Diseases of the Ear. 197 



these constitutional and general symptoms diminish in 

 severity, then those characteristic of the local disease 

 become gradually and more manifestly evinced. The 

 animal has a dull, heavy, and rather a watery eye ; he 

 moans or whines at intervals ; and if his master be present 

 he feels a pleasure, a confidence, and a relief in pressing 

 and rubbing his aching ear against any part of his master's 

 body. Under other circumstances he presses and harrows 

 it against the ground, so as to obtain a slight relief, and 

 then with an instinctive feeling he flaps his ears and shakes 

 his head rapidly and repeatedly, so as to keep up the 

 pleasurable relief he thus obtains. Should the symptoms 

 be not so severe as those which I have now mentioned, the 

 animal may still be suspected, at a glance, to be labouring 

 under acute disease of the ear, by his running about with 

 little intermission, his mouth Open, and tongue protruded, 

 and panting, and with a stupid sensibility shaking his head, 

 and pointing the affected ear to the ground. These 

 symptoms are, however, most commonly allowed to pass 

 unheeded, and in a few days a partial relief is obtained to 

 the animal by the sudden and profuse discharge of a quan- 

 tity of foetid pus. From this time the general and consti- 

 tutional symptoms disappear, and those indicative of the 

 local affection are alone predominant. The local discharge 

 of pus, or pus and blood, becomes daily more and more 

 foetid, in consequence of the extension of the disease to the 

 body tissue of the meatus, and the poor animal is thrust 

 aside as an object of loathing and disgust. 



" Should the dog, in the earlier stage of the disease, be 

 muzzled and cast, and an inspection of the meatus be had 

 recourse to, then there will either be found a phlegmonous 

 abscess of the cellulo-fibrous istructure of the meatus, 

 circumscribed dermo-periostitis of the inner part of the 

 tube, with caries of the osseous portion, or internal muco- 

 tympanitis, with perforation of the membrana tympani, and 

 evacuation of the matter along the external canal. 



