54 A MANUAL OF TOY DOGS 



sible for a healthy, meat-fed dog to become accidentally 

 infected by swallowing tape-worm ova, and in such 

 a case a few of the parasites may be harboured for a 

 considerable time, not increasing, but now and then 

 making their presence manifest. Infection is possible 

 by the swallowing of fleas, which are intermediate hosts 

 of tape-worm, or by eating the insides of rabbits, which 

 usually swarm with these creatures, or, in the opinion 

 of some authorities, by sniffing the ova up through the 

 nasal passages and subsequently swallowing them. As, 

 however, one cannot always be certain that the appar- 

 ently healthy dog is not a trifle below par, it is always 

 well to treat him with a course of iron, giving the powders 

 or tonic pills advised for anaemia for a month, and at the 

 expiration of that period, when the system is toned up 

 so that the worms' position is almost untenable, and 

 their expulsion will be final, one or two vermifuge doses 

 may be given. All sorts of quack remedies have been 

 praised and boomed as infallible, but many are ex- 

 ceedingly drastic, and some positively dangerous. Areca 

 nut, so frequently advised, is a most violent irritant, 

 actually poisonous in its effects on young puppies, 

 and a very cruel remedy in all cases. Wormseed oil, 

 an American preparation, possibly from one of the 

 inulas, a family of plants known in English gardens, 

 is sometimes an ingredient ; also such highly unsuitable, 

 inert, useless, or dangerous substances as sulphate of 

 magnesia, salt, or cowhage, with strong doses of san- 

 tonine, a drug that should never be given in unknown 

 quantity. A violent purgative action often accom- 

 panies these secret remedies, adding to their danger. 

 The intelligent dog owner should know what he is 

 giving, and to some extent understand its action ; but 

 in a country where quack, much-advertised medicines 

 are largely given to children, I suppose it will be difficult 

 to prevent their being also administered to dogs. In 

 any case, no worm medicine whatever, of any sort or 

 kind, other than an iron tonic, should be given to young 

 puppies, no known drug possessing a stronger action 



