SUPPLEMENTARY HINTS. 



619 



that the vets, have become more observant. But 

 owners should remember that their dogs cannot 

 speak and tell them when ailing, and as kidney 

 trouble must be taken in time if it is to be cured 

 at all, they should mark the first deviations from 

 natural staling, the colour and quantity of urine, 

 etc., and, if anything seems to be wrong, consult 

 the skilled vet. 



Good nursing is half the battle when the dog is 

 ill. The following simple hints, if acted on, will 

 greatly aid in restoring a sick animal to health. 



The temperature of the sick-room should be 

 about 60 degrees. This can be secured in winter 

 by a fire, which will also help to ventilate the 

 room. In summer the apartment may be kept 

 cool by ventilation. 



A sick dog ought to be kept from his com- 

 panions. An outdoor dog may be taken into the 

 house. 



He should have low diet at first : Beef-tea, 

 Bovril, eggs, a little raw meat, invalid food 

 (Spratts'), wine if needed, etc. The motto must 

 be the old one of little and often, and by night 

 as well as by day. A nurse must never for a 

 moment weary of well doing. 



Study cleanliness in everything. A bottle of 

 strong permanganate of potash should always 

 be kept in a sick-room, and the water used in 

 cleaning the eyes and teeth or wiping away any 

 discharge should be first well reddened with this 

 solution. 



Watch the temperature by means of the clinical 

 thermometer. 



Ventilation or fresh air is a sine qua non. 



Xever worry the dog by talking too much to 

 him, or giving him undesirable attentions or pet- 

 ting. Do not worry yourself either. 



A clean, not too soft, bed, and one that can be 

 easily changed. 



Disinfectants. These are useful in many ways, 

 and we have good ones, such as solution of car- 

 bolic acid, Jeyes', Sanitas, Izal, Pearson's, etc. 

 But science has now proved that the great bulk 

 of so-called disinfectants are simply deodorisers, 

 and have no germ-killing power at all. More- 

 over, their use often does harm, because people 

 imagine they can take the place of cleanli- 

 ness. Garden soap and boiling water should be 

 used for all kennels, the disinfectant to be used 

 afterwards. 



Dogs in Old Age. As a dog gets old he ought 

 to have less work to do and get more care. Not 

 that he is to be coddled coddling kills man or 

 beast but he needs protection from the weather 

 and cold, and better diet, though less of it, and 

 far more kindness and consideration. He has 

 been faithful and true, a real friend, and he 

 deserves our especial sympathy when age over- 

 takes him. Twenty years mark, perhaps, the ex- 

 treme span of a dog's life. Fourteen is the aver- 

 age. Bulldogs nowadays seldom live to see their 

 eighth year. 



The Lethal Chamber ? Certainly not for an 

 old and valued friend. There is the sending him 



away among strangers the parting with the poor 

 fellow, which in such a case is certainly not 

 " sweet sorrow." He is handed over to perfect 

 strangers, to whom he is "only a dog." Above 

 all, there is the dog's own grief to be considered, 

 which is bitterer far, probably, than the pain of 

 death itself. No; let your old friend have your 

 kindness, attention, and sympathy to the very 

 last, and let him die with your hand on his brow. 



The Medicine Cupboard. I am very much 

 opposed to the giving of too much medicine to 

 either dog or human being. Physic should never 

 take the place of well-chosen food, which, with 

 rest, quiet, cleanliness, and freedom from excite- 

 ment, will often restore a dog to health when 

 nothing else could. Many imagine that when 

 they give a dog a dose of medicine they have done 

 their duty by him, and so may have an easy con- 

 science. They have not half done it. 



But a medicine chest, such as that of Spratts' 

 Patent,* is invaluable in the house, more especi- 

 ally if one lives far away from veterinary aid. I 

 always advise the calling in of a skilled vet. 

 when such services can be procured, and the 

 earlier this is done the better. But an ignorant 

 young vet. who treats his patient by rule of 

 thumb, as too many do, is useless and a fraud. 

 Nevertheless, every dog-owner should be his own 

 dog's physician, and know a little about the sort 

 of drugs' and appliances to place in his medicine 

 cupboard. Accidents and illnesses come when 

 least expected. 



The medicine cupboard itself should always 

 be kept locked, and the key labelled and hung 

 in a handy place. It and all its contents should 

 be kept not only clean, but chemically clean, 

 and before any instrument is used it should be 

 sterilised with a solution of carbolic acid. After 

 use it should be most carefully cleaned and 

 disinfected. 



Almost every article of either food or physic, 

 then, that is used for human beings may be 

 requisitioned for our friend the dog, and the poor 

 fellow should not only be the better for our 

 religion, as the great Norman Macleod averred, 

 but the better for our knowledge of science. 



As to foods for the sick, my advice is never to 

 keep them long in stock, but get them fresh ; 

 and, luckily for ourselves and our dogs, foods 

 are fairly cheap. 



The greatest friend to the dog in the world is 

 Spratts' Patent, and from their marvellous fac- 

 tory is always emanating something new. They 

 head the list with their invalid food and biscuits, 



* Contents of Spratts' Kennel Medicine Chest. Mange 

 lotion, eczema lotion, sprain liniment, diarrhoea mixture, hair 

 stimulant, lucurium for wounds or festering sores, chemical food, 

 cure for ear canker, purging pills, tonic pills, cough pills, dis- 

 temper pills, styptic pills, cure for jaundice, vermifuge for puppies, 

 pills for rheumatism, distemper powders, cooling powders, worm 

 powders, chronic skin disease cure, caustic, bandages, lint, cotton 

 wool, scissors, lancet, silk thread, tweezers, and suture needles. 

 There ought also to be a clinical thermometer. 



Sherley's dog medicines can also be recommended, and 

 Nicholas 1 Ruby remedy for worms is particularly valuable. 



