Your Dog and Your Cat 



health depends as much on the elimination of the 

 waste products as on the intake of food. Almost 

 always the first symptom following a stoppage of 

 the bowels or a retention of urine is a loss of ap- 

 petite, while on the other hand the movements con- 

 tinue for days after the animal stops taking food. 

 Daily observations of the passages are very essen- 

 tial, and a mental note of their occurrence may be 

 carried from day to day. In case of no movement 

 of either the bowels or urine for forty-eight hours, 

 steps should be taken to locate the cause and 

 remedy the condition. If an abnormal stool occurs 

 for more than two passages it will require treat- 

 ment. In case of a sick animal it is more advisable 

 to keep a written record of the frequency and char- 

 acter of the evacuations as well as the condition of 

 the appetite. Such a record will be of invaluable 

 aid to the doctor should it be necessary to seek his 

 help. 



Feces — Composition. — ^The feces are composed 

 pf the indigestible parts of the food together with 

 the by-products of digestion. The process of di- 

 gestion consists in breaking up and assimilating the 

 food material and absorbing from the mass that 

 which is of value to the body. As a result of this 

 procedure many poisonous gases and acids are 

 formed. If these are not eliminated they act as 

 poisons to the body. 



The normal stool is cylindrical in shape, varying 

 in size with the dog. It is a congealed mass, of 



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