Risli

compiled by Al Savoy

CLAW FUNGUS: An infection caused by moisture being left in the claw sheath after bathing.

Symptoms: Constant licking of claws, pain in fingers or toes, and discoloration of claws. Treatment: A thorough scrubbing with redwort followed by soaking in a redwort and rush sap solution. Treatment is administered twice a day for three days then once a day for the following three and once a sevenday for the next month. A thorough drying prior to oiling is the recommended preventitive.

DIARRHEA: An accumulation of an excessive amount of water in the bowels.

Symptoms: Self-explanatory Treatment: Swamp Moss added to diet in proportion to dragon's weight.

INDIGESTION: A gastro-intestinal disorder generally brought about by over-eating.

Symptoms: Excessive abdominal pain, distortion of the abdomen, a feeling of bloating. Treatment: Many are available, but these two are recommended:

1. Applying pressure to the abdomen over the primary stomach to instigate the release of trapped gas. 2. Time and patience. Usually the application of hot cloths aids in easing the dragon's discomfort.

KIDNEY CHILL A sympathetic illness brought on by rider's contracting of the same disease.

Symptoms: Mimicking of rider's symptoms coupled with excessive drinking. Treatment: Illness will pass when rider is cured.

Lesions: Hide Borer Hide borers are parasites which usually attack sick and injured firelizards. They are a problem with dragons due to their close kinship with their tiny counterparts.

Symptoms: Tiny holes similar to pin-point Threadscore, festering lesions, dullness of eyes and hide, constipation, loss of appetite, and vomiting. Treatment: Surgical removal of the parasite combined with flushing of the infected area with redwort and packing same with mosstea and numbweed. Dragonweed added to water will fight secondary infection. The entire weyr must be scrubbed down with redwort as well. Procedure: After washing both wound and hands in redwort, apply a thin coating of numbweed. Make an incision across the wound approximately twice the diameter of the lesion. Gently pry apart and probe for the parasite. Taking care to remove it intact, gently extract the parasite. Once parasite is removed, pack the wound with a mixture that is 2 parts numbweed, 2 parts redwort, and 1 part mosstea. Allow wound to remain open for 2-4 days, changing the packing three times a day. Once signs of healing are evident, remove packing and stitch closed. Continue cleaning and covering the wound until healed.

LESIONS: SIMPLE Caused by excessive drying of the hide, distinguished from Hide Borer by lack of redness. Symptoms: Itchy, dry skin, pain and slight splitting of hide. May be a runny discharge from lesion. Treatment: Hard scrubbing with redwort followed by packing with numbweed and covering with a pressure bandage.

LESIONS: COMPLEX Unlike simple lesions, these are always fatal should the rider exercise the foolish decision to take the dragon between.

Symptoms: Itchy, dry hide, extreme pain and splitting in lesion combined with runny discharge and ichor from the wound. Treatment: Surgical repair of the wound. Procedure: After throroughly washing hands and wound in redwort, numbweed the wound and proceed to remove the edges of the wound. (A note: If the dragon or his rider seem agitated, fellis may be administered to render patient unconscious.) The amount removed depends on the severity of the wound. Usually 2-3 millimeters will suffice. Afterward, stitch the wound closed. Any affected muscle tissue should be dealt with and stitched closed first, followed by the membrane that lies between the muscular and epidermal layers, then finish with the epidermal layers, each in turn. The wound should be coated with numbweed and kept covered until completely healed. The dressing should be changed twice daily.

STONE FEVER An intestinal tract disease that is usually found in young dragons. It is caused by the accidental ingestion of firestone into the primary stomach.

Symptoms: Dullness of eyes, vomiting after eating, and high fever Treatment: Multiple purges, mosstea and nettles added to food, and featherfern added to water. CAUTION: It is imperative that close monitoring is given when using these medicines in this combination. Exact measurements are strongly recommended.

TOOTH DECAY Usually found in dragons over forty Turns old, or whose rider is over sixty. Not all is due to advanced age, however. Some is simply due to meat being trapped between teeth and causing rot. The best prevention is for the rider to insure that the mouth is washed after every feeding and examined for trapped food.

Symptoms: Pain while eating or chewing firestone, constant working of jaws and tongue, insomnia, loss of appetite, and bleeding gums. Treatment: Depending on state of decay, you have two options:

1. Filling: Apply numbweed liberally, then using a hammer and chisel, remove all decayed matter. Afterward, drill several horizontal holds, then use a mixture of hardset and powdered herdbeast bone to fill cavity. 2. Pulling: Apply numbweed very liberally. Ensure the dragon is fully numb before proceeding. Secure a piece of stout rope to offending tooth. Have a beast of equal or greater size yank the tooth out. Afterward, fill the hole with a paste of numbweed soaked into gauze.

VENEREAL DISEASE Unlike its human counterpart, this is not a sexually transmitted disease. The general cause is failure on the rider's part to ensure the area around the genital flap is cleaned thoroughly. It has been noted, however, that the dragons of affected riders show these symptoms.

Symptoms: Scratching of the area, swelling and discoloration of the flap, no interest in matings flight what so ever. Treatment: The area must be thoroughly scrubbed with redwort twice daily. Soaking in cool water for up to six hours per day or sitting in snow for up to an hour a day will reduce the swelling. The rider should practice celibacy until the dragon has recovered. However, if this is caused by the the rider's "discomfort", no treatment is necessary, though you may recommend the soaking treatment for extreme empathy.