368 KENNEL DISEASES. 
This may be administered in wafers or gelatin capsules, and at intervals of 
about four hours. 
Here the fact may be properly accentuated that in distemper the bowels 
should be neither constipated nor move too often, but if possible the happy 
medium should exist. That is, it is far better for the patient that one or two 
discharges occur daily than that they cease altogether; and this truth should 
ever be in mind and influence treatment. 
Although vomiting may occur now and then during the first days, it is 
seldom sufficiently troublesome to call for special treatment. Indeed, if the 
attacks are only occasional they are salutary rather than prejudicial. If, how- 
ever, they become too frequent it will be necessary to stop for a short time all 
other medicines and give the subnitrate of bismuth in from five to fifteen grain 
doses every hour, the smallest quantity being for toys and the other for the 
largest breeds. 
Sometimes, but fortunately only rarely, vomiting is persistent, and the 
patients cannot keep either food, medicines or stimulants on their stomachs. 
In such cases if there is great weakness, a physician should be called and re- 
quested to inject from ten to thirty drops of brandy under the skin, several 
times daily. 
As a rule after the fourth or fifth day, even if the patients seem to be doing 
well, it is advisable to commence tonic treatment, for the drain on the system 
and vital forces promises to be great. 
A very serviceable tonic is the popular preparation, beef, iron and wine, 
provided always it is honestly made, of ingredients above suspicion. The 
dose is a tablespoonful for largest breeds; three teaspoonfuls for medium size ; 
two teaspoonfuls for fox terriers and the like; one teaspoonful for toys. It 
should be given as often as every two or three hours. If specially prepared, 
and imported wine and the best of beef extracts are used, it will be far superior 
to the preparation usually kept on sale. 
Stimulants ought not to be withheld until the point is reached when pros- 
tration plainly indicates that a failure of the vital powers and death are 
imminent. In other words, their use should be commenced before their need 
is positively urgent; but until then the doses of them should be comparatively 
small. Hence the beef, iron and wine is advised, because it is a stimulant as 
well as a tonic. 
As long as a patient seems to be keeping up fairly well under the beef, iron 
and wine, no other stimulant need be given. But if he grows weaker notwith- 
standing its use, an equal quantity of good sherry wine should be added to each 
dose of the beef, iron and wine. 
If failure is still progressive, and each day the patient is growing weaker, 
brandy must displace the sherry. It should not, however, be mixed with the 
beef, iron and wine, but be given separately, in milk, with or without raw 
