a dog, without any bad result. The tincture of iodine is often used to
reduce tumors or swellings. It seldom has any beneficial results, except
in cases of goitre, when it is sometimes useful; and if the application
is continued too long, or the preparation is applied over too large a
surface, sufficient becomes absorbed to cause severe constitutional
disturbance. If a large quantity of pure iodine or the tincture is given
to a dog, the mouth and tongue will be found discoloured (dark brown);
there is great pain in the throat and stomach; severe purging and
vomiting—the vomited matter may be yellow or brown from the iodine, or
blue, if there is any starchy matter in the stomach; and the breath has
that peculiar unmistakably iodine odour. Dogs very seldom, indeed, are
poisoned with iodine in this way, though it is not at all an uncommon
occurrence for dogs to be slowly poisoned with iodide of potassium, or
in some cases by the pure iodine, through absorption into the system by
the skin. The latter should never be given, and only the former in small
doses, say from half[1] to two grains, and even this quantity should not
be continued too long. When it is, or large doses are given, the dog soon
loses flesh; he has an almost unquenchable thirst, the result of gastric
catarrh. Vomiting is frequent, especially after taking a large quantity
of fluid; diarrhœa may be present; the tongue is of a dark brick-red
colour; saliva flows freely from the mouth, and there is no desire for
food.
_Treatment_: In cases of acute poisoning, if the patient does not vomit
freely, an emetic should be given, as from five[1] to twenty grains of
sulphate of zinc in water or some ipecacuanha wine; give starch and
water, also white of egg, and water in large quantities, and allow milk
_ad libitum_.
If there is great prostration, inject ether or brandy under the skin. In
cases of chronic or slow poisoning by iodide of potassium, the medicine
must, of course, be instantly stopped; and diluted hydrochloric acid,
from two[1] to six drops in a dessertspoonful[1] to two tablespoonfuls
of water given three times a day. If this does not stop the sickness
and great thirst, the subnitrate of bismuth may be tried, in doses from
five[1] to twenty grains, shaken dry on the tongue, every three or four
hours. The dog must not have any water to drink, as it only increases the
sickness; but plenty of ice placed in a perforated dish to lick, also
iced barley or rice water. As there is often great weakness in these
cases, nourishing food of an easily digested nature is required—Brand’s
beef essence, given in jelly form; milk peptonised, or thickened with
Benger’s food. As the case improves, lean raw meat in small quantities
may be allowed.
_Tartar Emetic_:
_Symptoms_: The proper dose varies from a quarter[1] of a grain to
one and a half grains. The symptoms, the result of a large dose, are
continued sickness, with violent retching, and often diarrhœa; great
thirst; coldness of lips, ears, and limbs, with severe depression and
weak pulse, difficult breathing, collapse, and death. Sometimes just
before dying the patient may be much convulsed.
In cases of poisoning by tartar emetic, there is generally an absence of
blood in the vomited matter and bowel evacuations, which is not the case
in poisoning by arsenic, as blood is passed freely both ways.
_Treatment_: Give a copious draught of warm water, with the idea of
washing the stomach out; this, of course, is almost immediately brought
up. A few minutes afterwards give from five[1] to thirty grains of gallic
acid in water, which repeat every time the dog is sick, and let the
animal have barley water or white of egg beaten up in water to drink. If
there is great collapse, inject brandy or ether, from fifteen[1] minims
to one drachm, under the skin with a hypodermic syringe; keep the patient
warm, and as quiet as possible. When large doses of tartar emetic have
been given, there is very little hope of recovery.
_Turpentine_ is rather a favourite antithelmintic, though it is not so
much given for this purpose now as it used to be; but it is still a
good deal used by some keepers, and when not carefully and sparingly
administered often proves fatal, especially in young patients.
_Symptoms_: Convulsions; coma; heavy stertorous breathing, with pupils
contracted. A great assistance in the diagnosing of these cases is the
smell of the turpentine in the breath; the bladder is very irritable; the
urine has the odour of violets, and is passed frequently.
_Treatment_: Give an emetic as soon as possible. The best in these cases,
as in many others, is the apomorphia, from two[1] to five drops of the
one in fifty solution, injected under the skin, or double the quantity
poured down the throat. Failing this, give from five[1] to twenty grains
of sulphate of zinc, in water, or some powdered ipecacuanha. When the
effect of the emetic has passed, a full dose of sulphate of soda, from
one[1] drachm to one ounce, in water, should be given. The dog may be
allowed to drink milk or white of egg, with water or rice water.
When there is much pain about the abdomen, a morphia suppository inserted
into the bowel gives relief.
_Oxide of Zinc_, either in the form of lotion, ointment, or the powder,
is a household remedy, and an exceedingly good one, too, for many forms
of non-contagious skin disease; but like almost everything else, when
applied to the dog’s skin, he makes it his business to remove it with
the tongue as quickly as possible. A small quantity does no harm; but
when the ointment or lotion is applied over a large surface, and the dog
licks a large quantity off, serious disturbances of the system often
follow. Acute cases of this kind are not so fatal, as a rule, as chronic
ones—that is, as in those cases of long-standing skin trouble when
the zinc has been in daily use for some time, and the animal has been
systematically licking it. In these cases the ill effects of the zinc are
first noticed by the dog vomiting after food.
_Symptoms_: There is great thirst and loss of condition; soon the dog
refuses food altogether, the sickness increases, and becomes very
frequent. If the mouth is examined, the inside of the lips and tongue
will be noticed extremely pale—in fact, quite blanched—and the membrane
of the eyes is in a similar condition. The dog is very cold and dejected.
Diarrhœa often comes on, which adds to the weakness.
_Treatment_: In treating these cases, the application of the oxide zinc
in any form, of course, should be immediately discontinued. A purge
should be given; for this, from two[1] to fifteen grains of jalapin is as
good as anything. This should be repeated in two or three days. Medicine
to strengthen the system and stop the sickness should be given, as the
following mixture:—
_Recipe_: _The Mixture_:
Dialysed Iron, 2 to 8 minims.[1]
Solution of Arsenic (Fowler’s), ½ to 2 minims.
Bicarbonate of Soda, 3 to 10 grains.
Compound Tincture of Gentian, 5 to 20 minims.
Water, from one[1] to four teaspoonfuls. Repeat three or four times a day.
Strong beef-tea in jelly form, either home-made or Brand’s beef essence,
should be given in small quantities frequently. Milk with soda water, if
it does not induce vomiting, may be allowed.
When there is great prostration, stimulants, as brandy, are necessary,
and should be given in small quantities frequently; and scraped lean raw
meat is very beneficial in these cases, when the patient may be induced
to take it.
_Santonine_ is a most useful remedy for expelling round worms, especially
in young puppies, but very often too much is given. As a result,
violent convulsions are induced, which in many cases terminate fatally.
Full-grown dogs will stand a good dose without any bad effects, but young
puppies are particularly susceptible to its action.
_Treatment_: The patient should be made to vomit as quickly as possible,
but this cannot be done whilst the convulsions continue. However,
directly the dog is able to swallow, a dose of ipecacuanha should be
administered, from two[1] to ten grains (in a little water). This may
be repeated in a few minutes, if it has not acted. If the convulsions
are very severe, an injection of ether and laudanum should be given—from
fifteen[1] to sixty drops of the former, and from seven[1] to twenty
drops of the latter diluted freely with water. The injection should
be repeated in half an hour, if the symptoms continue. A warm bath is
sometimes useful.
Whilst on this subject, I may mention the proper doses of this medicine.
For small puppies, toys, fox-terriers, etc., when five or six weeks
old, a quarter of a grain in a teaspoonful of salad oil; collies,
St. Bernards, and other big puppies, half a grain in a couple of
teaspoonfuls of oil. The dose may be repeated twice a week.
_Lead_ is another poison which is occasionally the cause of death. Many
dogs are poisoned by this agent, but it is only an exceptional case that
terminates fatally. I have known the acetate or sugar of lead to be
given in mistake for Epsom salts, and I have also known puppies and even
full-grown dogs to pick up and swallow pieces of white lead (carbonate of
lead). I have also seen dogs very ill through licking their feet after
walking on wet paint, and I have heard it mentioned that some dogs will
deliberately go and lick a place that has been newly painted. However, I
can scarcely believe this; but everyone knows a dog will try to clean his
coat of whatever may get on it. Dogs will sometimes get a bad attack of
vomiting by remaining in a house where painting is going on, just from
the smell.
_Symptoms_: Vomiting, colic, pain sometimes being acute; diarrhœa often
at first, followed by constipation. The muscles of the stomach feel hard
and rigid. There is great thirst, and in some bad cases paralysis of the
hind legs and convulsions.
_Treatment_: Encourage the sickness by giving a dose of sulphate of zinc
or ipecacuanha wine. Stimulate the action of the bowels with free doses
of Epsom salts; give milk to drink, with white of egg added. If the pain
is very severe, an enema of laudanum and ether will soothe. When there
is great prostration, Brand’s essence may be given—a teaspoonful or so
every hour.
[Illustration: A dog in a bag which is very useful when it is necessary
to keep his tongue and teeth away from a wound or when some poisonous
dressing has been applied]
=Prepuce Orifice, Too Small=:
Puppies are occasionally born with the opening in the prepuce too small,
so that the penis is unable to be protruded.
[Illustration: A wide leather collar to prevent a dog from turning his
head round]
_Treatment_: The difficulty is removed by a small operation—that is, by
increasing the opening by making a small incision, and then sewing the
skin to the mucous membrane. It is best not to do this operation until
the puppy is three or four months old, and care must be taken during the
healing that the wound is not licked. This is best done by making the
puppy wear a wide collar, or keeping him in a sack for a few days, with
the head only protruding as depicted in the illustration.
=Prepuce Orifice, Too Large=:
Occasionally puppies are born with the opening in the prepuce so large
that the penis is always protruding.
_Treatment_: The opening may be partly closed by scarifying the edges of
the skin, and then sewing it up. Care must be taken that the dog does not
lick the part during the healing.
=Prostate Gland, Enlargement of=:
_Symptoms_: Difficulty in passing water—straining; also difficulty in
passing a motion—constipation. When very large, they may be felt by
manipulation of back part of abdomen (the pubic region) just in front of
the thighs.
_Treatment_: If dog unable to urinate properly, the water must be
drawn off with a small-sized catheter. The bowels must be kept in a
semi-relaxed condition by mixing with the food, twice a day, from half
to a dessertspoonful[1] of salad oil. Also, give twice a day, from a
quarter[1] to two grains of iodide of potassium in a little water. The
extract of prostate gland may be tried—dose, from half a grain to two
grains.[1] An operation for enlarged prostate gland in the dog is not
satisfactory, but castrating a dog suffering from this disease often has
a good effect.
=Prostatitis (Inflammation of Prostate Gland)=:
_Symptoms_: Increased frequency of passing water, and straining after
emptying bladder, when a few drops of blood are often passed. Big dogs
are more subject to the disease than small ones.
_Treatment_: Do not take the dog for long walks; feed principally on
milk, with biscuits, bread, toast, rice, etc. Fish may also be given, but
avoid meat. Give aperient medicine, castor oil is the best, also tonic
medicine, as the following pills:—
_Recipe_:
Powdered Nux Vomica, 1 to 6 grains.[1]
Reduced Iron, 12 to 30 grains.
Extract Gentian, _q.s._
Mix.
Divide into 12 pills—one to be given twice a day after food.
=Pruritus Ani (Inflammation of Skin about Anus)=:
_Symptoms_: The skin around anus is red and inflamed, and very irritable;
the dog draws himself along the ground on the back parts, and is also
frequently trying to lick himself.
This condition is often associated with a swollen and congested state of
the anal glands.
_Treatment_: Try the ointment recommended for external piles, or bathe
parts with following lotion—
_Recipe_:
Carbolic Acid, 1 drachm.
Glycerine, 2 drachms.
Water to 8 ounces.
Mix.
If the anal glands are distended, empty by squeezing. (_See_ article on
ANAL GLANDS.)
In medicine, give from two[1] to fifteen grains of milk of sulphur twice
a day.
In feeding, avoid much meat.
=Psoriasis=:
_Symptoms_: A dry and scaly condition of the skin, with small red spots
here and there, particularly when the elbows, knees, and hocks are
affected, which are the parts more often attacked.
_Treatment_: When the disease is spread more or less all over the dog,
a dressing made of cocoanut oil six parts, and glycerine one part, well
mixed together and applied all over the dog, and repeated once in four
days, is beneficial. The dressing should be washed off after a week,
using sulphur soap, and then the dog should have two or three times
a week, for a time, a sulphur bath made by dissolving one ounce of
sulphurated potash in a pail of tepid water.
When the disease affects only the joints, apply the following dressing
twice a day:—
_Recipe_:
Methylated Spirits, } Of each one ounce.
Green Soft Soap, }
Oil of Cade, }
Mix.
Give the dog worm medicine, also a course of arsenic, from one[1] to six
drops of liquor arsenicalis P. B. in water twice a day after food. The
dose may be doubled a week later. This medicine should be continued for
about a fortnight, but should it cause vomiting, diarrhœa, or loss of
appetite, it is at once to be discontinued.
=Puerperal Fever=:
_Symptoms_: It may occur three or four days after pupping—commences
with an attack of shivering—the temperature rises probably to 105, the
pulse is quiet and weak. There is great thirst and vomiting, and perhaps
diarrhœa. The discharge from vagina ceases, and the secretion of milk
stops. The abdomen is distended and painful.
_Treatment_: Give a large dose of salicylate of quinine, from two[1] to
ten grains made into a pill, or put in a cachet. Apply hot linseed-meal
poultices to abdomen. Well wash the womb out with a solution of
perchloride of mercury, 1 in 2,000—that is, one grain to about every four
ounces of warm water. Of this solution use about two ounces for a small
bitch, and half a pint for a large one. About two minutes after injecting
the solution of mercury, wash the womb well out with plain warm water,
using from four[1] ounces to a pint. The syringing may be repeated in
twelve hours. When the mercury is not at hand, a saturated solution of
boracic acid may be used, or one of permanganate of potash, one grain to
each ounce of water.
To wash the womb out properly, a clean Higson’s enema syringe should be
used, and the long insertion tube well vaselined passed up the passage as
far as it will go.
_Diet_: Should be light, as milk with Vichy water to drink, also Brand’s
beef essence, or Valentine’s meat juice, given with Vichy water.
If the vomiting is very troublesome, give the mixture recommended for
gastritis, and keep up the bitch’s strength with nutritive enemas and
peptonised meat suppositories.
=Pulse=:
A dog’s pulse varies in the number of beats per minute, according to his
size. The number is less in a big dog than a small one. A St. Bernard’s
pulse, for instance, beats about 70 times per minute, and a small dog’s,
say, like a toy terrier, 100 times per minute, and a dog’s pulse is often
intermittent in its beat.
In disease, the pulse, in most cases, is increased in frequency. It might
be for big dogs 100 to 120, and for small dogs from 120 to 150 or 160
times a minute.
In some instances, as in some cases of heart disease, or in pneumonia,
when the heart is affected, the pulse is very slow indeed. A big dog may
go down to 50, and a small dog to 70. A very slow pulse is more serious
than a fast one. In such cases, some such mixture as the following should
be given:—
_Recipe_:
Tincture Digitalis, 2 drachms.
Tincture Nux Vomica, 1 drachm.
Simple Syrup, 1 ounce.
Water to 6 ounces.
_Doses_: From one teaspoonful to a tablespoonful[1] every four or six
hours.
The pulse not only varies in number of beats per minute during illness,
but also in character—for instance, after great exertion the pulse is
full and fast, and in cases of internal inflammation it is small and wiry
as well as fast.
In some diseases of the nervous system the pulse is very slow. During a
prolonged illness, or after a severe illness, the pulse can scarcely be
felt; it is then said to be weak, and stimulants and tonics are indicated.
The pulse is always quicker in young dogs and old ones than it is in
those in the prime of life. The best place for taking the heart-beats
or pulse is at the femoral artery, just as it crosses the inside of the
thigh-bone.
=Pupping=:
To discover whether a bitch is in pup, let her be placed upon a table,
and her fears or excitability banished by caresses; then lay her upon her
side, and with the fingers gently manipulate the abdomen. If the womb is
impregnated, the person, directing his attention first to the situation
the uterus occupies, near to the rim of the pelvis, and inferior to the
rectum, will there detect round smooth bodies, like little eggs. These
may not be perceptible if the bladder be loaded; but if the catheter be
employed to draw off the urine, they will surely be felt. If the rectum
be full of faeces, it serves as an admirable guide to the position of
the uterus, though he who is acquainted with anatomy needs no such
assistance. Some globular substance being detected, the fingers are
advanced; and if more than one pup be conceived, another similar to it
will speedily impinge upon the touch; then another, and so on, until
the whole of the promised family have been thus announced. The last is
the most difficult to discover; for should there be more than two or
three, it may, and will generally, occupy the extremity of a horn, and
in that situation may escape observation. There are to the womb of this
animal a pair of horns, which are long, and extend to the region of the
kidneys. Both cannot be traced at the same time, and there is a chance
of the two being confounded; therefore it is not well to be positive as
to the precise number of young the bitch will bring forth. And I never
presume to speak confidently upon the point; for though, in the majority
of cases, my opinion may have been corroborated, nevertheless I have
often known a pup more than I supposed the uterus contained to have been
delivered. From the end of the fourth week, the litter, as it were, go
away, or are lost; but when the sixth week arrives, the contents of the
abdomen may be plainly detected; and if the bitch be taken upon the lap,
and her belly supported with the hand, they at this period will be felt
to move, and the motion even of their limbs is clearly recognised.
Milk appears in the teats about the middle of the eighth week, and
sometimes sooner, and occasionally later.
For a bitch to be in proper condition at the time of parturition, she
requires some attention during pregnancy. One or two hours’ walking
exercise daily is essential during the early part of the time; but when
the bitch becomes very heavy, as is often the case the last fortnight,
then half an hour slowly walking is enough, unless the bitch is inclined
to take more. During the first five weeks it is not necessary to make any
alteration in the diet. If the bitch is in the habit of being fed only
once a day, so let it continue; but after the time mentioned, food should
be given twice a day, and should be of good nourishing kind, as soaked
biscuits with a little under-cooked meat—three parts of the former to one
of the latter. When she is delicate, and has a poor appetite, extra meat
may be allowed; and in some cases, especially towards the last, if she is
disinclined to take her ordinary food, meat, raw or cooked, alone may be
given two or three times a day.
Spratt’s small special cod-liver oil biscuits, which contain 10 per cent.
of the oil, make first-class food for bitches of poor condition. They may
be given dry, also broken up small, soaked in soup, and mixed with meat
in the proportion as previously stated. The principal thing is to feed
regularly, and not to give too much at a time.
Bitches when in pup are best without a lot of medicine; but I consider
it a good plan, about three weeks after service, and when all signs of
heat have quite disappeared, to give a vermifuge, not with the idea
of preventing the puppies becoming infested with worms, as that is
impossible, before birth; but no bitch can be in good health, which is
so essential at this time, if the bowels are full of worms. I do not
advise a strong drastic dose, but one of medium strength, and it should
be repeated the following week. It is very important to examine the
bitch’s skin from time to time, so as to check any cutaneous disorder
early; for if the bitch has any skin disease when the puppies are born,
they are sure to contract it, and nothing thwarts their growth more
than an irritable skin, for it prevents rest, when plenty of sleep is
so essential for a puppy’s welfare; so if there are symptoms of mange,
have her at once dressed all over with some mild preparation like sulphur
ointment made with vaseline, which should be repeated two or three times
in the course of a week, and after a few days washed off. In case of
eczema, a bath in Pearson’s fluid diluted eighty times with water, or
after the seventh week sponging all over with a solution of the same,
will in most cases be all that is necessary. In some cases of eczema, at
these times a little cooling medicine is useful, as an occasional dose of
syrup of buckthorn and castor oil, or a small dose every day for a week
of some alterative powders, as the following:
Cream of Tartar, } Equal parts.
Powdered Magnesia, }
Bicarbonate of Potash, }
Milk of Sulphur, }
_Dose_: From sufficient to cover a sixpence to a dessertspoonful.[1]
If a bitch has been in the habit of being regularly washed, this may be
continued as usual, when the heat has passed, until about the seventh
week, when it is not advisable to put the bitch right into warm water in
case abortion might be induced.
While on the subject of abortion, I may mention that a bitch ought never
to be sent on a journey by train during the last two weeks, for a shaking
of this kind is more likely to cause premature confinement than anything
else I know.
It is very important that the bitch should be quite clean at the time of
parturition, and it is a good plan to wash the stomach and breast, also
the vulva and surrounding parts, with a strong warm solution of Pearson’s
fluid, about one in forty. Some treatment of this kind is more likely to
prevent young puppies from having worms soon after birth than anything
else. It is a common custom, and I think a very good one, to give a bitch
in pup a dose of castor oil about three days before she is due. In many
cases, especially when the bitch is a bit gross, it is advisable to give
a dose of the oil a week before her time is up, and again in three or
four days.