DISEASES OF DOGS. 



A WORK of this kind will not admit of an anatomical dis- 

 play of the internal organs, nor of a minute inquiry into the 

 animal economy of the dog. In the present state of canine 

 medicine, it is sufficient to be aware, that the viscera of this 

 animal bear so close a resemblance in anatomical structure to 

 the same parts in the human subject, that to study the one, is 

 to gain an acquaintance with the other. 



This resemblance is particularly striking between the or- 

 gans concerned in the assimilation of food, and which is not 

 to be wondered at, when we consider that both the subjects 

 they belong to are omnivorous; and to which cause it is 

 probable we must attribute the close affinity that exists be- 

 tween their diseases also. This similarity of disease does 

 not, however, equally extend to all the domestic animals 

 around us. On the contrary, in some of them, the analogy 

 wholly fails, and to this it is owing that the medical treat- 

 ment of dogs has hitherto made such small progress. The 

 human physician thinks the matter beneath his notice, and 

 the veterinarian finds it beyond bis comprehension. I have 

 had innumerable opportunities of witnessing, and lamenting, 

 this total want of experience and information on canine medi- 

 cine, even among the best veterinarians ; and until it is studied 

 as a distinct branch of art, it will remain so. 



Not only do the maladies of the canine race very nearly 

 resemble those of the human species, in cause, appearance, 

 and effect ; but the similarity is extended to the number and 

 variety of them also ; as may be seen by a reference to the 

 nosological catalogue, where many complaints will be found 



