Your Dog and Your Cat 



is very fatal and very contagious. Worms may, 

 in some cases, be the cause of diarrhea. Diarrhea 

 stools are usually black, but if the liver is involved 

 they are yellow in color. In number the stools may 

 range from one to twenty a day, and in quantity 

 from a few drops to two tablespoonfuls. 



Treatment. — ^AU food and drink should be with- 

 held. If possible, a teaspoonful of castor oil should 

 be given, or several doses of milk of magnesia may 

 be indicated. After the subsequent cleansing of the 

 bowels, if the diarrhea does not stop, subnitrate of 

 bismuth should be given in five-grain doses, every 

 two to four hours. The diarrhea should not be 

 allowed to persist for any length of time. 



Hair Balls, — ^While hair balls may occur in any 

 cat, they are more frequently found in those of the 

 long-haired variety. In the process of cleaning 

 their coats the loose hairs are picked up by the 

 tongue and swallowed. If but a few hairs are taken 

 at a time they pass on into the intestines, become 

 mixed with the food and are passed out with the 

 stool. When large numbers of hairs are swallowed 

 they tend to fasten themselves together in the form 

 of a ball. This may happen either in the stomach 

 or in the intestines. Thus, the hair ball may be 

 thrown up after it has become of considerable size, 

 or it may be passed as a stool. When the accumu- 

 lation is great, it may form an obstruction in the 

 intestine which is followed by an inflammation of 

 the bowels. Hair may remain in the stomach for 



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