RICKETS. 489 



Sulphate of quinine, 



Sulphate of iron, of each 1 grain. 



Extract of dandelion, 3 grains. 



Mix, and give three times a day. 



If worms are present they must of course be got rid of. (See page 

 475-) 



RICKETS AND ENLARGED JOINTS. 



By Rickets is understood a soft and weak condition of the bones, 

 in which the lime is deficient; and, the gelatine comprising their 

 framework having no proper support, they bend in any direction 

 which the superincumbent weight may give them. Hence we so 

 often see puppies which are confined to their kennels with bandy 

 legs, which is usually the first sign of rickets. Sometimes the 

 shins bend forward, producing what is called the " buck-shin," but 

 whether the legs bow outwards or forwards the cause is the same. 

 The remedy for this is to be looked for in country air, exercise, and 

 good food ; but the quinine and steel pills, ordered for poverty of 

 blood, will also be of service here. 



Enlarged Joints may be merely a sign of excessive vigour in the 

 formation of bone, as is sometimes seen in the early puppyhood of 

 the greyhound, the mastiff, and other large dogs, between three 

 and nine months old, when the knees and hocks will strike the eye 

 as out of all character with the rest of the frame. Here, so long 

 as the legs are not bent out of shape, and there is no lameness, 

 the breeder need feel no anxiety, as in course of time the enlarge- 

 ment of the joints subsides, leaving only what is particularly 

 desired, namely, large bony and strong joints, without any mal- 

 formation. It is extraordinary to what an extent this bony deve- 

 lopment sometimes goes, especially, in young dogs', bitches seldom 



