240 THE DISEASES OP THE DOG. 



tion of carbolic acid in glycerine. His case had already 

 been going on for about six weeks. 



Ticks are frequent on dogs, especially in summer and in 

 tropical countries. Tbey debilitate the patient by suction 

 of his blood and are most loathsome to the owner. They 

 sometimes bring on paralysis, either directly by the weak- 

 ness they cause or by reflex influences. They especially 

 collect in the ears. Andersen, in his ' Lake Ngami/ 

 mentions that the bush tick found in South Africa kills 

 dogs and even oxen. The species usually found on the 

 dog is Ixodes ricinus ; it should be removed with forceps, 

 or each individual cut in two and the skin dressed with a 

 little turpentine. In other cases mercurial dressings may 

 need to be resorted to with the usual precautions. 



Fleas, Pulex irritans, collect on the dog in large 

 numbers and cause very severe irritation; it is not 

 uncommon in India to see dogs in an advanced state of 

 debility, apparently the result solely of the number of 

 partial parasitic pests (fleas, ticks, and lice) roaming about 

 in the coats. As, also, fleas prevent pet dogs being nursed, 

 a satisfactory method of extirpating them is a desideratum. 

 Washing the animal with soft soap and water, or with 

 carbolic soap, should be carefully performed, and then 

 while the animal is yet wet, his coat should be thoroughly 

 cleaned with a small-toothed comb. As Blaine points 

 out, the preliminary washing is necessary to enable the 

 comb to overtake the parasites. The dog should be 

 allowed to sleep on yellow deal or red pine shavings, and 

 the skin periodically dredged carefully once or twice a 

 week with either powdered sweet flag jAcorus Calamus or 

 Bussumboo), powdered camphor, or finely powdered resin 

 mixed with bran. Gamgee recommends a dressing of oil 

 of anise seed with common oil ; Hill a mixture of Spts. 

 Camphorse with half its bulk of oil of turpentine and one 

 sixth its bulk of carbolic acid mixed with chilled water. 

 Various insect powders and dog soaps are advertised for 

 the removal of fleas ; some of these require to be used with 

 the greatest caution, as also tobacco water and mercurial 

 preparations, such as are sometimes recommended. Clean- 



