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Swellings On The Body
All swellings on the body are problems for the veterinarian. The
commonest types of swellings encountered are abscesses, cysts,
hematomas, tumors, hernias, and mumps.
Abscesses
An abscess is a localized collection of
pus surrounded by an area of
inflammation. It is caused by infection and may occur in any part of
the body. In its most common and acute form, it results in a swelling
of variable size and becomes increasingly larger as it develops. It is
warm and painful to the touch, and becomes increasingly softer as it
becomes largeror, as is commonly said, as it comes to a head. Often
abscesses break of their own accord, and in this case all that has to
be done is to permit the pus to drain and to keep the area clean with
an antiseptic, such as tincture of iodine. Most of the time, however,
the veterinarian has to incise the abscess in order to get complete
drainage. After this is done, healing is usually very rapid. Though the
well-known antibiotics, such as penicillin and aureomycin, have been
used with success on many abscesses, the best routine is to have
external abscesses incised.
Sometimes abscesses persist for a considerable time and seem to change
their character. They become quite painless and cause the animal little
or no annoyance. These are called "cold" abscesses and are abscesses in
their chronic form. They are treated in much the same way as acute
abscesses.
Cysts
A cyst is a soft, circumscribed,
painless swelling that contains a
watery accumulation rather than pus and is not usually surrounded by
an area of inflammation. It is not warm to the touch, is often
translucent, and these facts, along with its lack of tenderness, assist
in distinguishing it from an abscess. There are many types of cysts
and they may occur in any part of the body. A cyst consists essentially
of a sac, and this sac secretes the liquid which the cyst contains.
Treatment consists in its complete surgical removal.
Hematomas
A hematoma is a cyst or tumor filled
with blood or blood products. It
is almost always caused by a sharp blow or severe irritation. The
swellings caused by hematomas are usually painless but they might cause
discomfort. They may appear on any part of the body though, in the dog,
they most commonly appear on the ear. This has been fully discussed in
the section on ears. Sometimes they become absorbed by themselves
without any treatment. But most often they have to be incised and
emptied of their contents before they can be cured.
Tumors
Tumors are peculiar growths of tissue,
of variable size, that most
often are neither warm nor sensitive to the touch, may range from hard
to quite soft, are fleshy in character, and seem to thrive
independently of the state of nutrition of the body. They occur more
commonly in older dogs than in younger ones and are a frequent cause of
death. They may be present for months or years without any apparent
discomfort or detriment to the animal, but are more favorably treated
in the early stages.
Tumor of the
Breast
Tumors are classified as malignant,
in
which case they are
disease-producing, and benign, in which case they are not
disease-producing. Malignant tumors are often accompanied by a gradual
wasting away of the body. Portions of them may become disconnected from
the tumor, be transported by the circulatory system to other parts of
the body, and form new centers of development. Malignant tumors
commonly terminate in death. The term "cancer" is applied to malignant
tumors. Benign tumors are purely local in character, are not
transported to other parts of the body, and generally do not affect the
animal's health. Though benign tumors are not disease-producing in
themselves, they may contribute to the development of disease
conditions because of the locations in which they may appear. Thus a
benign tumor of the throat may give rise to symptoms of suffocation. In
the abdominal cavity they may pave the way for digestive disorders and
other pathological processes. In the limbs they may give rise to
lameness.
Various causes have been ascribed
to tumors. They have been considered
to be the result of prolonged irritations, virus infections, heredity,
and so on. No one of these factors has been established as a general
cause of tumors. Present theory indicates that though certain of these
causes may be related to the origin of individual tumors, they are at
best only predisposing factors and not actual causes of the tumor
disease complex.
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Surgical removal of the growth is
usually the most practical method of
treatment. Benign tumors are often easily removed in this manner.
Malignant tumors are also removed surgically, but recurrence is rather
common. Where the tumor is inoperable, it is best to put the animal to
sleep.
Great strides are being made in the treatment of tumors. X-ray and
radium have been used successfully in arresting the development of
tumorous growths. There are also indications that atomic energy may be
useful in this regard.
Hernias
The common name for hernia is rupture. A hernia is a protrusion of an
organ or part of an organ out of its normal location through an opening
in the surrounding tissue. Most commonly the rupture takes place in the
abdominal wall that encases the abdominal organs, and a swelling of
variable size appears on the belly or between the hind legs. The
rupture in the abdominal wall may be due to injury to this area or to
its inherent weakness. There is often a hereditary predisposition to
hernia. Though the swelling is usually painless and causes the animal
only slight discomfort, it is sometimes very painful. The only
treatment is surgical. The herniated organs are put back into the
abdominal cavity and the rupture is repaired. In most cases, the
operation is not difficult and the results are very favorable.
Mumps
Mumps refers to a type of abscess that
merits special attention. It
has to do with the so-called parotid glands, which are salivary glands
lying in a diffuse area behind and slightly below the ears. An
inflammation of these glands is parotitis, or, as it is popularly
known, mumps. It may occur in both acute and chronic forms. In the
acute involvement, the outcome is usually favorable, whereas the
chronic form is much less responsive to treatment.
Acute cases of mumps may be caused by injury, chemical effects due to
the application of irritant drugs, or infection by a specific germ, or
it may appear as a secondary manifestation of certain infectious
diseases, inflammations of the throat or mouth, and other local
inflammations. The chronic form may result from repeated attacks of the
acute form or from obstruction of the salivary ducts of the gland.
Though the manifestations usually occur in one gland, both glands may
be involved. In the acute form, the affected gland quickly develops a
painful swelling that extends to the surrounding tissues. Where
infection has been the cause, abscesses develop in the gland. If one
gland is involved, the animal holds its head away from the affected
side. When both glands are involved, the head is held extended. There
is fever, depression, and impaired appetite. Streams of saliva may run
out of the corners of the mouth. In the chronic form, the glands appear
hard, swollen, and mildly painful, and genŽeral symptoms are either
lacking or not as prominent as in the acute form.
Heat, either by moist packs or infra-red ray, may be applied in the
early stages of the disease. When abscesses occur, surgical and
antiseptic measures are indicated. In chronic cases, various salutary
medications are administered either orally or by injection.
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