as gastro-intestinal catarrh, 

 constipation, or foetid black stools, regulate the diet, put the animal on a 

 mixed vegetable and meat diet, and two meals daily. The amount should 

 be just as small as possible until the animal regains his appetite; in fact 

 w^ait until he is ready to eat every meal when it is offered, before putting 

 him back on his regular food. Yeast preparations, such as brewer's 

 or baker's yeast, are recommended on account of their properties for 

 stimulating the intestines. 



Administer arsenic in the form of red sulphuret, 1-200 grain, or 

 Fowler's or Donovan's solution, 1, 2 or 3 drops in the food twice daily. 

 The theory that the gradual increase of the dose of arsenic until you have 

 reached the point where the physiological effects were beginning to show 

 on the teeth, vomiting, etc., is an error. Small regular doses continued 

 over some time is the best mode of treatment. Care must be taken, 

 however, not to start on too large a dose. 



