CUTS — CUTTING TEETH 



Cuts may be either punctured, such as stabs : incised, 

 which are the results of a clean wound : contused when 

 they are associated with bruises, or lacerated when the 

 flesh is torn. The first thing to do in either case is to 

 stop the bleeding, which may usually be accomplished by 

 applying either cold or very hot — not tepid — water to the 

 wound either by gently dabbing it with a clean piece of 

 soft linen or sponge, or else by allowing the water to 

 trickle down on to it from above. This will also assist 

 in cleansing the cut from any grit or other foreign sub- 

 stance which may have got into it. In the case of a deep 

 wound it may be necessary to use a syringe for the same 

 purpose, and in a severe one stitches may have to be put 

 in. When the bleeding ceases a bandage may be applied. 

 (See Bandaging, Bleeding, Stitching Wounds.) 



Cutting Nails. — A dog which gets plenty of exercise, 

 especially if it is taken on the road, will generally wear 

 his nails as short as it is necessary to keep them. When, 

 however, animals which enjoy very little running about are 

 concerned, the best sort of scissors to use are the short, 

 plier-like apparatus which are provided with a spring. If 

 the dog is fidgety when his nails are being cut he should 

 be held by an assistant, and in any case every care should 

 be taken to avoid removing too much, as if the nail bleeds 

 the consequences may be serious, for the wound may fester. 



Cutting" Teeth.: — Puppies as a rule do not suffer much 

 from teething troubles, though unless care is taken to 

 remove the first or milk teeth when they become loose 

 they are liable to interfere with the second ones being cut 

 properly, and so the latter may grow uneven, which will 

 prejudice the value of the dog. The first set of teeth 

 commence to appear when the puppies are a few weeks 

 old, and generally commence to become loose and fall 

 out when they are between six and seven months of age, 

 but the times vary in the case of different animals, though 



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