Читать книгу The Dog's Medical Dictionary - Alfred Joseph Sewell - Страница 79

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These are numerous in the dog. Inverted eyelids: puppies are sometimes born without eyes, squinting small eyes, eyelashes growing in. Hare lip, cleft palate, pig jaw, deformities of the feet and limbs: particularly the stifle joint, the patella being out of its place, and the leg contracted or drawn up. Deformities of the chest: this condition is common in Japs, but seems to do no harm. Puppies are sometimes born without tails; though a good feature in schipperke and bob-tail sheep dogs, one does not like to see a pug or a dachshund without a tail, and when he is good in all other points, it is disappointing. A screw tail is objectionable in all breeds except the bulldog, and some people object to it in these dogs. Absence of one or both testicles.

Treatment: Many cases of deformity may be remedied by operation, but in others there is nothing to be done. Inverted eyelids can be cured by operation, an elliptical piece of skin and also the muscle underneath being cut out immediately under the lower eyelid, when that one is affected, or immediately over the upper eyelid, if it is that one that is turned. The cutting is best done with curved scissors, and should extend nearly the whole length of the lid. As the wound made heals, it draws the lid out.

In-growing eyelashes must be plucked out with forceps from time to time. Very often as the puppy grows older and stronger, the lashes assume a normal position, and cease to be a trouble, but if they continue to turn in after the dog is twelve months old, a similar operation as for inverted eyelids is recommended, but in these latter cases it is not necessary to divide the muscle, but only the skin. Squinting may be cured by operation, but it is not recommended, as the defect does no harm, and with Japanese spaniels, who often squint, it rather adds to their quaintness.

In cases of unnatural small eyes, which often occur in fox terrier puppies, an operation is not of any use; but with time, it may be months, perhaps a year, the condition often improves. Matters are helped by giving the puppy affected something to stare at, as, for instance, placing his food for a time behind some railings, so that he can see it, but cannot get at it. Anything, in fact, that attracts attention, and causes the puppy to stare. A stuffed cat behind the railings does for a change, a lump of raw meat or a bone. Hare lip can be cured by operation, but in consequence of the position, it is difficult to keep the edges of divided lip together after sewing them, as the puppy will rub his nose on the ground if he has a chance, besides constantly licking at the stitches. The operation should not be undertaken before the puppy is three months old, and then just before operation a good square meal of meat should be given; this will take some time to digest, and will satisfy the puppy for a long while; at any rate, nothing more should be given for twenty-four hours, by which time the healing has made good progress, and for some days after the operation the puppy should be fed from the fingers, piece by piece, certainly no dish should be given for him to rub his nose in.

As to the operation, the edges of the split lip should be freely scarified, and also be loosened from the gum by cutting through the mucus membrane, then the two edges of the lip should be brought firmly together with pin sutures, and a few layers of collodion painted over the external part, and dusted over sparingly with powdered iodoform. It is not necessary to give chloroform for an operation of this kind, a few drops of a 4% solution of cocaine injected into each side of the divided lip is sufficient.

There is no cure for cleft palate, and a puppy born with this condition should be destroyed.

Pig jaw is incurable.

As to deformities affecting the feet, a dog may be born without toes, or with only two or three toes; in such cases, of course, nothing can be done, but sometimes there may be an extra toe. If a show dog, it spoils the appearance of his foot, and interferes with his gait, and so must be removed.

Dew-claws are not a deformity, but they are a useless appendage, and should be cut off close to the leg about three days after birth; if left they are a constant nuisance, either through being frequently broken, or torn off at the quick, or else turning and growing into the flesh, which causes a good deal of pain.

Nothing can be done for deformity of the stifle joint, it causes no pain, though it renders the leg useless; but if the subject is a bitch, and well bred, she may be kept for breeding purposes. A screwed tail may be remedied, if not too badly twisted, by breaking, setting it straight, and applying an adhesive bandage.

In cases of absence of one or both testicles in the scrotum, there is nothing to be done. A dog with both testicles absent is useless for getting stock, though he is able and will serve a bitch, but in cases where only one is missing, it does not prevent such a dog being useful for stud purposes.