SORE FEET. 



249 



Still, however, it is only when all this has much increased, or has been 

 neglected, that any permanently dangerous consequences take place. 

 When violent inflammation has set in, the feet must be carefully attended 

 to, or the dog may be lamed for life. One or two physic-balls may be 

 given ; all salted meat should be removed, and the animal supplied with 

 food without being compelled to move from his bed. The feet should be 

 bathed with warm water, and a poultice of linseed meal applied to them 

 twice in the day. If, as is too often the case, he should tear this off, the feet 

 should be often fomented. It is bad practice in any master of dogs to 

 suffer them to be at all neglected when there are any tokens of inflamma- 

 tion of the feet. The neglect of even a few days may render a dog a 

 cripple for life. If there are evident appearances of pus collecting about 

 the claws, or any part of the feet, the abscess should be opened, well 

 bathed with warm water, and friar's balsam applied to the feet. 



When the feet have been neglected, the nail is apt to grow very rapidly, 

 and curve round and penetrate into the foot. The forceps should be ap- 

 plied, and the claws reduced to their proper size. 



If there are any indications of fever, or if the dog should be continually 

 lying down, or he should hold up his feet, and keep them apart as much 

 as he can, scarifications or poultices, or both, should be resorted to. 



When the feet of a dog become sore in travelling, the foolish habit of 

 washing them with brine should never be permitted, although it is very 

 commonly resorted to. Warm fomentations, or warm pot-liquor, or 

 poultices of linseed meal should be applied, or, if matter is apparently 

 forming, the lancet may be resorted to. 



Dogs are frequently sent to the hospital with considerable redness between 

 the toes and ichorous discharge, and the toes thickened round the base of 

 the nails, as if they were inclined to drop off. The common alterative 

 medicine should be given, and a lotion composed of hydrarg. oxym. gr. vi., 

 alcohol 3J., et aq. calcis Siiij-, should be applied to the feet three times 

 every day. Leathern gloves should be sewn on them. These cases are 

 often very obstinate. 



Generally speaking, the dog has five toes on the fore feet, and four on 

 the hind feet, with a mere rudiment of a fifth metatarsal bone in some 

 feet; but, in others, the fifth bone is long and well proportioned, and 

 advances as far as the origin of the first phalanx of the neighbouring toe. 



