314 KENNEL DISEASES. 
that cannot be reached by the patient’s mouth; and applications morning and 
night are advisable. Before commencing its use it would be well to wash 
thoroughly with soap and water. 
The solution of menthol recommended in eczema may be employed to 
combat the itching if it is very intense; but frequent bathing, carbolic soap 
being used, will have a highly salutary effect upon that troublesome symptom. 
PITYRIASIS VERSICOLOR. 
Pityriasis Versicolor is an affection of the skin resulting from the growth 
of a microscopic plant or vegetable parasite. 
It is doubtless contagious, but far less so than parasitic diseases generally, 
and, beyond doubt, prolonged contact is necessary for its transmission. 
It appears on the skin as pale yellow, grayish, or yellowish-brown spots or 
patches, which are usually smooth and shining, also dry and covered with 
many small white scales; while often a few small red pimples are to be found. 
on some of the patches; and frequently there is considerable accompanying 
irritation. 
These spots are at first very small and scarcely noticeable even when on 
short-haired dogs, but gradually they grow, often reaching the size of a trade- 
dollar, and not impossibly exceeding it. Two or more of them also sometimes 
unite, and thus much larger areas of skin are affected. 
After attaching itself to the surface the parasite penetrates; and the hairs 
become brittle and ultimately fall out, leaving the spots quite bald, with only 
occasional exceptions, in which a few straggling hairs remain. 
In shape the affected spots on the body are quite uniformly circular, and as 
they grow in size there is a tendency on the part of the eruption to clean up in 
the centre ; thus it now and then assumes a resemblance to ringworm. On the 
legs, however, the spots do not retain so notably the circular form. 
Itching accompanies the affection, but at worst it is only moderate, and in 
most cases the discomfort is scarcely noticeable. 
While the direct cause is a vegetable parasite, there are certain general con- 
ditions which so favor this and like affections that they deserve emphasis. For 
instance, moisture is necessary to parasitic growth; it is not surprising there- 
fore that dogs occupying damp kennels are frequent victims. Again, parasitic 
affections thrive where filth abounds; consequently lack of cleanliness must be 
considered a contributing cause. Not impossibly, also, if the general health is 
not good, the liability to this disease is somewhat increased ; which assumption 
is suggested by the fact that it most often appears during the teething period, 
when the system is never at its best. 
