DISTEMPER IN DOGS—SHOEING. 
455 
Sebright, huntsman to Lord Fitzwilliam, finds that repeated gentle 
doses of Epsom salts, to young hounds first coming into kennel, 
much abates the virulence of the distemper. During my late visit 
to Mr. Hodgson, master of the Quorn hounds, a valuable young 
bitch was in a dreadful state, and, having refused all kinds of ken¬ 
nel food, was given up as lost. A little bacon was offered to her, 
which she ate, and on her taking it again the next day there were 
evident signs of amendment, and her recovery was the result. In 
all probability, the crisis with this bitch was past, and she might 
have recovered had she not eaten the bacon; nevertheless, the 
mention of the fact can do no harm. 
It is the opinion of one master of hounds, that the distemper 
might not appear amongst young hounds so regularly and fatally 
as it does, if for the first half year they were fed chiefly on milk, 
or other lighter diet than the usual kennel food; and that thus 
the lives of many valuable puppies might be saved. But, added 
he, what would be the result ? The disease might, and most pro¬ 
bably would, break out in their second year, when all the pains 
taken in breaking in those which might be carried off by it would 
be thrown away, and then would the loss of one hound be more 
than equal to that of two not entered to their game. 
As may naturally be imagined, in the society I am thrown into in 
my tours, subjects connected with horses, as well as the veterinary 
profession itself, are often brought on the tapis. That of shoeing 
was lately discussed in my presence, and the recollection of it 
leads me to the mention of one remarkable fact. There is residing 
at-, within two miles of Leicester, a gentleman of the 
name of Smith, of whom, in reference to my present subject, it 
is enough to say, that no man in Leicestershire, or in any other 
country, rides better to hounds than he does; and he scarcely 
misses being in the field one day throughout the season. The smith 
who shoes his horses comes seventeen miles for the purpose, being, 
of course, paid accordingly for his work! “ But why go so far for 
a shoeing smith 1 ” was the question put to him by me. “ For the 
best of all reasons,” he replied; “ he never lames my horses, and, 
desperately deep as has been the country all this season, I have 
not lost a single shoe in the course of it.” Now, I think I may 
challenge the sporting world to produce a similar instance to this— 
I mean in a stud like Mr. Smith’s, who are ridden as near hounds 
as any man ought to ride, and ridden as often as they are fit to go; 
and I should much like to know to what is to be attributed this 
extraordinary security to the shoes, for it is to an extent that I 
never before heard. I questioned several hard-riding Meltonians 
as to their average loss of shoes in the season, and it seldom was 
below the average of five or six, and I should say that was gene- 
