180 EVERYTHING ABOUT DOGS. 



"Epileptic fits are another complication. These as a rule come on suddenly. 

 There is a slight quivering of the muscles of the face, and an anxious look around, 

 a few staggering steps, and the animal falls upon its side and loses consciousness; 

 the face becomes distorted, the limbs work violently, and there is a continued 

 champing of the jaws as well as a frothy mucus coming from the mouth; the head, 

 limbs and body jerk violently, the convulsions gradually become less and less, 

 though sometime* the animal comes out of them suddenly and appears dazed and 

 scared, and will attempt to hide in some out of the way place. 



"Vomiting and purging are prominent complications, and sometimes there is 

 true dysentery in which the feces are streaked with blood. 



"In summing up this disease and arriving at a proper treatment we must be 

 mindful of the fact that all the symptoms of the disease are the direct results of a 

 morbid virus existing in the system, and that the course it runs, although indefi- 

 nite, is nevertheless certain, and the aim should be directed not only at the dis- 

 ease, but at sustaining the system so as to enable it to withstand the debilitating 

 effects of the virus and the febrile condition it gives rise to. The promiscuous 

 administrations of exhausting and dangerous medicines, such as many dog owners 

 and veterinarians are apt to indulge in. cannot be too highly condemned. 



"Warm quarters, good care and nursing are the prime factors in the successful 

 treatment of this disease. Judicious medical treatment is of unquestionable service 

 in holding the disease in check, alleviating alarming symptoms, preventing destruc- 

 tive complication and hastening convalescence. But no matter how skillfully ap- 

 plied it will be without avail if the nursing and attendance are neglected, whereas, 

 many dogs, properly cared for, make nice recoveries without medical assistance. 

 Place the patient in warm, comfortable quarters, absolutely free from drafts; see 

 that his bedding is changed daily, and all discharge from the nose and eyes 

 sponged away as gently as possible with warm water, so as not to disturb the 

 patient. The food offered should be highly nutritious and easily digestible, such as 

 beef tea or mutton broth thickened with rice or well boiled oatmeal. The feeding 

 dishes and drinking pans must be scrupulously clean, as dirty pans will nauseate a 

 sick animal and destroy what little appetite it may have. Scraped raw beef is very 

 nutritious and can be mixed with gelatine; a dog will frequently eat this when it 

 will refuse everything else. When the appetite fails altogether and the animal refuses 

 to eat, food nrntst be forced down its throat at least four times a day. For this u?e 

 beef extracts or beef tea with the addition of a raw egg, a cupful at a time four 

 times a. day for a fifty-pound dog; and if that quantity irritates the stomach it must 

 be divided and given oftener. If the patient becomes very weak a little sherry or 

 brandy must be given in milk punches to keep up the general strength. 



"In the first stage of the disease the bowels are generally irregular, due to the 

 accumulation of undigested matter in the intestines; it is advisable to move this 

 by a dose of castor oil, varying in quantity from a teaspoonful for a small dog to 

 an ounce and a half for a large dog. 



"After this has operated the most useful drug I have found for fortifying the 

 system against the ravages of the poison and checking what would otherwise be a 

 severe attack is hyposulphite of soda. The particular property of this drug either 

 within or without the system is to destroy ferments and bacteria, and experiments 

 have conclusively proven its benefits in all diseases where morbid poisons are at 

 work. Blood drawn from dogs that have been given thirty grains a day for five 

 days kept fresh for three weeks; the blood of dogs similarly treated with the 

 exception of not having received the sulphate became putrid in three or four days. 

 Dogs that had received the sulphite in thirty grain doses with their food for five 



