32 DISEASES 



vious to application, have been smeared with the following preparation 

 whilst warm: Take Venice turpentine, Burgundy pitch, equal parts; melt 

 and smear over the bandage whilst hot. If much swelling occurs, it will 

 be necessary to slacken the bandages, and, in most cases, it will be requisite 

 to muzzle the dog to prevent him tearing off the splints. Perfect rest will 

 be required, and the general health attended to. The time it will take 

 for the bones to unite is uncertain, but always tedious. 



Unless you feel capable of handling the case properly yourself you had 

 better call in a verterinarian or your family physician. Your druggist could 

 do this in case neither the veterinarian or doctor could be had. 



Bowels, Obstruction of the (Constipation or Costiveness) Dogs kept 



in the house and not exercised sufficiently, or improperly fed, are particularly 

 liable to constipation. Bones, while excellent and almost necessary to a 

 dog's health, yet an excessive use of them is to be avoided, also any one 

 kind of dry food, and no dog should be kept constantly on one kind of food, 

 as want of exercise and the absence of necessary variety in the food are 

 the principal causes of constipation. 



When looked upon as a disease itself, or as a symptom and attendant 

 on other diseases, it is always troublesome and often becomes dangerous. 

 The feces accumulate and get pressed into hardened lumps, the belly is 

 distended and hard, the colic pains occur, driving the dog almost frantic 

 and causing him to run about blindly, stumbling over different obstacles 

 in this way, and to give utterance every now and the nto sharp howls of 

 pain. All this pain and misery that the poor dog has to suffer in nearly 

 every case, is the result of neglect of proper rules which every dog owner 

 should, in common justice to the dog, be acquainted with and observe. But 

 the evil does not end here, for it is the too common practice to rush into 

 one of commission quite as great or greater — namely, the common practice 

 in constipation of resorting to strong purgatives, such as epsom salts, jalop, 

 calomel, etc., the consequence of giving which is to render the evil worse 

 by forcing the feces into still less compass when it becomes more impacked 

 and hardened than before. The proper course to follow is, when the dog 

 is in great pain, administer a dose of the anti-spasmodic drops. Compound 

 spirits of sulphuric ether and tincture of opium (laudanum) equal parts. 

 Mix and keep in a well-stoppered bottle in a cool place. The dose for a 

 20-lb. to 30-lb. dog would be a small teaspoonful given in about two 

 tablespoonfuls of milk, gruel or other liquid. Success in relieving the pa- 

 tient is best obtained by mechanical means. Clysters of thin oatmeal gruel 

 or soap and water, lukewarm, and containing about one ounce of castor 

 oil in each half pint, must be used continuously for some time, in fact till 

 the desired object has been attained. This end will be greatly facili- 

 tated by first introducing the finger, oiled, into the rectum, and removing as 

 much of the hard lumps of feces as can be reached. Assistance will also 

 be given to the action of the clysters by gently pressing or kneading the 

 belly at intervals with the hand. It is necessary that everything should 

 be done with the greatest gentleness; boisterous conduct and rough hand- 

 ling being likely to alarm the patient and cause him to do himself irre- 



