54 DISEASES 



V 



becomes weak and wasting in flesh, and you haven't found the cause. In 

 such cases Eberhart's Tonic Pills are just what the dog should have for 

 a few weeks, as they can do no harm, but will do great good in building a 

 run down dog up, create an appetite and work on all the organs, invigorat- 

 ing the system. They are different from other condition pills, as they 

 contain no arsenic or "dope" of any kind. Add to the dogs diet for 

 a few days, some raw, lean beef cut up fine, sprinkled with a little pepsin, 

 once a day. Also look for any symptoms of divergence from health which 

 may indicate the cause of the trouble. 



Docking Tails — While this is not a disease, yet it happens frequently 

 that puppies suffer not a little from this being clumsily done. It is not a 

 painful operation if properly done and before puppy is weaned. Fox ter- 

 riers, poodles and a few other breeds should have their tails docked to 

 conform to present bench show requirements. An old superstition exists 

 with some people yet that a tail must be bitten off, which is simply erron- 

 eous and disgusting. Never use a shears or scissors as the pinching before 

 the cut would cause more pain than the cutting. Before you are ready to 

 cut the tail get an ounce of tincture of iron. .Have a solid block or table, 

 have an assistant hold the puppy up to it with its tail laid on the block; 

 calculate how long or short a tail you want (three inches is about right), 

 then let assistant hold puppy up to table with tail lying on it; have a sharp 

 butcher knife ready, and with one quick and rapid cut the tail is off. Tip 

 your bottle of tincture of iron up to and against the end of tail and drop 

 your pup down in the yard. I have docked the tails of a litter of poodle 

 pups when not one of them gave a cry or yelp from the operation, but 

 did not seem to notice it at all and went on playing as usual as if nothing 

 had occurred. The mother will lick and take care of the tails, and they 

 will heal up in due time. Pull the skin back with your left hand when 

 you are ready to do the cutting. 



Dysentery. — This is a more dangerous disease than diarrhea, which, 

 when protracted, sometimes causes it, and may be described as diarrhea 

 in its most aggravated form; there is generally feverishness present, con- 

 siderable pain, and the evacuations are often black in color and very offen- 

 sive, and followed by discharge of a gelationous-like substance mixed with 

 blood. The loss of strength is very rapid, and the dog must be supported 

 by drenching with beef tea and a little port wine in it, the medicine and 

 general treatment being the same as in diarrhea. In one case of this kind, 

 in a retriever, I gave two doses of twenty drops of chlorodyne with very 

 good effect. The discharges in dysentery are immediately caused by in- 

 flammation of the mucous membrane lining in intestines, and are distin- 

 guished from diarrhea by containing no fecal matter except occasionally 

 wTaen it is voided in lumps; but the ordinary evacuations in dysentery, 

 although they vary in appearance, are generally slimy looking and com- 

 posed of mucus mixed with blood, and in the advanced stages of the 

 disease pus is discharged and shreds of the mucus membrane, very offen- 

 sive in character. The disease is very weakening, causes great pain and 



