Common Diseases of Dogs 



ous as is generally supposed. The dog that is well 

 nourished can harbor worms without any notice- 

 able results. However, their tendency to consume 

 the dog's nourishment aids in the development of 

 such a disease as rickets. In fact, when one condi- 

 tion is found the other is present also. There are 

 many worm medicines on the market, the use of 

 which is always attended with danger. Drugs of 

 sufficient strength to dislodge the worms are drastic 

 irritants to the stomach. Some dogs are more sus- 

 ceptible than others to these medicines, which if 

 given in too large doses produce an enteritis that 

 is often fatal. Frequently repeated treatments are 

 apt to cause the development of a chronic gastro- 

 enteritis, which if not fatal, takes months to over- 

 come. Treatments, unless wisely administered, are 

 of more harm to the animal than the worms. 



The presence of worms can be determined either 

 by observing the passage of mature worms or by 

 finding the eggs in the stool by microscopic ex- 

 amination. Under no consideration should a dog 

 be given a treatment unless a diagnosis has been 

 made in one of these ways. 



Tapeworms. — ^The intestines are frequently in- 

 habited by tapeworms. These worms grow from a 

 parent head segment with great rapidity imtil the 

 worm reaches the length of three or four feet and 

 even longer. There are various types of tape- 

 worm. In some the segments are broad and short 

 and remain intact, in others the segments are long 



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