]96 LOOSENESS, OR PURGING. 



cases, the stools are less liquid, but more g"lairy and frothy ; 

 the state of the bowels varies also from day to day, being- at 

 one time loose, and at another costive. 



When diarrhoea continues for many days, the rectum be- 

 comes inflamed and sli^^htly ulcerated within the fundament, 

 by which a constant irritation and tenesmus are kept up ; and 

 the poor animal, feeling- as though he wanted to evacuate, is 

 continually trying- to bring something- away. On observing- 

 this, persons are frequently led into error ; for, under a sup- 

 position that there exists actual costiveness at the time, they 

 give purg-ing medicines, which greatly aggravate the com- 

 plaint, and frequently destroy the dog-. When the diarrhoea 

 is considerable, there is always violent thirst, and cold w^ter 

 is sought after with great eagerness ; but which increases the 

 evil, and, therefore, should be removed, and broth or rice- 

 water should be substituted in its room. When diarrhoea 

 has continued many days, particularly in the malignant dis- 

 temper, it often takes on something of a dysenteric appear- 

 ance, from the mucous surface of the intestines becoming in- 

 flamed, and throwing off their mucous secretion in great quan- 

 tities with every motion. 



The cure of diat^rhoea must depend on the light in which 

 we are led to consider it ; whether as a disease of itself, or 

 as merely the symptom of some other existing disease. For 

 instance, a bilious purging, which comes on suddenly with 

 violent vomiting, is best removed by evacuants to carry off 

 the vitiated bile from the bowels. In the looseness occasion- 

 ed by worms also, purgatives or other vermifuges should be 

 made use of to remove the cause, and not astringents, which 

 would merely apply to the effect. But when diarrhoea ap- 

 pears an idiopathic affection, that is, as a diseased action of 

 the bowels themselves, and also when it is produced by dis- 

 temper, it should in either case be immediately checked, or 

 it may produce such weakness and emaciation as will destroy 

 the dog. In the distemper it is particularly necessary to 

 check the looseness very early ; for when it is continued be- 

 yond the third or fourth day, its invariable effect is to destroy 



