146 



THE DISEASES OF THE DOG. 



Malignant Disease of the Livee is more frequent in 

 carnivora than in other lower animals and generally assumes 

 the form of spindle-celled sarcoma. The liver is seldom 

 the only abdominal organ affected, the spleen, mesentery, 

 and omentum being also the seat of yellowish-grey nodu- 

 lated tumours. The patients thus affected are generally 

 old and worn out by the disease, and their destruction 

 is evidently the most advisable course to adopt. 



Parasitic Disease of the liver of the dog has been 

 described by Dr. Lewis, of Calcutta. He found flukes, 

 Distoma conjunctum, frequent in the bile-ducts of pariahs. 

 Dr. Oobbold also found them in the American red fox. 

 The latter observation was made about in ] 860 ; the para- 



PiG. 42. — Distoma conjunctum, after Cobboid. 

 (a) The parasite, (i) Spines on a portion of its integument. 



(c) Ova. 



sites had given rise to " inflammation and the formation 

 of small cysts or abscesses, apparently causing the death 

 of the host." Cystic parasites are remarkably infrequent 

 in or on the liver of the dog. Reiman* has observed 

 and described invasion of the liver and other organs of 

 the dog by echinococci. Mather observed small nema- 

 todes (Filaria hepatica) in the liver-ducts and substance, 

 as well as in cy^ts within the walls of the intestines. 

 Ectopia hepatis has been also observed in canine patients. 

 * * Deut. Zelt. f. Thiermed. u. Verg. Path.,' B. 11, p. 81. 



