322 TREATMENT OF COMMON AILMENTS 



is a most troublesome thing to combat, and often is 

 incurable. The remedies mentioned under Eczema 

 may be tried. 



After the temperature has been normal for a few 

 days convalescence may be assisted by a tonic. 



Finally, let me give another warning never to 

 underrate the nature of the disease. This tendency 

 is, I am convinced, responsible for a large number 

 of deaths. When the animal is doing well we are 

 apt to relax our efforts, and to congratulate ourselves 

 on having done so well where others have failed. 

 It is riot easy to persuade people that a dog suffer- 

 ing with distemper varies from day to day. For 

 two or three days he appears to be well on the road 

 to recovery, and then he goes back again worse than 

 ever. I am not an alarmist, but simply giving the 

 fruits of my experience. 



DROPSY. Dropsy must be regarded as sympto- 

 matic of kidney or heart trouble. It is shown by 

 the distendeol abdomen, while, as a rule, the legs are 

 also swollen and puffy. Give a purgative of from 

 8 to 15 grains of jalap, and then gin thrice daily 

 after food, a teaspoonful being the quantity for a 

 dog of medium size. 



DYSENTERY. At first symptoms similar to diar- 

 rhoea, but afterwards blood will appear in the 

 motions, while there will be tenderness of the 

 abdomeri. Commence treatment with a dose of 

 castor-oil, containing laudanum, from half to a table- 

 spoonful of the former, with from 3 to 1 5 drops of 

 the sedative ; then carbonate of bismuth, as in 

 diarrhoea, and, if necessary, a; starch enema with 

 laudanum. 



EAR, CANKER OF. The sufferer shakes his head, 



