discharge by cleaning or bathing them frequently with some warm boracic
lotion, made by dissolving half a teaspoonful of boracic acid in half
a pint of warm water. When the discharge is very free and continues, in
addition to keeping them clean with this lotion a little of the following
may be run on to the eyes, especially on the inside of the lower lid:—
_The Lotion for Eye_:
Chinosol, 3 grains.
Water to 6 ounces.
To be applied three times a day after cleansing with the boracic.
In severe cases where the discharge is very profuse and offensive, a
little powdered iodoform may be dusted over the front of the eye two or
three times a day. If ulcers form they are to be treated the same way:
and if the eyes are very painful, add to every half-pint of boracic
lotion four grains of hydrochlorate of cocaine.
As the dog recovers from distemper, and the discharge ceases, if there is
any opacity of the corners left, the following ointment should be used:—
_The Ointment for Eyes_:
Yellow Oxide of Mercury, 1 grain.
Vaseline, 1 drachm.
Mix.
A small piece should be placed between the lids, and then gently rub the
upper eyelid over the eye for one minute so as to work the ointment in.
Repeat twice a day. In some cases the opacity is very obstinate, and
cannot be removed by the ointment, then the following drops may be tried:—
Divine Stone, 2 grains.
Solution Sulphate Atropine, 12 maximum.
Distilled Water to ½ ounce.
One or two drops to be placed in the eye twice a day.
The dog should be held for a few minutes after this lotion has been
applied or he may rub the eye.
After distemper, eczema often follows as the result of weakness; tonics
should be given and the disease treated in the ordinary way.
Some dogs during distemper, especially in bad cases, discharge a thin,
purulent, offensive matter or pus from the skin around the mouth, head,
under the neck, and inside of ears. This condition, which is more often
seen in bloodhounds than other dogs, is a very bad sign.
The parts should be thoroughly cleansed once a day by being washed with
Pearson’s Antiseptic diluted eighty times with warm water, carefully
dried with soft cloths, and then freely dusted with some absorbent
powder, as anylyform, or with the following:—
Powdered Burnt Alum, 1 ounce.
Powdered Boracic Acid, 1 ounce.
Powdered Starch, 6 ounces.
Mixed together.
Tonics, especially quinine, are indicated during this condition, as the
discharge is very weakening.
When the appetite is very bad, the patient may be tempted with some
giblet soup or a little well-stewed rabbit and bread, or rice. Very
often, in bad cases, the dog absolutely refuses all food; he must then be
drenched with strong meat tea, or with milk thickened with Benger’s food.
When there is an inclination to diarrhœa, the beef tea and milk should
be thickened with cornflour or arrowroot. One of the best ways of making
meat tea is with beef, mutton, and veal, say half a pound of each cut up
very fine; this should be gently simmered with a pint of water for three
or four hours, and then strained off. Of this, from a tablespoonful[1]
to a small teacupful may be given every three or four hours alternately
with the milk food. In addition to this, if the dog will drink raw beef
tea, which they will often do, it may be given freely. This is best
made as follows: Half a pound of lean raw meat passed through a sausage
machine; to this add half a pint of water, and place in an earthenware
jar in front of a fire for two or three hours, stirring occasionally;
then strain off through a cloth. Some pressure is required to get all the
juice out of the meat. It requires to be made fresh every day. When the
patient is very weak and exhausted, feeding is necessary every hour or
two, as only very small quantities of food can be retained. Then strong
meat extracts are required. Plasmon may also be tried mixed with milk,
and Valentine’s meat juice with milk. Of this latter from fifteen[1]
drops to a teaspoonful, with one[1] to four teaspoonfuls of milk. Invalid
Bovril may be given instead of Valentine’s for a change in the same
proportions, but fresh meat juice from raw meat is as strong as anything.
As to stimulants, there is no doubt, when the dog is very low and the
pulse weak, from ten[1] drops to a teaspoonful of brandy does good. When
the dog is eating all right himself, it may be given in a little water
after food, but when one is drenching the food it should be mixed with it.
There is no doubt that dogs who continue with a good appetite through
distemper do much better, and have a better chance of recovering, no
matter how severe the attack may be, than those bad feeders who refuse
food and have to be drenched. A little food taken voluntarily does much
more good than a lot forced upon the dog; therefore I advise tempting
the patient with a variety of diet, so as to get him to eat something
himself—of course, given in small quantities, particularly when the case
is bad. I always commence with soup and milk alternately, mixed with
bread, biscuits, or rice; as the dog gets tired of these, I add a little
meat, say from a sheep’s head or stewed neck of mutton; for a change some
fish, boiled tripe, or stewed rabbit, and if the dog goes off these I try
scraped raw meat. I never commence forcing food if I can help it, for I
find, once this is started, there is always a difficulty in getting the
dog to eat anything himself.
As to medicine, the more experience one gets the more one finds this is
quite secondary in treating distemper. I do not believe in specifics,
and, do what one may, the disease under the best circumstances will run a
certain course. In simple cases, where the temperature is not very high,
an occasional mild dose of syrup of buckthorn and castor oil is often
all that is required. This is necessary, as the dog cannot go out and
take exercise; therefore the bowels often get constipated, and if this is
neglected troublesome diarrhœa may occur. After the temperature is normal
and remains so for a few days, and the dog does not feed well, then some
tonic is useful, as the following:—
_Recipe: The Pills_:
Salicylate of Quinine, 12 grains.
Extract of Gentian, 30 ”
Mix, and divide into 24 pills.
_Dose_: From half to two pills[1] to be given three times a day.
Quinine does not suit all dogs, for in some cases, instead of improving
the appetite, for which it is given, it has the opposite effect, when the
following mixture may be tried instead:—
_Recipe: The Mixture_:
Tincture Nux Vomica, 40 minims.
Diluted Nitro-hydrochloric Acid, 1 drachm.
Compound Tincture Gentian, 5 drachms.
Simple Syrup, 1 ounce.
Water to 6 ounces.
_Dose_: From one teaspoonful to a tablespoonful three times a day.[1]
It is not necessary to take notice of a relaxed condition of the bowels
so long as the motions are not very frequent, but diarrhœa (frequent
watery motions) must not be allowed to go on. As a rule, a small dose of
castor oil—say from one teaspoonful[1] to a tablespoonful—will usually
stop it by removing the cause. If it continues after the oil has acted,
give, shaken dry on the tongue, from 3[1] to 15 grains of salicylate of
bismuth three or four times, or oftener, a day. Thicken the food with
cooked arrowroot, and give boiled rice with soup and meat if the latter
is being given.
If bismuth does not stop the diarrhœa, try the pills as per prescription
below:—
_Recipe: The Pills for Diarrhœa_:
Powdered Extract of Kino, 1 drachm.
Powdered Ipecacuanha, 8 grains.
Powdered Opium, 6 ”
Mix, and divide into 12 pills.
_Dose_: From half to two pills to be given three or four times a day.[1]
In complications affecting the lungs, as soon as they are noticed the
chest should be sewn up in gamgee wool covered over with flannel. I have
no faith in ordinary liniments; and poultices, unless they are applied by
a professional hand, often do more harm than good. In very acute cases
the hair may be closely cut off over a small patch on each side of the
chest, and strong liniment of iodine applied with a camel’s-hair brush.
This may be repeated in four hours, and again four hours later, if the
application has not made the skin inflamed and swollen. Of course, the
size of the patch must vary according to the size of the dog—from a
five-shilling piece to the palm of the hand.
No very special medicine is required unless the heart is affected, which
is often the case, when the following mixture is useful:—
_Recipe: The Mixture_:
Tincture Digitalis, 1 drachm.
Tincture Nux Vomica, 1 drachm.
Concentrated Solution of Acetate of Ammonia, 2 drachms.
Water to 6 ounces.
From one[1] to four teaspoonfuls to be given every four or six hours,
according to the severity of the symptoms. If the fever is very high,
from two[1] to ten grains of bicarbonate of potash may be added to each
dose. Some brandy may also be given with advantage, from ten[1] drops
to a dessertspoonful every two or three hours, given as previously
recommended.
When the nervous system becomes affected during distemper, or just
afterwards, it is always a serious matter; in fact, when the brain is
attacked and fits are the result, the case is practically hopeless, and
if the fits are very severe and frequent it is better to destroy the dog
at once, rather than waste time and money in continuing the treatment.
When the disease attacks the spinal cord, St. Vitus’s dance (chorea)
generally follows. This is also practically an incurable disease, and in
severe cases it is best to put the dog out of its misery, for if it lives
it will always be a hopeless cripple. Slight cases improve with time
and judicious treatment, but the twitching never entirely disappears,
though the dog may recover sufficiently to be shown, and also to be bred
from. The disease is not hereditary, though I have sometimes thought
that puppies of parents suffering from chorea are more disposed to the
disease than others. Again, as the result of distemper, the patient may
become paralysed to a more or less extent in different parts of the body
or limbs—generally the back legs, though occasionally the fore ones are
affected, and sometimes all four legs become useless. I have seen some
cases when only the tail has been affected, the dog not being able to
move it in the least. In other instances the eyes are the seat of the
mischief, and amaurosis is the result. Unfortunately, treatment is quite
useless in this latter case; in fact, I never saw a dog recover. The
blindness may not be complete at first, but this paralysis of the eyes is
a progressive disease which no treatment seems able to stop. I may here
mention in amaurosis that the eye remains clear and bright, and to the
casual observer there is nothing to be seen except a widely dilated blue
pupil, which ordinary light does not cause to contract, though exposure
to the strong rays of the sun will do so _slowly_. If the owner of a
patient thus affected is anxious to try some treatment, then I suggest
the following:—
_Recipe: The Lotion_:
Sulphate of Eserine, 1 grain.
Distilled Water to 1 ounce.
One drop to be placed into each eye three times a day.
For medicine, give nux vomica as the following:—
_Recipe: The Mixture_:
Tincture Nux Vomica, 1 drachm.
Water to 6 ounces.
_Doses_: From one[1] teaspoonful to a tablespoonful three times a day
after food.
Later, the following mixture may be tried:—
_Recipe: The Mixture_:
Iodide of Potassium, 36 grains.
Water to 6 ounces.
_Doses_: From one[1] teaspoonful to a tablespoonful three times a day.
A seton may also be placed in the back of the neck just behind the ears,
and galvanism may also be tried.
As to the treatment of distemper fits, if they are noticed at the
commencement, before they have become severe, something may be done.
Large and frequent doses of bromide of strontia should be administered,
from 3 to 15 grains,[1] in from a teaspoonful[1] to a tablespoonful of
water every three or four hours at first, or so long as there are any
fits; when they cease, give the medicine less often—say, every six hours,
or four times a day. After a few days, three times a day will be often
enough for the medicine, and later twice a day. If there is no diarrhœa,
give aperient medicine, and feed on a very light and sloppy food, as
bread, with soup or milk, Benger’s food, egg and milk, etc. Keep the dog
absolutely quiet, and in the dark as much as possible.
When the bromide in large doses is continued for some time, one often
notices weakness or partial paralysis of the limbs; this passes off when
the medicine is discontinued.
As to the treatment of chorea, I know of no specific; in fact, medicine
has little or no effect over this disease at all. Strong doses of
medicine like nux vomica or Easton’s syrup do more harm than good
during the early stages, whereas later small doses of these drugs are
beneficial. Directly the twitching is noticed the bromide of strontia
should be given, from two[1] to ten grains three times a day. In the
course of a week, if the twitching does not increase, some arsenic
may be added to the bromide, as from one[1] to five drops of Fowler’s
solution to each dose. Later, in about a month or so, when all
inflammatory symptoms have passed, the eyes clear, and the temperature
has been normal for some time, some nerve tonic is useful, but it must be
given with caution, or the twitching will increase. Easton’s syrup is as
good as anything—for very small dogs like Japanese spaniels five drops
three times a day in a teaspoonful of water is enough; after a week, six
drops may be given; and a week later, seven drops for a dose. The dose
for toy spaniels weighing about eight pounds is eight drops; full-sized
fox terriers, ten drops; collies, etc., fifteen drops; St. Bernards,
etc., twenty drops. In each case the dose may be gradually increased.
If the dog is in very poor condition, petroleum emulsion may be given
with the Easton’s syrup instead of water. In any case, it is a matter of
months before any improvement is noticed. In ordinary paralysis as the
result of the distemper, when there is an absence of twitching, bromide
in any form does more harm than good. In these cases some preparation of
nux vomica is required, and the following pills I have found useful:—
_Recipe: Compound Nux Vomica Pills_:
Powdered Nux Vomica, 2 to 8 grains.[1]
Ergotine, 5 to 18 grains.
Reduced Iron, 12 to 60 grains.
Ex. cip. _q.s._ Mix.
Divide into twelve pills, one to be given three times a day.
If there is no improvement after a short time, a blister applied to both
sides of the neck in cases of paralysis of the forelegs is often useful,
and in chronic cases of paralysis of the back legs a blister should be
applied to the loins. The blister may be repeated in a fortnight, if
necessary.
Galvanism is also useful in cases when of long standing.
The bowels should be kept open with mild aperients, and vermifuge
medicine given if there are any signs of worms. Dogs suffering from
paralysis, the result of distemper, generally recover with time and care.
=Docking=:
Puppies should be docked when three or four days old, and the operation
should be done with a pair of sharp scissors. The skin should be drawn
well forward before severing the tail, then afterwards it slips back and
well overlaps the bone. There is, as a rule, little or no bleeding; at
any rate, not sufficient to be of any importance. Should there be, it can
easily be stopped by the application of a little tincture of perchloride
of iron, or of Friar’s balsam. It is well after docking a puppy to keep
the mother away for half an hour or so.
Different breeds of dogs have their tails docked at different lengths.
The fox terrier should have three-fifths of his tail left. Irish and
Airedale terriers rather less than half. Spaniels, about two-fifths of
the tail should be left, and griffons about a third.
=Doses=:
In consequence of the difference in the sizes of dogs, it is always
difficult when giving a general prescription suitable for dogs of all
breeds to make the doses quite clear for dogs of different sizes.
However, to make it as clear as possible, I have divided dogs into eight
different sizes, as for instance, griffons and others, 4 or 5 pounds
weight. I call No. 1 size, spaniels, pugs, etc., weighing 10 or 12
pounds. No. 2 size, fox terriers, Irish terriers, etc., weighing from 18
to 25 pounds. No. 3 size, bull dogs, field spaniels, etc., weighing about
40 pounds. No. 4 size, collies, retrievers, greyhounds, etc. No. 5 size,
bloodhounds, etc., and other dogs weighing about 80 pounds. No. 6 size,
great Danes, etc., weighing about 120 pounds. No. 7 size, bigger dogs,
like St. Bernards. No. 8 size, mastiffs, etc. Therefore, if the dose
advised is from half a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful, it is intended
for No. 1 size, half a teaspoonful; No. 2, a teaspoonful; No. 3, a
teaspoonful and a half; No. 4, two teaspoonfuls; No. 5, two teaspoonfuls
and a half; No. 6, three teaspoonfuls; No. 7, three teaspoonfuls and a
half; and No. 8, four teaspoonfuls or a tablespoonful. When pills or
powders are prescribed, they are to be divided in the same way.
=Dosing=:
People who are not in the habit of administering medicine to dogs often
have a difficulty in giving it. Liquid is best given out of a bottle.
The person about to give it should stand on the right hand side of the
dog, place the left hand around the muzzle, then slightly raise the head,
and place the neck of the bottle inside the cheek, and pour a small
quantity of the fluid at a time into the pouch formed by the cheek. If
the muzzle is held tightly with the left hand, there is no danger of the
dog biting the bottle. If the reader is afraid to use a bottle, the fluid
may be given with a spoon, but then a second person is required to hold
the dog’s head, and with the finger pull out the side of the cheek so as
to form a pouch in which the medicine should be poured. This is by far
a better plan than forcing the dog’s mouth open, and pouring the fluid
right on his tongue.
[Illustration: How to give fluid medicine or liquid nourishment to a dog]
To give a pill, stand on the right hand side of the dog’s head, with
the left hand placed over the muzzle, forcing the dog’s mouth open by
pressing the cheek between the teeth, then he cannot bite you. Slightly
raise the head, and drop the pill into the back of the mouth, and then
with the forefinger of the right hand just push it into the throat. Close
the mouth quickly, and the dog will swallow it.
[Illustration: Giving a pill]
=Dropsy=:
_Symptoms_: In dropsy, the result of heart or kidney disease, the
limbs often become swollen, as well as the abdomen becoming enlarged
and pendulous. The fluid may be detected for certain in the abdomen
by placing a hand on one side of the stomach, and then gently tapping
the other side of the abdomen, and if fluid is present, an undulating
motion will be felt like striking a bladder full of water. In dropsy, no
matter from what cause, the dog becomes thin about the neck and chest,
and the muscles of the limbs waste. As the fluid increases, the size
of the abdomen increases; the breathing becomes distressed, and the dog
walks with difficulty. In many cases, when relief is not obtained, the
dropsy extends to the chest, which of course increases the difficulty of
breathing.
Many cases of ascites are due to diseased liver, which may become much
enlarged, but the condition of the liver may simply be due to defective
circulation.
_Treatment_: Unless the patient is very old, relief may generally be
given with the following mixture, continued for some time:—
_Recipe: The Mixture_:
Acetate Potash, 3 drachms.
Tr. Digitalis, 1 drachm.
Tr. Nux Vomica, ½ drachm.
Spirits of Nitre, 2 drachms.
Water to 6 ounces.
_Doses_: From one teaspoonful to two tablespoonfuls[1] three times a day.
Also give three times a day in water, after food, from fifteen drops[1]
to two teaspoonfuls of Hollands gin. Once or twice a week a dose of
purgative medicine should be given, as from three to fifteen grains[1] of
jalapine. When the liver is affected, give from two[1] to eight grains
of grey powder once or twice a week, instead of the jalapine. In severe
cases of dropsy tapping is necessary, but as a rule, in ascites it only
gives temporary relief.
=Dysentery=:
_Symptoms_: Frequent liquid motions, consisting principally of mucus and
blood, accompanied by severe straining. The abdomen is very tender, there
is often vomiting and great thirst.
_Treatment_: Give at once a dose of castor oil and laudanum, from half
to a tablespoonful[1] of oil mixed with from three[1] to fifteen drops
of the latter. About six hours afterwards, commence to give carbonate
bismuth from five to twenty grains[1] every three or four hours, also two
or three times a day give an enema of thick boiled starch (from one[1] to
four teaspoonfuls), mixed with from three[1] to twenty drops of laudanum.
The enema should be just warm, given very slowly, and the dog should _be
kept_ quiet for a short time afterwards, to prevent his ejecting it.
The following mixture may be tried, if the symptoms continue in spite of
the bismuth:—
_Recipe_:
Chlorodyne, 2 drachms.
Prepared Chalk, 4 drachms.
Tr. Catechu, 4 drachms.
Sol. Gum Acacia, 4 drachms.
Water to 6 ounces.
_Doses_: From one teaspoonful to a tablespoonful[1] every three or four
hours.
_Diet_: Feed on milk thickened with arrowroot (boiled), also give white
of egg beaten up with water to drink, or barley water; no solid food
should be given whilst there are any signs of blood with motions.
[Illustration: PITCHFORD RANGER. Winner of 10 prizes at the Field Trials.
_Pedigree of Pointer, Pitchford Ranger, the property of Colonel Cotes,
Pitchford, Shrewsbury._
} Dan } Spring
} Duke of } } Lady
} Hamilton’s }
} Broderick } Duck } Big Roy
Sire: } Castle Sandy } } Bess
Sandy of Upton }
} } Aldin Fluke } Fluke
} } (31035) } Aldin Bell
} Kiss (31109) }
} Aldin Minnie } Don
} (26646) } Aldin Rose
PITCHFORD RANGER
} Devonshire Wag } Devon Jack
} } Devon Fan
Dam: } Devonshire }
Fleece of Bromfield, } Prime } Devon Lady } Molton Baron
the dam of Champion } } } Village Star
Faskally Brag, Syke }
of Bromfield, and } } Lite } Prior of Upton
Wandering Minnie } } } Mawson’s Queen
} Dora }
} Belle of Avon } Laird of Llandst
} } Lady Love
[_face p. 90._]
=Dyspepsia=:
_Symptoms_: Distention and discomfort after food, which is not eaten with
usual relish. Action of bowels variable, sometimes constipated, at other
times loose; occasionally vomiting after food. Tongue, instead of being
of a nice pink colour, is brick-red. Dog drinks more than usual. There is
loss of spirits and condition, and a disinclination to exercise.
_Treatment_: First give a purge as from 2 to 10 grains[1] of jalapine.
Repeat dose in a week; also give following mixture:—
_Recipe_:
Bicarbonate of Soda, 2 drachms.
Tr. Rhubarb, 3 ”
Tr. Gentian, 4 ”
Tr. Nux Vomica, 1 drachm.
Liquor Bismuth, 1 ounce.
Water to 6 ounces.
_Doses_: One teaspoonful to one tablespoonful[1] three time a day half
an hour before food. After food give from one to 5 grains[1] of ingluvin
after each meal.
Dogs suffering from dyspepsia should be treated for worms.
_Diet_: In bad cases, for a few days give milk with Benger’s food, also
milk mixed with equal parts Vichy water to drink; later feed entirely on
lean raw meat for a time, given three times a day; if it is refused quite
raw, try it lightly grilled. Well-boiled tripe, or sheep’s brains boiled
in milk, may also be offered.
=Dysuria=:
_Symptoms_: Frequent passing of water, which is generally of a clear
water colour, the dog at times passing it unconsciously whilst standing.
In some cases the urine may be cloudy or even tinged with blood, when
there is a stone in the bladder or kidney.
_Treatment_: When due to simple irritation of the kidneys or bladder,
and there is an absence of stone, small doses of opium should be given,
from an eighth to a grain[1] three times a day. When the symptoms are the
result of calculus, the cause must be removed by operation. In dysuria
the supply of water should be limited, or barley water or skimmed milk
given instead of plain water.
=Ear-ache=:
_Symptoms_: Shaking of the head, which is often held on one side; pain on
pressure. There is generally an absence of discharge as in canker of the
ear.
_Treatment_: Steaming the ear with hot poppy-head tea gives relief, or a
few drops of laudanum may be poured into the ear. The application of a
hot salt bag is relieving.
=Ear Canker=: