British Dogs at Work 



pronounced attack before you know where 

 you are, and you begin to wonder how many 

 graves will have to be sunk. 



A clinical thermometer is an essential 

 part of one's kennel equipment, as there is no 

 safer guide to the variations in a dog's health. 

 The best way of taking the temperature is 

 in the rectum, the normal ranging from 101° 

 to 1015°, while in the mouth it will be 

 about 2° lower. Puppies will be 1° higher, 

 and it has been noted that individuals vary, 

 but you must suspect something wrong if the 

 temperature falls below 99° or rises above 

 103° in the rectum. The pulse of an adult, 

 which will best be taken in the groin, ranges 

 from 70 to 90 beats per minute, in puppies 

 under three months from 120 to 140, from 

 the sixth to the ninth month from 90 to 110. 

 It is a good plan to accustom yourself to 

 the pulse of a healthy dog, and to the heart 

 and chest sounds by auscultation and per- 

 cussion, as only by these means are you able 

 to detect readily variations from the normal. 



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