ON ADMINISTERING MEDICINES. 



591 



On Administering Medicines. A dog 



should never be roughly treated. Strug- 

 gling with a sick animal often does him 

 more harm than the medicine to be given 

 can do good. 



Medicines are prescribed in the form of 

 either pill, bolus, mixture, or powder. 



When giving a dog a pill or bolus, if a 

 small dog, he may be held either on the 

 administrator's knee or on that of an 

 assistant. The mouth is then gently but 

 .firmly opened with one hand, and the pill 

 is thrust as far down as possible before it 

 is let go, the head being meanwhile held 

 at an angle of 45 or thereabouts. Close 

 the mouth at once thereafter, and give a 

 slight tap under the chin to aid deglutition 

 by taking the dog by surprise. See that 

 the upper lips are folded under the teeth 

 during the operation, th'us protecting the 

 fingers from being bitten, for the dog will 

 hardly care to bite through his own lips 

 to get at the hand. With a very large dog 

 the best plan is to back him up against 

 the inner corner of a wall and get astride 

 of him. 



Tasteless medicines can generally be 

 given in the food; those, however, that 

 have a bad flavour must be forcibly put 

 over the throat. Hold the dog in the same 

 position as in giving a bolus, only there 

 is no necessity for opening the mouth so 

 wide, although the head is to be held well 

 back, gradually then, and not too much 

 at a time, pour the mixture over the front 

 teeth well down into the back part of the 

 throat. When it is all down, giving the 

 animal a morsel of meat, or anything tasty, 

 will often prevent him from bringing it 

 back again. The ease with which he can 

 vomit is characteristic of the dog, but may 

 often be overcome by taking the animal 

 out into the open air for a little while after 

 he has been drenched. Powders, if taste- 

 less, are mixed with the food, or, if nause- 

 ous and bitter, and still not bulky, they 

 may be given enclosed in a thin layer of 

 beef, only do not let the dog see you pre- 

 paring it; or they may be mixed with 

 butter, syrup, or glycerine, rolled in tissue 

 paper, wetted or greased, and placed well 

 back on the tongue, or given as a bolus. 

 Close the mouth after placing it there until 

 you hear the act of deglutition performed. 



A better plan of drenching and a safer 

 is to keep the mouth shut and form the 

 upper and lower lips of one side into a 

 funnel. Get an assistant to pour the medi- 

 cine, a little at a time, into this funnel, and 

 keep the mouth closed, or mouth and nose 

 shut, until each mouthful is swallowed. 



N.B. In giving medicine to a dog one 

 must keep very cool, and on no account 

 make a fuss, or any great display of bottles 

 and preparations, or the poor animal may 

 think some great evil is going to happen 

 to him, and be obstreperous accordingly. 



Medicines are sometimes administered 

 by enema; in this case it is well to oil both 

 the anus and nozzle of the syringe, and to 

 be exceedingly gentle ; it is a tender part, 

 and we must therefore assure the animal 

 we mean no harm. 



Powders may be rolled in greased tissue 

 paper and given in the form of bolus. 



Prevention of Disease. Property hath 

 its duties, and, apart from the sin of 

 keeping any animal in an unhealthy con- 

 dition, by so doing we bring upon our- 

 selves endless trouble, disappointment, and 

 mortification. It might be said, with but 

 little fear of contradiction, that every 

 ailment of the dog is preventible, but 

 as many of these are contracted by the 

 breathing of germ-laden air or the drink- 

 ing while out of doors of impure water, 

 diseases are contracted without our know- 

 ledge. But with ordinary care every dog 

 should live until he is thirteen or fourteen 

 years of age. The following hints may 

 well be borne in mind by dog-owners : 



1. To keep a dog in health trust to food 

 more than to physic. Food makes blood, 

 physic never. Even iron itself only in- 

 creases the number of red corpuscles in 

 the blood, and this is often less advan- 

 tageous than it may appear, for dogs whose 

 blood is too rich are more subject to in- 

 flammatory ailments than those who are 

 less strong, though wiry and fit. 



2. Next in importance to well-selected 

 food is fresh air. The food is assimilated 

 or taken up by the absorbents as chyle, 

 and poured directly into the blood; but it 

 must be properly oxygenated, for if it be 

 not it will not nourish. If it be but par- 

 tially purified, owing to the air breathed 

 being foul, digestion is hindered, nerves 



