168 CANINE DISTEMPER 
To make beef tea, cut some lean beef into shreds; 
place in a saucepan with cold water, and let it cook very 
slowly for three to four hours; add a little salt ; skim off 
the fat and strain. It must never be allowed to boil. 
1 have noted on several occasions during protracted 
illnesses that an animal will evince a sudden desire to 
feed voluntarily, and will consume solids almost raven- 
ously if permitted; yet in such cases it is obviously 
undesirable to impose such a severe burden on digestive 
organs which have probably been for so long accustomed 
only to the lightest diet in carefully regulated quantities, 
and the resumption of feeding with solids must, therefore, 
bé undertaken on a strictly sliding scale and with great 
caution. 
Foods for Diarrhea.—Where there is a profuse diarrheea 
which it is highly desirable to check, this can be often 
better accomplished by food than by medicine, and for 
the purpose some astringents such as cornflour, arrow- 
root, or rice starch should be mixed with milk and egg, 
and administered in small quantities at frequent intervals. 
Arrowroot is particularly soothing and nourishing, and 
forms a valuable adjunct to the sick diet. Milk puddings, 
such as sago, rice, or semolina, are also useful if the dog 
has sufficient appetite to eat them. A food I have 
frequently used in severe cases with apparent benefit is 
a mixture of one egg, half a pint of milk, half an ounce of 
port wine, and cornflour to thicken, administered four 
times daily. 
Aids to Retention of Food.—lf the swallowing of liquid 
or other foods is followed by emesis, we must try the 
_ effect of giving less at a time until this evil abates; milk 
may be mixed with soda-water, or with ice, which some- 
times act as effective antemetics, but where all such 
efforts seem abortive, we must then resort to the treat- 
ment of the stomach with drugs, among the best of which 
