172 



DOGS : THEIB MANAGEMENT. 



embrocation, as directed for rheumatism, may oe employ- 

 ed to the feet and legs, and wECrm turpentine may, as 

 described in diarrhoea, be used to the abdomen. Cold or 

 evaporating lotions to the head are of service, but unless 

 they can be continuously applied, they do harm. Their 

 action must be prolonged and kept up night and day, or 

 they had better not be employed, as the reaction they 

 provoke is excessive. Cold water dashed upon the head 

 during the fit does no good, but rather seems to produce 

 evil. The shock often aggravates the convulsions ; and 

 the wet which soon dries upon the skull is followed by a 

 marked increase of temperature ; while, remaining upon 

 other parts, and chilling these, it drives the blood to the 

 head. 



From the foregoing, it will have been seen that my 

 efforts are chiefly directed to strengthening the system, 

 and, so far as possible, avoiding anything that might add 

 to the irritability. On these principles I have sometimes 

 succeeded, and most often when the fits have been caused 

 by some foreign substance in the stomach or intestines. 

 When such is the case, the fits are mostly short and 

 frequent. Que dog that had one of these attacks, which 

 did not last above forty seconds every five minutes, and 

 was very noisy, lived in pain for two days, and then 

 passed a peach-stone, from which moment it began to 

 recover, and is now alive. In another case, a nail was 

 vomited, and the animal from that time commenced im- 

 proving. In this instance an emetic would have been of 

 benefit ; but such occurrences are rare, and the emetic 



