DISEASES 129 



will be general. When it arises from injury to the spine, it is the parts 

 behind that power , that are affected. Paralysis often follows distemper; 

 the hindquarters suffer; in severe cases the dog losing the use of his hind 

 legs, dragging them along. In such a case the muscles of the thigh will 

 soon shrivel, and a cure is very rare. Chronic constipation also produces 

 paralysis, and may come, as the result of general debility and old age. 

 Believers in dumb rabies say that paralysis of the lower jaw renders the 

 animal incapable of biting. Most everyone is familiar with the appearance 

 of paralysis, the loss of muscular power and constant wasting away of the 

 muscles in the part affected. Paralysis may be general, but is in most 

 cases confined to one set of muscles, ranging from a slight tottering gait to 

 complete loss of power and inability to walk. Loss of power and wasting 

 of the hindquarter may also be caused by tapeworm. So long as the dog 

 can use his limbs he should be given regular gentle exercise. The food 

 must be nourishing and rather laxative. Oatmeal porridge mixed with a 

 strong beef or mutton broth, every other day, will generally have a gentle 

 action on the bowels, with a meal once a week of boiled liver, which will 

 have a laxative effect. 



If the disease is connected with debility the strength must be gotten 

 up by extra food, giving more than usual of cooked meat, in small quan- 

 tities but fed oftener than usual. The medicines in paralysis are tonics, and 

 strychnine — the active principle of nux vomica — which has a special power 

 over the muscles and nerves. One to three grains of powdered nux vomica, 

 according to size and age of the dog, or from one-twentieth to of?e-six- 

 teenth of a grain of strychnine, with two to six grains of extract of gen- 

 tian, and one or two grains of quinine made into a pill. Great care must 

 be used in compounding the pills, containing as they do such a powerful 

 drug as strychnine. Give a pill twice a day. In mild cases of paralysis, 

 syrup of the phosphates, with strychnia (called Easten's syrup), is often 

 of great service. In lieu of the latter tonics, a handier thing to do is to 

 use Sergeant's Condition Pills, which contain strychnine and other good 

 tonic properties. In paralysis of the hind legs the bladder generally par- 

 ticipates, the dog being unable to stand, and cannot pass the urine freely. 

 Use the catheter in such cases night and morning, or the dog held up and 

 pressure applied to each side in the region of the bladder to expel its con- 

 tents. As a preventive of bed sores and congestion of one lung turn the 

 dog over occasionally. 



Here is a case that was prescribed for by Dent: 



"Please prescribe for my English setter dog, eight months old. Last 

 November I hunted him through the month, in December he lost the use 

 of his hindlegs, and in January seemed to lose the use" of all four legs; 

 appetite was good at all times, eyes were bright, nose cold, seemed in 

 perfect health except in his legs. I doctored him a while for rheumatism 

 but stopped about four weeks ago, and about one week ago he seemed 

 to get a little better. Can now use his front legs, can manage to sit up 

 and draw himself around with a half limp, the back legs being useless now. 

 Will he get well and is it rheumatism or is he paralyzed? Ans. — Give a 

 teaspoonful of the syrup of hypophosphites three times a day, also give 

 one-half grain of nux vomica twice a day. It is paralysis." 



