6oo 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



tion, encourages worms, blackens the teeth, and 

 causes fetid breath." 



Symptoms. The stools are hard, usually in 

 large round balls, and defecation is accomplished 

 with great difficulty, the animal often having to 

 try several times before he succeeds in effecting 

 the act, and this only after the most acute suffer- 

 ing. The faeces are generally covered with white 

 mucus, showing the heat and semi-dry condition 

 of the gut. The stool is sometimes so dry as to 

 fall to pieces like so much oatmeal. 



There is generally also a deficiency of bile in 

 the motions, and, in addition to simple costive- 

 ness, we have more or less loss of appetite, with 

 a too pale tongue, dulness, and sleepiness, with 

 slight redness of the conjunctiva. Sometimes con- 

 stipation alternates with diarrhoea, the food being 

 improperly commingled with the gastric and other 

 juices, ferments, spoils, and becomes, instead of 

 healthy blood-producing chyme, an irritant pur- 

 gative. 



Treatment. Hygienic treatment more than 

 medicinal. Mild doses of castor-oil, compound 

 rhubarb pill, or olive-oil, may at first be neces- 

 sary. Sometimes an enema will be required if 

 the medicine will not act. 



Plenty of exercise and a swim daily (with a 

 good run after the swim), or instead of the swim 

 a bucket bath water thrown over the dog. 



The use of the morning bucket bath, first thing 

 after the animal has been turned out, is much to 

 be recommended, but care must be taken to dry 

 well down afterwards. 



Give oatmeal, rather than flour or fine bread, as 

 the staple of his diet, but a goodly allowance of 

 meat is to be given as well, with cabbage or boiled 

 liver, or even a portion of raw liver. Fresh air 

 and exercise in the fields. You may give a bolus 

 before dinner, such as the following : Compound 

 rhubarb pill, i to 5 grains; quinine, '/i to 2 grains; 

 extract of taraxacum, 2 to 10 grains. Mix. 



Claws. The dew-claws give great trouble 

 sometimes. They are really rudimentary claws, 

 and are of little use nowadays, but much in the 

 way. Whenever, therefore, they are not a show 

 point, they should be got rid of when the puppy 

 is young. In older dogs they may become too 

 long, and be inflamed about the roots. They are 

 easily cut with sharp scissors, then the root should 

 be dressed with zinc ointment and bandaged, to 

 prevent the dog's interference. 



Cracks and Chaps. Commonest on the feet. 

 Perfect cleanliness is absolutely necessary. 

 Condy's fluid, or water reddened with perman- 

 ganate of potash. The same treatment will do 

 when on the bitch's teats. Boracic lotion to all 

 kinds of cracks. The animal needs cooling medi- 

 cine or alteratives, such as are found in Spratts' 

 medicine chest. 



Cystitis. This is the name given to inflamma- 

 tion of the bladder. May be caussd by irritant 

 medicines given internally, or from cold. In bad 

 cases a vet. should be called, as it may be stone 

 or the passage of gravel into the urethra. 



Symptoms. The dog is anxious and excited. 

 He pants, whines, and makes frequent efforts to 

 pass his urine, which comes only in drops and 

 driblets, while he cries out with the pain the 

 effort gives him. His appetite fails him, he is 

 feverish, and, if examined, the lower part of the 

 belly will be found swollen and tender to the 

 touch. Just after the dog has made a little water 

 there is ease for a short time, but as soon as the 

 urine collects the pain comes on again. Usually 

 the bowels are affected, but they may simply 

 be bound up, or there may be straining, and slight 

 diarrhoea of a mucous character, sometimes stained 

 with blood. 



Treatment. If a small dog, a hot bath will be 

 found to give great relief. In order to relieve 

 pain and calm excitement, opium must be given 

 in repeated small doses, and the bowels must on 

 no account be neglected, but the rule is not to 

 give any irritant purgative like aloes or black 

 draught. However useful such aperients may be 

 in some disorders and inflammations, they simply 

 mean death in this. Small doses of castor-oil 

 may be given if they seem to be needed. 



N.B. Diuretics are to be avoided, but a little 

 cooling mixture of mindererus spirit, i drachm 

 to 4 in camphor water, may be given every four 

 hours. If the water cannot be passed and the 

 belly is swollen, with moaning and evident dis- 

 tress, a qualified veterinary surgeon should be 

 called in, w r ho will no doubt pass the elastic 

 catheter. The use of the catheter should be fol- 

 lowed up with nice hot poppy fomentations, and a 

 large linseed-meal poultice to the region of the 

 abdomen, and an opium pill may now work 

 wonders, or the morphia suppository of the Phar- 

 macopoeia may be placed in the rectum. 



Food, and Drink. Food must be light, tasty, 

 and easily digested, but rather low, especially at 

 first. Drink : Milk demulcent, linseed-tea," bar- 

 ley-water, etc. 



Dandruff. A scaly or scurfy condition of the 

 skin, with more or less of irritation. It is really 

 a shedding of the scaly epidermis brought on by 

 injudicious feeding or want of exercise as a 

 primary cause. The dog, in cases of this kind, 

 needs cooling medicines, such as small doses of 

 the nitrate and chlorates of potash, perhaps less 

 food. Bowels to be seen to by giving plenty of 

 green food, with a morsel of sheep's melt or raw 

 liver occasionally. Wash about once in three 

 weeks, a very little borax in the last water, say 

 a drachm to a gallon. Use mild soap. If bald 

 spots, treat for these. Vide SKIN COMPLAINTS. 

 Never use a very hard brush or sharp comb. Tar 

 soap (Wright's) may be tried. 



Deafness. Sometimes congenital. In such 

 cases it is incurable. Caused also by accumula- 

 tion of wax in the ear; pour a few drops of warm 

 oil in and move the ear gently about. In an 

 hour's time syringe out with warm water red- 

 dened by the permanganate of potash. Deafnc-s 

 of old age cannot be cured. Beware of harsh 

 treatment or advertised quack remedies. Attend 



