176 PITS. 



whenever he hunted, I recommended a removal into a 

 country more plentifully supplied with game than his neigh- 

 bourhood afforded ; the consequence of which was, that 

 though, for a few days after his removal, he had fits more 

 frequently than ever, yet they gradually lessened, and at 

 length wholly left him. Some dogs however, and particu- 

 larly fat ones who exercise much, have fits merely from the 

 repletion of the vessels of the head : in these cases, bleeding-, 

 an occasional purgative, and a seton worn some time in the 

 neck, prove useful. It may be added, that whenever fits have 

 become habitual, a seton should be made at the back of the 

 neck, and kept open some months. Fear in irritable dogs 

 produces fits, of which I have seen innumerable instances, 

 and have already noticed some of them. 



A very distressing and dangerous kind of epileptic fits 

 sometimes attacks bitches while suckling. In these cases it 

 arises from the owners being anxious to rear too many pup- 

 pies, by which they burthen the mother beyond her powers : 

 the consequence is an attack of convulsions, which fre- 

 quently destroys the animal. — >See Pupping. — Teething in 

 puppies will sometimes produce fits; but some sportsmen, 

 aware of this, fall into another extreme, and consider all the 

 fits of young dogs to originate from this cause ; when by far 

 the greater number of these attacks are the effect of worms, 

 or the precursors of distemper. 



The fits that are the consequence of distemper, may be 

 usually discovered by the other attendant symptoms : some- 

 times, however, a fit is the very first symptom, in which case 

 it is remarkable, that it often augurs nothing unfavourable : 

 but when a fit comes on some time after distemper has made 

 its appearance, the animal seldom recovers. The convulsions 

 accompanying distemper are more frequent in winter than in 

 summer, which shews that warmth is one of the best preven- 

 tives against these attacks. This species of epilepsy usually 

 commences its attack on the head, beginning with the 

 muscles of the face and jaws, producing a quick champing of 

 the mouth, with a shaking of the head, a distortion of the 



