DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS. Q$ 



Causes. — Usually in pet dogs pampered with highly seasoned 

 articles of food, in excessive quantity, and deprived of exercise. 

 A change of food or temperature, a «;mart walk or run, or 

 indeed any exercise will bring it on. 



Symptoms. — Corpulence is a constant condition at the outset, 

 though the subject may be emaciated and worn out in the 

 advanced stages. A slight cough becomes frequent, hard, and 

 sonorous, with habitually laboured breathmg, aggravated at 

 intervals so as to threaten suffocation. Then the patient stands 

 with open mouth, pendent tongue, and staring eyeballs, panting 

 for breath, and having his condition rendered still more threaten- 

 ing by every change of position or cause of excitement. The 

 frequency and severity of the attacks serve as a means of 

 estimating the danger of the patient. In the intervals between 

 these paroxysms may be noticed signs of indigestion, in a 

 variable appetite, perhaps vomiting, a tumid tympanitic (bloated) 

 abdomen, constipation and piles. The skin is dry, harsh, and 

 bald in patches, the teeth covered with tartar, and the breath 

 foetid. 



Treatment. — i. During a paroxysm. — Cause to inhale ether, 

 chloroform, the fumes of burning stramonium, or of burning 

 paper which has been steeped in a strong solution of nitre ; or 

 one or two teaspoonfuls of laudanum with 2 oz. castor-oil may 

 be thrown into the gut as an injection. Or if there is reason 

 to suspect overloading of the stomach, shake a grain of tartar 

 emetic on the tongue. 



2. In the into-vals between the paroxysttis. — Check any exist- 

 ing bronchitis or pneumonia, as advised in the earlier pages of 

 the book, and restrict to a very moderate diet of oat-meal or 

 corn-meal mush, with skim-milk or buttermilk. Exercise well, 

 but in no case for three hours after feeding. Give a laxative of 

 castor-oil twice a week. Wash frequently with soap, drying 

 afterward by rubbing, and brush daily. A daily sedative 

 (stramonium, tartar emetic) is beneficial, but in advanced 



