36 EVERYTHING ABOUT DOGS. 



healthy litter of pups. This was an exception, however, as, being a nervous 

 trouble, it is transmitable, and I would not advise using either a bitch or a dog 

 for breeding purposes that was so afflicted. It is, of course, unpleasant to see a 

 dog constantly twitching or jerking, but so long as they do not suffer I think it 

 my duty to let them live. 



"This most distressing complaint arises from some derangement of the 

 nervous system, and generally exists as a sequence of distemper, when it is known 

 among kennel men as "the twitch." Chorea, or St. Vitus' dance, may, however, 

 arise from other causes, producing a disturbing effect on the nervous system such 

 as a severe injury or blow on the head, the irritation caused by worms, or long- 

 continued impaired digestion. By far the most common cause, however, is dis 

 temper, the brain receiving some injury in that variety of the disease known as 

 "Head Distemper." The symptom indicating chorea is a peculiar involuntary 

 convulsive twitching of the muscles. These spasmodic movements or jerkings 

 may be either partial or general, but usually partial. One or both hind legs are 

 affected, or the twitching extend to the muscles of the fore legs, neck and 

 shoulders, in which case the head is bobbed up and down in a silly, helpless 

 manner. Sometimes the eyelids and muscles of the face are affected, but whatever 

 part of the body is attacked the peculiar twitching or jerking is always unmis- 

 takable. When the hind quarters are the seat of the disease the dog will some- 

 times suddenly drop one of the limbs from the hip joint, apparently from sudden 

 loss of power or command over the guiding muscles. The weakness is strongly 

 shown when the dog attempts to jump -onto a chair or the lap, which he fails to 

 do, and generally falls helplessly on his side "all in a heap." There are very few 

 dogs severely afflicted with chorea that ever get completely cured. When the 

 attack is but slight the dog may live for years and prove a useful animal, as, 

 except in severe cases, it does not seem to greatly impair the general health. The 

 constant twitching is, however, so annoying a sight to most people that few would 

 care to keep a dog thus afflicted. Although dogs carefully and properly treated 

 in distemper are less likely to suffer from this disease, yet it will occasionally 

 occur in the best-managed kennels, and so I must proceed to consider its treat 

 ment. The iirst thing to be done is to attend to the general health, and especially 

 to see that the bowels are in a properly regulated state; and it is better, if their 

 action requires correction, to endeavor to accomplish that object by a careful 

 regulation of diet, rather than by a resort to physic; indeed, all through chorea 

 the food must be of a nature easily digested and given with regularity if any 

 course of medicinal treatment is to be successful. The remedies recommended 

 in chorea are arsenic, sulphate of zinc, nitrate of silver and nux vomica and its 

 preparations. Arsenic I do not recommend, but either of the following may be 

 tried, and it is sometimes found that using them alternately has a more beneficial 

 effect than a perseverance with one remedy only. Pills may be made thus: 



SULPHATE OF ZINC PILLS. 



Sulphate of zinc 24 grains 



Extract of gentian 18 grains 



Powdered gum acacia 18 grains 



Make into twelve pills. Dose for a dog 30-lb. to 50-lb. weight, one pill twice a day. 

 Small dogs a half pill as a dose. 



