Aug. 20. 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



89 



SKIN DISEASES. 



WE are so consta-ntly recpiving inquiries about mange 

 and kindred diseases tLat we cannot do better tlian 

 publish Mr. A. J. Sewell's adniirHhlc article on sarcoptic 

 mange which appears in this inontb's English Kcnricl G<i?-cttc. 

 The description of this pest of tile kennel is so plain and 

 the remedies advised so simple, that the owner or keunel- 

 man should be able with little trouble, if he has also had 

 the article on eczema 1:>y the same writer, to decide for him- 

 self what skin disease his doy: is afflicted with : 

 This disease is also called scabits, and is most contagious. 

 Mange is a form of artificial ec/eina, caused by a very 

 small animal parasite (Sa I'cnj^es rti iiis), which, when seen 

 under the microscope, is not unlike a tortuise. Wlien fully 

 developed, the acarns has i-ighi, Ic.ks, and the under surface is 

 covered with liairs and short spines. The male is smaller 

 than the female. Tbe young parasite has only six leg.s, but 

 ib acquires two more a I ter shedding its first skin. The male 

 lives on the surface of the body, while the female burrows 

 under the epidermis or outer skin, where she lays eggs in a 

 small furrow or channel. The eg:2S take al)out a fortnight 

 to hatch. The young parasites escape from beneath the 

 epidermis, but the parent does not leave tbe channel, but 

 dies after she has finished Laying eggs. 



The itching that always accom])anles mange is inci-eased 

 as the patient beconufs warm. It is partly caused by the 

 irritation set up thrcut^h the parasites burrowintj; under the 

 outer skin, andpartly by an acrid matter excreted liy the acari. 

 The irritation in some bad cases is so great that a dog never 

 gets any rest day or night, and tbe constant;, scratching and 

 restlessness wears him to a .shadow. 1 have seen dogs reduced 

 to such a state, the result of the disease, especially when the 

 appetite has failed, which sometimes occnrs, as to die from 

 the result of exhaustion, accelerated by a form of sympathetic 

 fever. It is stat:ed by some authoia'ties t hat the .acricl matter 

 excreted by thepara.site does in some cases— that is when the 

 disease is spreaa over a larae surface of the body— induce 

 blood-poisoning, and then the bowels and other internal 

 organs become congested. 



Mange affects all breeds, and also dogs of all ages. I have 

 seen puppies at fotir weeks old— when the mother has been 

 aflfected— covered with the disease. It is on these young sub- 

 jects that the true ualuie and characteristic symptoms of 

 the disease can be Iji'st studied, as pujipies at tijis age 

 cannot injure the skin by scratcliiug, as is the case in older 

 patients. Young ]mppies affL'cted with mange are always 

 fidgety, and whine and do not thrive. When picked up and 

 carefully examined, the skin eoverins the bellv is found 

 covered with a number of small pin head vesicles or little 

 blisters, wbicli look like slight elevations of the skin. There 

 are seldom any pimples or pustules present, as is sometimes 

 seen in youug puppies, the result of eczema or to simple 

 heated blood; neither is the .ski a red nor inflamed, but it looks 

 of a dirty gray scaly condition. The disease soon spreads to 

 the skin underneath the chest, and then to the legs, and 

 before Ions, more or less over the \\ hole liody, head and face. 

 There is only one way for a do.e; to c<i atract mange, and that 

 is by coming in contact with the parasite (.S^r yen /)?(■,<,■ cr/o/s), 

 which causes tlie disease, ft is not necessary for a doLi; to 

 catch this complaint to come in contact with anothia- one 

 actually sntfering from the disease, but a healthy dog, 

 being put in a kennel where a mangy one has been, or on a 

 show bench, or even on the same ground or floor, is stire to 

 become infected. Besides, persons are freeiuently the source 

 of conveying the parasites from one dog to another. It is 

 not generally known, I believe, that people readily catch 

 the mange from dogs: but such is the case, and I have 

 known of several instances— in fact have seen whole families 

 more or less affected. 



Fortunately the iSen rnji/^.s; ranin does not propagate on 

 the human skin, therefore tbe disease soon disappears if 

 means are taken to iirevent fresh infection. Dog mange, 

 when affecting people, differs from the ordinai-y human 

 itch, in that it affects the face, besides other parts, which is 

 not the case in the latter disease. Whether the disease can 

 be transferred to other animals, such as horses, cattle or 

 cats, I cannot say. I have never been able to prove that it 

 can be. One occasionally hears it stated that keeping a 

 dog dirty will cause mange. This is impo.ssible, though, I 

 believe, a dirty animal more easily contracts the disease, 

 and it certainly spreads more rapidly over the body of one 

 neglected than it does upon one that is occasionally washed 

 and well groomed every day. In fact, with dogs that may 

 have contracted mange and are regularly washed with soap 

 containing a disinfectant like carbolic acid, the disease is 

 often kept from spreading to any great extent for a long 

 time. 



Symptoms. — The first symptom is scratching, which begins 

 a day or two after a dog has been affected. In adult dogs 

 mange usually commences abortt the elbows or the outside 

 of the hock noints, audit the skin be carefully examined at 

 these parts small pimples and vesicles will be found here and 

 there. In this respect mange differs from eczema, as in the 

 latter disease the pimples and vesicles appeai- in clusters, 

 often iu different parts of the body at one time. Besides, in 

 eczema a dog is inclined to lick himself a good deal, as there 

 is a burning sensation with this disease. As a conseciueuce, 

 there are often large nioi.«t patches about the body. In 

 mange the dog endeavors to relieve the irritation by scratch- 

 ing and robbing. 



It is importanL to be able to diagnose a case of mange in 

 the early .stages, especially when there are several dogs kept, 

 as by isolation and early treatment the disease may be pre- 

 vented from spreading to others in the kennel. 



If one of the earlj'' vesicles of mange is carefully examined, 

 a minute spert or streak may be observed. This is tbe aper- 

 ture made by the insect on its first entrance within the 

 epidermis, and from this spot a whitish fluted line may be 

 traced, which generally runs in a slightly curved direction 

 into the epidermis. This whitish line is called the cunni- 

 culus, which is the burrow of the acarns. It is generally 

 about the twelfth of an inch in length, and it terminates 

 under a slight elevation of the outer skin: this is where the 

 insect lies. If this elevation of epidermis is removed with 

 the point of a needle the jiarasite may be seen with a strong 

 magnifying glass. The spot or streak just described is not 

 found upon all the vesicles or pimples, as many are formed, 

 the result of tbe irritation setup dttriug the but-rowing of 

 the acarus. 



The disease quickly extends from the elbows and hocks to 

 other parts, especially to the out.side of the ears, around tbe 

 eyes, face, and, as time goes on, more or less all over the 

 body. The hair falls off in patches, pait.ly the result of the 

 constant scratching, and also in part to the destructive in- 

 fluence of the parasites. The skin is dry and scaly, and has 

 a thick corrugated appearance. Small dark brown and 

 yellow scales form, due to the rupture of the pimples and 

 pustules by the scratching. In many cases of long standing, 

 tbe result "of the irritation and scratching, eczema appears, 

 especially iu \\ hite dogs; and, as in ordinary cases of this 

 disease, large oidist p.-jfches then ilevelop. But this is not 

 of much conseciuence. 1 or the eczema soon passes off when 

 the original disv ase is cured and the irritatioa ceases. 



Dogs suft'eriug badly from mange become weak and 

 emaciated, in spite of the most nourishing food freely given. 



If the six following i)oinrs are taken into consideration 

 when examining a dog suffering from skin disease, there 

 sboulfl not be much diflicully in arriving at a cemclusion 

 whether tlie complaint is mange on not: 1. Tlae contagious 

 nature of the disease— if many dogs are kept, several, or 

 nearly all, will be similarly aflected. 3. The great irrita- 

 taon. 3. The loss of coat. 4. The small pimples and vesi- 

 cles, and the little yellow and brown scabs. 5. The steady 

 progress of the disease from one part of the body to another. 



6. And the most important and positive sign of the disease 

 of all, the presence of the acarus. But the parasite in some 

 cases, especially when the skin has been much injured by 

 scratching, is difficult to find. 



Tbe treatment of mange consists in applying agents to 

 destroy l:he parasite, and the only remedy, in my opinion, 

 worth mentioning is sulphur mixed with some exclpieot as 

 lard, vaseline, or oil to make it more easily applied to the 

 skin. The sulphur treatment is nio.st eflecttial, and, hov>- 

 ever mtich the dog licks the dressing it does no harm be- 

 yond acting as a slight purge. There are numerous other 

 remedies recommended for the cure of this disease, such as 

 the dift'erent preparations of mercury, which I never use or 

 rt commend, as they are very poisonous — also the different 

 preparations of tar and its products, as carbolic acid (also 

 very poisonous for dogs), oil of tar, etc,: and then there is 

 that most stinking of all remedies, the lime and sulphur 

 lotion. This lotion is certainly effectual, but when the .skin 

 is inflamed and tender it often increases the irritation, 

 though only temporarily. This remedy may sometimes be 

 applied with advantage to a sore that has been formeel by a 

 dog const Ml' 1' 1 iekiug or biting a part and which cannot 

 heal in- e, as a dog will seldom touch the place 



that has i . . : eililied with this preparation. 



In using i be sulphur preparation it is not necessary to 

 make the ointment or dressing strong— one to eight, that is, 

 one part of floor of suliihur added to eight parts of vaseline, 

 lard or oil. and well mixed, is sufficient. For short-coated 

 dogs I always use the ointment made with vaseline, as it is 

 more easily worked into the skin, besides being, in my 

 opinion, more easily absorbed than when made with lard. 

 For dogs with long, thick coats the sulphur is be.st mixed 

 with olL Vegetable is the best: it is just as cheap as whale 

 oil or train oil, and there is no unjileasant odor irom it, as 

 there is from the other two. 



Whichever preparation is used, whether it is the sulphur 

 and vaseline or sulphm- and oil, to effect a cure it must be 

 thoroughly and freely, but gentlv, rubbed into the skin, not 

 only into the parts where the hair is off, btit all over the 

 body, legs, head and tail; not a part must be missed. So 

 much depends upon the proper application of the dressing, 

 for if ib is not well applied, but only smeared over the hair, 

 the case will last an indeflnite time, whereas, if the dog is 

 properly dressed, the worst case may be effectually cured in 

 a fortnight. 



The dressing should be used every other day for a week, 

 then after a couple of d.iys or so the dog shotild be thoroughly 

 washed. Some writers recommend that the dog should be 

 washed before commencing the dressiag. This is not neces- 

 sary. Besides, by moving the dog about and using baths 

 auel towels, you are running the risk of spreading the 

 disease, and the person who does the washing is almost sure 

 to catch the mange. About a couple of days after the wash- 

 ing the dog should be dressed again, as before, for another 

 week, and then finally washed and put in a kennel that has 

 been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. 



For dogs that are kept in the house the grease of ointment 

 or the dressing made of oil is objected to. in .such cases the 

 balsam of Peru may be mixed with the sulphur instead of 

 oil or vaseline and applied as previou.sly recommended. 

 This preparation is quite as eff'ectnal in its action as the 

 others, and a good deal more pleasant for the dog, but the 

 ceist of the balsam is much .against its being largely used. 

 The dre.ssing made of eciual parts of castor oil, kerosene, 

 olive oil and cocoanut oil, as recommended for general 

 eczema, is also a very useful remedy for mange, but its 

 action is increased by the addition of sulphur in the same 

 proportion as recommended for the sulphur and vaseline 

 ointment. 



It is qmte useless trying to get rid of mange from a ken- 

 nel or even from a house without the place where the dog 

 has been living during the attack has been thoroughly dis- 

 infected. To do this the dog should be removed Irom the 

 kennel and the place first thoroughly fumigated for twenty- 

 four hours somewhat after the following manner: All the 

 crevices around the windows, etc., should be covered over 

 with strips of brown paper, made adhefsive with flour paste, 

 so as to make the place as air tight as iiossible to prevent 

 the sulphur fume escaping. Then an old iron saucepan or a 

 tin containing about a pound of sulphur, which is sufficient 

 for a kennel about 6ft.xl0ft. and about 8ft. high, shotdd be 

 placed in the center of the floor. If a little methylated 

 spirits be added to tbe sulphur it is more easily ignited. 

 After this has been done it is necessary to leave the place 

 quickly, the door closed and strips of paper pasted along the 

 edges from the outside. After twenty-four hours the door 

 and window may be opened so as to well air the kennel and 

 to allow the sulphur fumes to escape. The wood work 

 should then be thoroughly lime-washed, applied almost boil- 

 ing hot and very freely, and the flooring well scrubbed with 

 a strong solution (about one iu twenty) of some disinfectant, 

 hot. To make ciuite .sure that the process of disinfecting is 

 complete, it is a good plan, especially where mange has ex- 

 isted in a kennel for some time, to repeat the fumigating a 

 second time, and, if expense is not objected to, to destroy the 

 old benches and have new ones erected. All collars and 

 chains, dog benches, combs, in fact everything that is used 

 for the dogs must be also di.sinfected. 



Whi n a dog tuffering from mange has lived in a private 

 house, disinfecting is quite as necessary if the do,g is to be 

 permanently cured as it is in the kennel. Mats and baskets 

 should be baked, and the carpets, chairs, etc., where the dog 

 has been in the habit of lying, washed over with a strong 

 solution of Sanitas, which does not stain. 



It is much more difficult to eradicate mange from a place 

 than distemper. When a dog is known to have been in cou- 

 tiaet with another one suffering from mange, a bath in a 

 strong solution of Jeyes's Fluid (1 in 40) within an hour, 

 that is, before the acartrs has had time to burrow under the 

 epidermis, may often prevent an attack of the disease. 



A, J. Skwell. 



WHAT IS A "BELGUM" SETTER? 



Editor Fo/'cst and Stream: 



Would you be kind enough to tell me if, in all yoxxr wide 

 experience you have ever heard of a "Belgum" setter? My 

 intimate friend and field companion owns a dog that is con- 

 ceded by all who know him to be ttie best one ih this neigh- 

 borhood (and there are a number of good ones here). This 

 paragon of dog flesh is a little under the average size, weighs 

 about 4.51bs., color black and white with a very faint tinge 

 of tan mixed in the black along his cheek. This tan color 

 is so faint as to make it doubtful even on close inspection as 

 to whether it really is tan; it looks more like sunburn. His 

 head is rather short, with very long ears heavily feathered, 

 is deep chested and just a little cat-hammed; tail long, and 

 when in field at work carried straight, otber times with 

 quite a curl. The most noticeable characteristic is a hump 

 on the nasal bone ju.st back of the nose. He is very timid 

 and affectionate. Has thrown several litters that run to 

 lemon and white. This dog, twice iu one day, a year ago 

 last fall, performed the rare feat of standing a live bird with 

 a dead one in his mouth. Is a natural retriever and the best 

 I ever saw. One of his oddities is his great dislike for water. 

 When not hunting he will not even get his feet wet if he 

 can help it, though he will bring a game bird out if neces- 

 sary, but can't be induced to touch anything else. This dog 

 came from Pittsburgh, Pa», and positively refused to notice 

 riuail even when flying up all around him, or any other bird 

 until nearly a year old, when, like the old dog Trim, it 

 struck him all at once. 



If you can throw any light on this dog you will confer a 

 great favor on his owner, myself and all other sportsmen in 

 this community, as we are all interested. 



Feakk: G. LUMAif. 



EUTHANASIA-HAPPY DEATH. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I was pained to see a letter from your valued correspondent 

 "Clumber," in the issue of the (ith inst., condemning the u.se 

 of chloroform, and I can only think that tbe medical friend 

 and the vet. did not know "how to kill a dog with chloro- 

 form, therefore this letter. As I have used chloroform for the 

 last 15 years for the purpose of killing dogs easily, and never 

 having any trouble, I think I may perhaps "save much 

 trouble and impart information on the point in question by 

 detailing my method. As every surgeon knows at this time 

 that tbe acttud operation is not'the difficttlt part to bring the 

 patient through, but that the proper means be taken before- 

 hand and after to make the operation a success, therefore in 

 producing death by chloroform the proper step.s should be 

 taken so that by no chance it can be a failure. My method, 

 which I have used for many years, is the following: 



For a large dog, say a St. Bernard, I need 3oz. of chloro- 

 form, and for small dogs less. I have a shot bag of coar.se 

 canvas which has one side ripped down about three inches, 

 according to the size of the dog's muzzle, so that the entire 

 muzzle is inclosed; no chance of biting allowed. I nlace in 

 the corner of this bag a pletlget of absorbent cotton suffi- 

 cient to absorb the atnountof chloroform I may think neces- 

 sary. I pour one, two or three ounces of chloroform on this, 

 and taking a firm hold of the dog by the back of the neck, I 

 thrust the bag over bis muzzle with no chance of biting by 

 this means. In from one to three minutes the dog is asleep, 

 then I lay him down, pour a little more chloroform over the 

 cotton at the bottom of the bag, and cover the whole with a 

 blanket or otber dense covering to prevent tbe air getti ug in, 

 and iu ten or less minutes I have always found that death 

 has taken place without a struggle, except at the very begin- 

 ning of the anaisthesia. Let ''Clumber" and others ti'y this 

 metibod, where the lethal chamber is not to be had, and he 

 will never say that chloroform is not the most etxthanastic 

 (if I may coin a word) method of getting rid of old favorites 

 that they ever used. 



As 1 am on the subject perhaps I maytrespassalittle more 

 on your kennel column and give my experience of anses- 

 thetics in canine surgery. When l" began to oper.ate on 

 dogs about fifteen years ago I always used chloroform and 

 was tolerably successful, but in two or three instances my 

 patients went through all right, but did not recover well 

 from the effects of the chloroform. I then turned my at- 

 tention to the other anEesthetic— ether— and it I have found 

 to be the proper fluid to be used in canine surgery. I have 

 never had an accident nor never had a case in which I could 

 not administer it in safety. The greatest difficulty I had 

 was how to administer it easily, which I at length overcame 

 by having a solid leather cone made, which is 6in. deep and 

 large enough to place over the entire muzzle of the dog; 

 this is lined with a double layer of thick flannel and holes 

 are perforated through the sides and bottom of the leather 

 to admit the air. I thoroughly saturate the flannel Mith 

 the ether and place it over the muzzle, and if more ether is 

 necessary it can be poured through the air holers. By this 

 method the cone acts as a muiizle, so that there is no c"tiance 

 of biting, and as it is not necessary to remove it to give 

 more of the ether, I consider it just what we want for opera- 

 tions, and in my bands has been most usef irl as well as suc- 

 cessful. I have performed very many operations on dogs, 

 but none of them ever succumbed to the anaesthetic ether, 

 which I cannot say of the other, chloroform. 



J. S. NrvEN. 



BARZOIS IMPORTATION. 



DR. GRIMES writes us that the following-named Barzois 

 for Mr. Hacke's kennels reached London from St. 

 Petersburg, Russia, on the Gth inst.: 

 Abreck, all white dog, scar on left hindleg (wolf bite). 

 Viewga, all white bitch, with light lemon ears. 

 Oudoff, all white dog, with a light lemou tint. 

 Viola, white bitch, ears, forehead and left side of body 

 fawn, and a small fawn spot on right side. 

 Pospeck, large white dog, with lemon tint. 

 Zanoza, white bitch, fawn laatch ou top of tail, fawn patch 

 on each flank, both ears fawn, nose light, and has two scars 

 on nose (wolf bites). 



Armeda, white bitch, light brindle ears, brindle patch on 

 top of tail, and a black spot on middle of back. 



Ospec, white and brindle dog, white face, and is of the old 

 Gustopsovy type. 



Osmad6e, white and brindle dog, brindle head and ears, 

 and one side of the muzzle white. 



Karai, white dog, with lemon ears, and a light lemou 

 patch on right side. 



Dr. Grimes numbers each dog, andcoi-responding numbers 

 will be found on their collars, so that we may recognize 

 them when they reach New York, whichshoultlbe the last of 

 the coming week. 



Oudar, a fawn and white dog with a fawn head, and 

 which stood 32in. at the shoulder, and Odinor, a white dog 

 with fawn ears, two fawn patches ou sides and back, and 

 fawn on top of tail, having been jerked on their backs in the 

 docks at St. Petersburg, and sustaining injuries to their 

 spines and badly hurt, died two hours afterward. As the 

 followin,g copy of telegram from Capt. Cole, of steamer 

 Viatka, to Alfred Henley & C, St. Petersburg, shows: 

 "Two dogs dead. Other qireer." Signed, Cole. 

 Dr. Grimes adds: "The cleath of these two dogs is vei'y 

 much regretted, but we hope to replace them by something 

 eciuallj' as good, which, when done, will make Mr. Hacke's 

 kennel number nineteen full-growu Barzois, besides the 

 large number of young stock on hand and anticipated, and 

 constitutes his the largest and best in the world, outside of 

 Russia, and second to none there." 



As niost of these dogs are workers and have been tried ou 

 wolves, it looks as if with a little exertion that in the near 

 future we may add wolf coursing to our Western sports, 

 and this will afford something new in the way of annase- 

 ment for our blase sportsmen who feel inclined to incur a 

 little danger. Mr. Hacke deserves the thanks of his fellow 

 fanciers for his enterprise in getting together such a repre- 

 sentative kennel, and it is to be hoped that future shows 

 Avill experience the benettt of such aa interesting exhibition 

 as a dozen of these dogs will make. 



SELF-SHOWING MASTIFFS. — Hulton, Pa.— ^tZitor 

 Forest and Strea/m: I cannot but think that Mr. Winchell 

 is mistaken in saying that Beaufort's perfect carriage in the 

 ring results from specific training for this point. Caution's 

 Own Daughter is even a better shower than Beaufort, due 

 probably to her youth and her being so much lighter weight 

 and if "l remember aright, Mr. Trickett told me that she 

 always had that perfect pose from her puppyhood. Both 

 dogs are thoroughly well balanced, full ot vigor, and 

 weight and power to handle that weight and are in exact 

 proportions. My old DeBuch was another dog with these 

 ciualities, and all of them showed tbe same ease, power 

 and grace of movement everywhere that they did iu show 

 rings, I fancy that it is (or was) their just proportions that 

 made them good showers, not their braining. — W. WADE. 



KIlSrt^STON DOG SB.OW.— Editor ForcM and Stream: 

 The executive committee of the Kingston Kennel Club's 

 dog show, to be held Sept. 1 to 4, feeling they had imposed 



Itoo many classes on Mr. H. W. Lacy, have divided the 

 spaniel classes in view of the very large entiy expected and 

 given field and cocker spaniels to iDr. Wesley Mills.— C. H, 

 CdBBETT, Sec'y. 



