INTESTINAL PARASITES. 323 



that have not reached the eighth week unless quite 

 pronounced symptoms of worms have been manifested. 

 Also, that instead of dosing all puppies as soon as, or 

 shortly after, they have reached this age, exceptions 

 should be made of little ones born of house pets and 

 kept in clean quarters ; in whom evidences of worms are 

 never likely to be overlooked, since it is necessary to 

 renew the lining of their basket or box several times 

 daily, and mucous discharges or worms expelled must be 

 at once noted. 



But where puppies are born in kennels and these signs 

 of worms are not likely to be detected promptly, to give 

 a vermifuge soon after the eighth week would probably 

 be advisable ; and yet he whose puppies were thriving 

 well and free from all signs of the pests would often be 

 the gainer by waiting a week or two before applying the 

 "worming treatment." 



The first vermifuge to be given puppies is wormseed 

 oil ; and this failing, santonin should be tried. 



It occurs here that there is quite prevalent a mistaken 

 idea about santonin which it will be well to uncover before 

 goins further. This notion is, that no matter how san- 

 tonin is given — whether the crystals alone, in powders or 

 solutions — it has invariably the same effect. As a matter 

 of fact this drug as ordinarily administered is dissolved by 

 the gastric juice; and the solution takes place so rapidly 

 that even large doses are generallyabsorbed in the stomach 

 and do not enter the intestines, the habitat of the worms. 

 Obviously, therefore, it should not be given in powder, 

 for much, if not all, of it would be taken up in the circula- 

 tion, and failing to reach the worms — turning out of its 

 course as it were to avoid th°m — its vermicidal effects 

 would be largely, if not entirely, wasted. Moreover, by 

 this rapid absorption its constitutional and poisonous effect 



