SERO-FIBRINOUS PLEURISY IN THE DOG. 



Causes, exposure to cold, etc. Chill, reaction, disturbed breathing, 

 catching inspiration, rapid, hard pulse, hyperthermia, tender chest, friction 

 sound, later dullness at lower part of the chest in any position. Treatment, 

 as in pneumonia, with antirheumatics and diuretics freely. Thoracentesis. 



This is occasionally seen in the dog as the result of exposure, 

 and like other diseases of the chest is easily recognized. It owns 

 the same causes with pneumonia. Subacute and chronic cases 

 are probably tuberculous or cancerous. It may occur by exten- 

 sion from adjacent organs, or from traumatism. 



Lesions. — The pleura is congested, with arborescent redness, 

 points of stasis or extravasation, cloudiness and opacity of epi- 

 thelium, with swelling and active proliferation of the cells. 

 Somewhat later, exudation takes place into and beneath the 

 serosa and a reddish effusion from its surface collects in the 

 pleural cavity, containing many red globules and granules. 

 False membranes appear on the serosa, first as mere granular 

 elevations, then as fine filaments, and as in other animals, 

 forming first on the inflamed surface. False membranes are 

 usually scanty as compared with horse or ox, arguing a lack of 

 fibrine forming elements in the effusion. The effusion may re- 

 main confined to one pleural sac, or invade both. When nodules 

 form on the pleura the case may be adjudged tuberculous or 

 cancerous. 



Symptoms. There is first dullness, shivering and some excite- 

 ment of respiration. To this follow the more acute symptoms, 

 the hard pulse, the rapid, catching breathing, the animal standing 

 or sitting on his haunches, the open mouth, pendent tongue, the 

 injected mucous membrane, the costiveness, but above all the 

 tenderness of the intercostal spaces, the early friction sound on 

 auscultation, the pain and normal resonance on percussion, the 

 muscular twitchings and the short, suppressed, painful cough. 

 When effusion has occured its amount may easily be estimated 

 by turning the animal alternately on its feet, back and haunches, 

 and observing how high the percussion dullness extends in these 

 various positions. 



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