214 MISCELLANEOUS 



Hints on Docking.— This operation should be performed when the puppy 

 is from 3 to 5 days old, if healthy and strong. Weaklings it is advisable 

 not to dock before 10 days old. A pair of sharp scissors will be needed. 

 Before severing the tail the skin should be well drawn back towards the 

 body, so that after the tail is cut, the skin overlaps the severed bone. The 

 bleeding as a rule stops very soon. In case it does not stop, some Frair's 

 Balsam should be applied at once. 



The following lengths are advisable. Spaniels, Irish Terriers and 

 Airedales have rather more than half the tail removed. Fox Terriers, 

 about two-fifths. Griffons, about a third of the tail is left. Schipperkes are 

 docked quite close to the rump, or a joint nearer the back, but it is advis- 

 able that this operation should be done by a veterinarian. 



Alum Water, to Make. — One ounce pulverized alum to a quart of water. 

 Lump on Neck. — Litter of bull pups 2 months old; one of them has a 

 large lump,, about as big as a large walnut, under the under jaw. 



Answer. — The swelling is probably an enlarged gland; cut the hair off 

 over the swelling to the extent of a quarter, and paint with tincture of iodine 

 twice a week. 



Bones, Use and Abuse of. — If administered in an intelligent spirit, bones 

 are not only much appreciated, but extremely beneficial to dogs. On the 

 other hand, the wrong sort of bones are liable to cause them much trouble. 

 A large bone, with not too much meat upon it, if given to a dog to gnaw, 

 will keep him amused for hours, and it will also assist in keeping his teeth 

 in order and benefit his digestion, as the gnawing will increase the secre- 

 tion of saliva. A small, hard bone, such as that of a rabbit, or chicken, or 

 lamb chop, may, if swallowed, cause severe inflammation of the intestines, 

 or a sharp point of the bone may wound the dog's inside and so cost him 

 his life. Of course, the danger of either of these occurrences is more or less 

 remote, but it exists all- the same, and therefore the wise dog owner will 

 run no risk. 



The feet of chicken bones are safe, so is the neck, and are a dainty 

 bite for the dog. 



Anthritis (or inflammation of a joint). — The joint usually is swollen 

 nad very painful and the victim is lame and unable to place the foot to the 

 ground. During acute inflammation rest is necessary and applications of 

 either cold or hot water will give relief, or the two may be alternated. The 

 following lotion should be used: Laudanum two drams, Goulard's extract 

 of lead one dram, water to make six ounces. Saturate a piece of lint 

 large enough to go around the joint with' this lotion and cover with a piece 

 •of silk and bandage in position. This dressing should be changed three 

 times a day. Keep the bowels open. 



Calculi (Stones in the Kidney). — This is a very dangerous disorder 

 and fortunately not of common occurrence. The principal symptom that 

 will likely first attract the owner's attention is the passage of blood with 

 the urine. In severe cases this will be accompanied with pus. The dog, at 

 times, seems very ill and the temperature will run up to 103 or 104 and 

 then subside. There is a rapid loss of condition and a general decline; 

 pressure over the loins is very painful. It should be remembered, however, 

 before diagnosing a case on this latter symptom alone that all dogs will 

 flinch if the hand is passed over the back and loins even lightly. Death 

 from calculi is the result of uremic poisoning. The treatment consists in 

 careful dieting, keeping the bowels open, so that they will do as much of 

 the kidney's work as possible, and the application of poultices or hot appli- 

 cations to the loins to relieve the severe pain. The diet should consist largely 

 of milk diluted with rain water, fresh boiled fish, tripe and well-cooked 

 rice. As an aperient give bicarbonate of potash one dram, boro citrate of 

 magnesia one ounce, hyposulphite of soda one ounce; mix and give from 

 one-fourth of a teaspoonful to a teaspoonful three times a day, depending 

 upon the size of the dog. The medicine can be mixed with water or milk. 



Refusing to Eat. — When a well dog refuses to eat, it is simply an 

 evidence that the system is not in condition to receive food, and that Nature, 

 the most reliable of healers, has decreed a fast. It should be allowed to 



