CHAPTER VII 



COMMON AILMENTS 



THE terrier owner is a " lucky devil," for his 

 dogs do not, as a rule, spend a great deal 

 of time in the hospital. All members of 

 the terrier family, from the giant of the race, the 

 Airedale, way down to little Scottie, owe a big 

 debt to nature for having blessed them with re- 

 markably robust constitutions. They do not 

 catch cold from every draft; they throw off 

 the various contagious diseases ; even when really 

 sick, they make wonderfully rapid recoveries. 



All dog flesh, however, is heir to certain 

 diseases, and even the most healthy and strong are 

 not exceptions to this rule. Many of the books 

 on doggy subjects are so deep and technical that 

 the poor novice who has waded through their 

 sonorous and involved phrases is really more at 

 sea about how to treat his sick dog than before 

 he took them from the shelf. Other books on 

 dogs, especially the popular ones, are so brief in 

 their descriptions that no amount of study of 

 them can teach much. It is my object to steer 

 between these two extremes and to tell something 



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