LAXATIVES AND PURGATIVES. 87 



pulmonary congestion, and deposits of fat, which would obstruct 

 the visceral functions. Laxatives are good preventives against 

 that habitual costiveness common to dogs and all other carnivo- 

 rous animals : such, therefore, as are flesh-fed should have this 

 tendency obviated by laxatives ; and the best which offers itself is 

 a portion of vegetable matter with their flesh food: potatoes, or 

 even greens, can always be procured, and will answer the purpose. 

 This is the more necessary, for costiveness sometimes occasions 

 fatal obstructions ; and a costive habit brings on fistulae, and also 

 affords encouragement to the breeding of worms. — Medicinal lax- 

 atives are numerous. Epsom salts (sulphate of magnesia), dose 

 one drachm to two; castor oil, two drachms to four; syrup of 

 buckthorn, the same quantity; will either of them answer this end, 

 the quantities being increased if those mentioned are not found 

 sufficient : but as these directions are intended to meet the tender 

 pet of the drawing-room, as well as the strong inhabitant of the 

 kennel, so it is prudent to specify the minor dose : more may be 

 added, but it is too late to subtract when too much has been given. 

 Purgatives may be made by increasing the doses of any of the 

 laxatives. Jalap is not a bad purgative to dogs, but it is uncertain, 

 some being little affected by it ; rhubarb is equally so ; senna I 

 have no experience of; gamboge is very drastic; calomel is an 

 excellent auxiliary to other purgatives on some occasions ; but 

 given alone it is apt to deceive, by proving more emetic than pur- 

 gative : neither will the stomach or bowels bear a sufficient quan- 

 tity without producing much derangement in the system, as violent 

 vomiting, tenesmus, and sometimes sudden salivation. Aloes form 

 the safest general purge to dogs ; and such are the peculiarities of 

 the canine bowels, that while a man can take with impunity as 

 much calomel as would kill two large dogs, a moderate sized dog 

 will take a quantity of aloes sufficient to destroy two stout men. 

 The smallest dog can take fifteen or twenty grains ; half a drachm 

 is seldom too much, but the smaller dose had better be tried first : 

 medium sized dogs usually require a drachm, and some large dogs 

 have taken more than two drachms : I have given three to a strong 



