49^ DOGS USED FOR SPORT. 



skin, interspersed here and there with pustules. The hair falls 

 off; young animals more especially, being frequently rendered 

 almost void of covering. 



With puppies, the cause must be looked for in the milk which 

 the parent provides for their nourishment, and the food of the 

 bitch must be carefully looked to, and an entire vegetable diet sub- 

 stituted. We must also restore power, and remove the cause, 

 which is sometimes difficult to determine. 



The cause must be looked for either in the food or in the sur- 

 roundings of the animals themselves. If there is defective ventila- 

 tion, or the kennel is placed in a damp situation, exposed to noxious 

 malarious vapors, or noisome odors from the sewers or stables, we 

 may with tolerable safety assign these as the cause. Insufficient 

 food is another, as is neglect of exercise and habits of cleanliness ; 

 or, again, it may be the consequence of some organic disease, of 

 local weakening of the tissues, as in dropsy, or of general and local 

 weakening, as in old age. 



The treatment opens with saline laxatives as Rochelle salts (i6 

 or 36), or a cathartic and alterative dose of calomel may be advis- 

 able, to remove any irritant matters or secretions that may be 

 present in the alimentary canal, or in the ducts of the liver and 

 kidneys ; sometimes we may conjoin a tonic with an aperient as 

 the citrate of potash in solution with quinine, from which after 

 sufficient action has been obtained, we change to the citrate of iron 

 and quinine. Iodide of potassium for nursing bitches, combined 

 with columba (38) will probably be the most serviceable, alternat- 

 ing with quinine and queveenes iron, (39) avoiding acids ; but in 

 other cases great benefit will be found from elixir of vitriol and 

 tincture or fluid extract of cinchona, (40) or nitro-muriatic acid and 

 fluid extract of gentian or cinchona (41). Puppies when nursing 

 need little or no medicine, that which is administered to the parent 

 being all sufficient. 



For external applications, the muriate of ammonia pomade 

 (No. 30) or a moderate solution of borax (47) applied to the skin 

 will be all sufficient. 



Having used vegetable diet for a few days, beef or mutton 

 soup strained, may be mixed with the rice — rice and potatoes being 

 the best diet. 



