Care of the Dog 



firm moist consistency, with little or no odor. Ab- 

 normal stools are significant of disease and are 

 designated according to their characteristics. A 

 hard, dry passage is called a constipated stool; a 

 thin watery movement is called a watery stool, or 

 diarrhea. When the passage is like a thick, sticky 

 gruel it is termed a pasty stool. A passage consist- 

 ing of a jelly-like mass which may be accompanied 

 with blood, is mucus from the intestinal coat, and 

 when the blood is present it is spoken of as bloody 

 mucus. 



Color. — ^The color of the movement is altered by 

 the character of the food consumed. When meat 

 predominates, the color is black, cereals produce a 

 brownish stool, and vegetables a slatish-gray move- 

 ment. Bones cause a hard, dry, crumbly stool of 

 grayish-yellow color. Watery stools are usually 

 black but may be reddish-brown, due to the pres- 

 ence of blood, or light yellow when the liver is in- 

 volved. A formed movement may be specked with 

 blood. 



Character. — ^The character of the movement 

 should be noted at each evacuation in order to keep 

 a check on the dog's condition. Any deviation from 

 normal is a sign of intestinal trouble and should re- 

 ceive prompt attention. This is especially impor- 

 tant in puppies and weak dogs since intestinal dis- 

 orders progress with astonishing rapidity and 

 quickly lower the vitality of the animal. 



Frequency of Movement. — The frequency of the 



IS 



