CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES. 367 



pain be excessive, a dose of Dover's powder may be 

 given unnecessary, however, if phenacetin be used. The 

 bowels should be free, and the food bland and readily 

 digestible. It may be well to wrap up the joints in cotton- 

 wool. During convalescence, tonics, etc., may be needed. 



In the subacute form the alkaline treatment may prove 

 more successful. 



In the chronic form, commoner in old dogs and in ani- 

 mals that go much into water, the treatment must be dif- 

 ferent. Counter-irritation will generally prove helpful, 

 using tincture of iodine, St. George's paint, the iodine 

 ointment, or red-oxide-of -mercury ointment in the pro- 

 portion of, say, one to twelve of lard or vaseline, watching 

 the effect so that actual blistering may not occur. Some- 

 times sedative liniments or ointments will answer a better 

 purpose, such as the belladonna liniment, the chloroform 

 liniment, or equivalent ointments. Dogs will not usually 

 lick off these liniments, though they -may the ointments. 

 They are, moreover, often useful in all the other forms of 

 rheumatism, including the muscular. 



Internally, iodide of potassium, syrup of the iodide of 

 iron, tincture of iron, etc., are of great value. At times 

 a rheumatic affection, especially the chronic form, is very 

 intractable, and renders the dog's life wretched. 



Muscular rheumatism may be treated with hot fomen- 

 tations, medicated with opiates (poppy-heads) or bella- 

 donna at first ; later by counter-irritation in mild form. 

 Little constitutional treatment is usually called for. 



Distemper. Distemper is an acute contagious disease 

 that tends to run a definite course. It has been compared 

 to typhoid and to typhus fever in man, and distemper or 



