CANINE PHARMACY, MATERIA MEDICA, AND THERAPEUTICS. 21 



on a table. Gruby has studied the anmsthetic effects of ether 

 on dogs. He gives fifty minutes as the maximum and forty 

 seconds as the minimum time required to bring on intoxi- 

 cation which lasted twelve to thirty minutes. Dogs twenty 

 days old lost their sensibility in three minutes, and died in 

 eighteen to twenty minutes ; adult dogs lost sensation in 

 eight minutes, and died if the action of the ether was con- 

 tinued for forty-five minutes ; copious bleeding recovered 

 young dogs apparently lifeless ( f Veterinary Record,' iii, p. 

 109). 



Having thus touched briefly on the leading points to be 

 remembered in canine medicine, administration, and pre- 

 scription, we may remark that ordinary and not dangerous 

 remedies may be given in some proportion to the doses for 

 the horse. Generally in a prescription, grains must be 

 substituted for drachms, and half-fluid drachms for ounces. 

 This rule will be found a useful guide to the student as 

 indicating the maximum limit of doses. A posological 

 table will be found at the end of this work. 



The subcutaneous injection of medicines has not yet been 

 largely made use of in canine practice, indeed the facility 

 of administration by other methods renders it necessary 

 only in a few cases, and the high nervous temperament of 

 some sick dogs would render the puncture of skin not' 

 altogether free from danger of inducing convulsions. 



We must now proceed to make a few remarks about Ex- 

 ternal Applications and Minor Surgery. The skin of the 

 dog is readily affected by external stimulants, which, there- 

 fore, may be weaker than would be required for the horse 

 by one-fourth. Their application must be followed by pre- 

 vention of the animal scratching himself and biting the 

 irritated parts. The latter may be effected by means of a 

 wire or perforated tin muzzle, the perforated one having 

 also the advantage that it prevents the patient licking the 

 blistered parts and so suffering from the effects of the 

 cantharides, turpentine, or mercury compound unintention- 

 ally ingested. The Blister used may be in the form of a 

 plaster, ointment, or liquid application ; it is applied as for 

 the horse and the usual after-treatment adopted. This 



