192 The Management and Diseases of the Dog. 
CANKER (INTERNAL). 
Internal canker is most generally seen in water dogs. 
Youatt observes: “When the whole of the body, except 
the head and ears, is surrounded by cold water, there will 
be an unusual determination of blood to those parts, and 
consequent distension of the vessels, and a predisposition 
to inflammation.” With this author I quite agree. 
Again, water being continually lodged in the ear, and 
remaining there, is in itself a source of irritation, and cal- 
culated to produce canker. Allowing dirty suds to remain 
after washing, is an especially fruitful cause both of canker 
and deafness. 
Internal canker, if neglected, is very much more disastrous 
than the external form. The disease will extend to the 
internal bones of the ear, and cause the most maddening 
pain ; or it may, and often does, without these ravages, 
result in deafness, in which case treatment for the latter is 
generally hopeless. 
Symptoms.—The membrane lining the passage, as far as 
can be seen, is red and inflamed, and the root of the flap 
hot and tender. There is the same disposition to shake the 
head and scratch the ears as in the external canker. The 
patient is depressed, often disinclined to feed, probably 
owing to the increase of pain through the movement of the 
jaws in mastication. As the disease proceeds, an offensive, 
dark-coloured discharge issues from the passage of the ear, 
the itching becomes intolerable, and the animal in his 
misery rolls about, rubs his ears along the ground, frantically 
scratches at them, and utters pitiful cries. Occasionally the 
cervical glands are swollen, and the sides of the face 
considerably tumefied. 
Treatment.—This is of the same character as that 
prescribed for the former, only differing in its mode of — 
application. The ear should be syringed (not too power- 
fully) with warm water, and whatever lotions are used must 
be poured into the ear, applied with a feather, or some 
