Your Dog and Your Cat 



any apparent harm. He may bite and scratch at 

 his skin to rid himself of them, causing only super- 

 ficial wounds which readily heal. 



Symptoms. — Eczema may develop at any time 

 during the year, but is much more prevalent during 

 the late summer, that is from the first of July until 

 the last of October. The disease usually starts 

 with scratching and biting at the skin. The small 

 areas first affected spread into large patches and 

 may even extend over the whole body surface. The 

 favorite location of the primary lesions are the 

 neck, back of the ears, the chest at the armpits, 

 theTOly, and the^back. jjist^ah^ji^f the tail. As 

 the scratchmg^continues the skin becomes red, abra- 

 sions are caused by the nails or teeth and the hair 

 falls out over the patches. In some cases a moist 

 viscid discharge exudes from the surface, while in 

 others scales and scabs are found. Small pimples 

 may appear in the affected areas or scattered over 

 the entire body. As the disease progresses, the 

 skin becomes thickened and thrown into folds. A 

 distinct odor always escapes from a dog suffering 

 from eczema. In the earlier stages the affected 

 parts are very tender and painful to touch. 



Prevention. — Careful feeding on small quantities 

 of concentrated foods, together with plenty of out- 

 door exercise will prevent most cases of eczema. 

 After the dog has once suffered from it, care 

 should be taken afterwards, especially during the 

 summer, to prevent its reoccurrence. Constipation 



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