jority of cases they are left absolutely to take care of themselves. 

 A dog's nails, especially if he is kept in the city and not being 

 out enough to wear them down, often need cutting. This is an 

 operation that does not hurt the dog in the slightest and gen- 

 erally gives no trouble so that anyone can do it. Care, how- 

 ever, should be taken not to trim them too close. If the nails 

 are not cut they become so long as to force the foot apart and 

 splay feet are often caused in just this way. 



A dog often catches cold in his eyes, which become blood- 

 shot and water. Sponge out the eye with boracic acid, allowing 

 a little to get in the eyes and the trouble will generally disappear 

 in the course of a day or so. Constipation is one of the most 

 common ailments of the house dog and one for which there is 

 absolutely no excuse. It is caused by insufficient exercise and 

 improper feeding and is very easily remedied. A teaspoon of 

 castor oil will generally do the trick if supplemented by a change 

 of diet. Give raw, lean meat and plenty of greens for a few 

 days and the trouble will disappear. It is important to attend 

 to this, for if allowed to go on the complaint will become 

 chronic, the digestion impaired and the general health of the dog 

 suffer severely. Diarrhoea may be so easily cured that there is 

 not the slightest excuse in the world for allowing it to run on to 

 an extent that will -injure the dog. Both of these bowel com- 

 plaints are not in themselves very dangerous, but they point 

 towards a disordered condition and if not taken care of they lead 

 to serious results. The warning that was sounded in the last 

 chapter to go out with your dog when he is let out for his airing 

 may well be repeated here, for how else are we to know if 

 the functions of nature are being properly performed? 



Dogs are affected with two very distinct kinds of coughs, 

 though there are many who think that all arise from the same 

 source. One of the coughs comes from a cold and the other 

 from the stomach, the treatment of each therefore differs ma- 

 terially. Amateurs sometimes experience no little difficulty in 

 determining the real cause of the cough, so a word or two on 

 the subject may be of use. Generally speaking a cough that 

 comes with a cold is not as hard as the one caused by stomach 

 trouble. The stomach cough is a little dry, hacking one, as if 

 there was something in the throat. The cold, also, often shows 

 itself in other places, with watering eyes and running nose., 

 while signs of stomach troubles are frequently in evidence in 

 the other case. The ordinary cold that dogs have can often 



