CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES. 361 



Diphtheria. — Fortunately, this fatal malady is very rare 

 in the dog. It may possibly be communicated to him 

 from the cat, from man, or the reverse. Its cause in the 

 dog, as it certainly is in man, is probably a specific germ ; 

 and certain conditions — as bad drainage, poor ventilation, 

 debility, etc. — favor its spread. It usually attacks the 

 throat {pharynx, larynx) or nose, and may extend from 

 the one to the other, or downward into the windpipe. 

 When fatal, it usually kills by exhaustion or suffoca- 

 tion in the acute stage, or later by paralysis, especially 

 of the heart. 



Symptoms, — Chill, fever which is not always marked, 

 loss of appetite, debility, and symptoms referable to the 

 parts affected, as difficulty in swallowing, possibly (if the 

 larynx is attacked) great difficulty in breathing, etc. 



Treatment. — The prognosis is grave, and treatment 

 should be prompt, almost continuous, and both local and 

 constitutional. The dog must be isolated ; the air of his 

 apartment had better be moist, and the ventilation perfect. 



Sprays and lotions to the parts affected are called for, 

 but should never be of a character to injure the mucous 

 membranes. 



Lime-water, lactic acid, carbolic acid, sulphurous acid, 

 and peroxide of hydrogen are among the remedies most 

 used. 



The food should be easily digested but nutritious from 

 the first. The constitutional treatment, in fact, may be 

 very much as in erysipelas, but the medicine should be 

 given in liquid form to get its local effect. 



If suffocation is threatened, tracheotomy should be per- 

 formed. 



