Chapter II 



CHOICE AND ADMINISTRATION 



OF MEDICINES AND 



POSOLOGY. 



It is only comparatively recently that the cat 

 has become regarded as a clinical entity, for- 

 merly it was treated on general principles fol- 

 lowing the line of canine medication, but as 

 feline practice developed it was soon f omid by 

 veterinarians that specialized in this branch of 

 veterinary medicine, that what is quite ap- 

 plicable to the dog is not necessarily appropri- 

 ate for the cat. As before mentioned, the 

 peculiar psychology of the cat eliminates many 

 medicinal agents which are commonly used in 

 dog practice. Again closer investigation and 

 cHnical experience has shown that the cat pos- 

 sesses idiosyncrasies in regard to certain drugs, 

 notably to all coal tar products, to morphine 

 which causes delirium, to potassium chlorate 

 which produces hemoglobinuria, and to nause- 

 ous tasting drugs, castor oil in particular, 

 which although producing no toxic symptoms, 

 in many instances provoke an obstinate ano- 

 rexia and voluntary starvation if their use is 

 persisted in. Keeping these facts in mind it 

 will be seen that medicines should be admin- 

 istered, in either pill or capsule form if the 



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