DISEASES 71 



medicine wasted. I find very little trouble in giving any dog medicine 

 for I go at him easy and gently, talking to him and thus giving him to 

 understand that his doctor is his friend. There are few dogs that you 

 cannot talk to and reason with, kind treatment very soon winning their 

 confidence. You can, of course, tell when ear is cured as the discharge and 

 offensive smell ceases, ear looks healthy and dog has stopped scratching 

 and shaking his head. 



It cannot 'be too firmly insisted upon that, whenever a dog is suffer- 

 ing from ear canker or from any eruption or skin disease, it is quite neces- 

 sary to give a good internal medicine as it is to apply a suitable external 

 lotion. The only blood medicine known to many dog fanciers is sulphur. 

 A new prescription, therefore, may not be out of place here. The follow- 

 ing may be made up into pills, and will prove an excellent all-round 

 tonic and blood purifier. Take of: 



Sulphate of iron (dried) 12 grains 



Sulphate of quinine 6 grains 



Bicarbonate of soda (dried) 24 grains 



Liquorice Root Powder and Extract of Gentian — Sufficient of each to 



form a suitable mass. 



Divide the above Into twelve pills, one of which morning and night 

 will do for a dog of 20 lbs. More or less in proportion for other dogs. 

 Or Dent's or Clayton's Blood Purifying Pills are also both good to use, 

 in old or very bad cases. This cannot be done with one box perhaps, any 

 more than you could cure yourself with a single bottle of spring medi- 

 cine if your blood was out of order, so keep up treatment until desired 

 result has been accomplished. 



Ear Canker, External. — This generally follows or appears in connec- 

 tion with internal canker, due to the poisonous discharge from ear, caus- 

 ing sores on the flap or edges of ear. The tears and scratches from briars 

 and thorns in working hunting dogs in close coverts, if not given attention, 

 may also set up external caker. Exteral canker is a sore or sores much 

 of the nature of a cancer, a sore appearing on the outside or inside of 

 the ear which eats a hole through to the other side if- not arrested. It 

 is much harder t© cure than internal canker. It often exists as a se- 

 quence of inflammation, ulceration, or suppuration of the internal passage. 

 External canker often starts, especially- in hounds and pointers, or any 

 long-eared dogs, with a small sore that gradually eats into the flap until 

 it makes a slit in the ear that continues to grow deeper, and will be per- 

 haps a quarter inch wide. This will be scabbed over on edges of the slit 

 with a thin scab, bleeding a good deal, due to dog c'ontin»allv shaking his 

 head,- Make a hood or cap of a piece of canvas of sufficient length to 

 reach around the dog's head, having two pieces of tape running through 

 a hem at each side lengthwise, by which you can draw the cap tight enough 

 around the dogs' neck behind tho ears, and aga'n, just above the eyes, 

 tying them underneath. This hood or cap prevents dog from irritating the 

 ears by flapping them. 



