48 A MANUAL OF TOY DOGS 



Bilious Attacks. A slight chill, in east-windy times 

 of year, or from any undue exposure to cold, will some- 

 times bring on a liver attack in dogs, while some are 

 habitually subject to sick-headache after the manner 

 of their owners. A bilious dog shivers, looks miserable, 

 brings up a little yellow liquid or some froth, alter a 

 good deal of retching, and refuses to eat. Such an 

 attack is always easy to diagnose, because the nose 

 remains, as a rule, cold and moist, while there is no 

 rise in temperature. The same symptoms, with feverish- 

 ness, would probably mean commencing serious illness, 

 necessitating skilled advice ; but without rise of tempera- 

 ture are not important, unless they resist treatment 

 and continue for longer than about twelve hours. The 

 patient should be kept warm, covered up before the 

 fire if the weather is severe, and given a soft pill of three 

 grains of carbonate of bismuth and one grain of bicar- 

 bonate of soda, every four hours, until appetite returns. 



Loss of Appetite is a symptom which should never 

 be disregarded. It may be quite right for the owners 

 of sporting dogs to use the phrase so frequently heard : 

 " Oh, if he won't eat, he's better without it," but want 

 of appetite in a toy dog should never be a matter of 

 indifference to the owner. It may, of course, arise 

 only from previous over-eating, and over-fed dogs are 

 certainly subject to bilious attacks which do not call 

 for much sympathy ; but it is always desirable to 

 assure oneself that nothing more serious is the matter 

 before dismissing the subject. In cases where loss of 

 appetite is the precursor and accompaniment of illness, 

 as in distemper, it would be most unwise to leave the 

 dog to itself, and by allowing it to go without food, 

 pull down the vitality and give the disease a firmer 

 hold. As a general rule, a dog may be allowed to miss 

 one meal without much anxiety ; but, if a second is 

 refused, inquisition should be made, and the tem- 

 perature be taken, without loss of time. A clinical 

 thermometer is a most useful adjunct in the dog-room, 



