either a foster-parent must be found (and a cat will rear a small pup
very tenderly), or the litter must in part be brought up by hand.
This last is more troublesome than difficult to do. The pups want to be
fed early and late, consequently they must be taken into the bedroom; and
when the feeding-time arrives, the soundest sleeper will be reminded of
his duty. A bottle, such as is used for infants of the human kind, must
have a sort of nipple made of wash-leather fitted to it. The leather is
to be pricked all over with a fine needle, and within it is to be placed
a small piece of sponge to give substance and form to it. There is need
to do that, because the pup, when it sucks, wraps the tongue round the
teat, and unless the body it thus grasps has bulk, it cannot extract the
liquid. This, therefore, being attended to, the little creatures very
soon learn their lesson, and all that is subsequently to be done will be
to hold them to the bottle and the bottle to them. Each pup occupies from
ten to fifteen minutes at a meal; and they may be allowed to decide the
quantity that will do them good, unless one should obviously be morbidly
gluttonous, when the indulgence of its appetite should be restrained.
The best food for such young puppies is to give artificially prepared
bitches’ milk, made by adding cream, etc., to cows’ milk. (_See_ article
on MILK.)
There is only one circumstance needed to be pointed out when pups are
brought up by hand. The sponge and leather of the false nipple are apt
to become sour; and therefore, after they have been used, they should be
kept in water rendered slightly alkaline with the carbonate of soda.
If the puppies are strong, one may commence to wean them when between
five and six weeks old; but when they are weakly or delicate, it is best
to wait another week before commencing to take them away from their
mother; and under any circumstance it must be done gradually for the
mother’s sake. For the first three days separate the bitch from the
puppies all day except for half an hour, middle day; then keep her away
entirely during the day, only allowing her to be with them at night; and
then, after a few days later, only allow her to visit her puppies for a
short time night and morning. This must continue so long as the bitch has
any desire to go to the little ones, or so long as she has any milk.
As to feeding the puppies, _see_ the article on FEEDING in the Appendix.
=Purgative Medicine=:
A dose of purgative medicine, judiciously administered, is a good remedy
for many minor complaints, and often makes what looks like being a very
sick dog into a healthy one.
Castor oil is a good household remedy, but causes constipation
afterwards; but in cases of diarrhœa, when it is necessary to clear the
bowel of any irritating matter, there is nothing better than castor oil.
The dose varies from half a teaspoonful to two tablespoonfuls.[1] When
the dog is showing signs of abdominal pain, from three[1] to fifteen
drops of laudanum may be added to the dose.
The following is a mild aperient mixture, and does not bind afterwards:—
_Recipe_:
Castor Oil, } Equal parts.
Syrup of Buckthorn, }
Salad Oil, }
Well mixed.
_Doses_: From half a teaspoonful[1] to two tablespoonfuls, fasting, in
the morning.
For little dogs suffering from constipation, salad oil mixed daily with
the food answers well. Give from a half[1] to a teaspoonful once or twice
a day.
Some dogs refuse to take their food with oil in it. In these cases, fluid
magnesia is a nice mild laxative; and one,[1] two, or three teaspoonfuls
may be given with a little milk at breakfast-time. A little gingerbread
cake, given at night, keeps a small dog’s bowels very regular; besides,
it is appreciated.
For a purge for small dogs, one or two of the following pills may be
given:—
_Recipe_:
Extract Colocynth, 12 grains.
Extract Jalap, 6 ”
Septandrin, 3 ”
Extract Gentian, 6 ”
Podophyllum, 3 ”
Gingerine, 1½ ”
Mix.
Divide into 12 pills.
Sometimes it is difficult to give a dog a pill. In these cases, a powder
may be administered, as jalapin. Two grains is the dose for a very small
dog, and twelve grains for a big one like a great Dane or St. Bernard. It
may be just shaken dry on the tongue or mixed with a little thick gruel.
The following is a good cathartic pill for dogs varying in size from a
fox-terrier to the biggest kind:—
_Recipe_:
Barbadoes Aloes, 24 grains.
Gamboge, 12 ”
Jalap, 24 ”
Colocynth, 12 ”
Powdered Soap, 12 ”
Calomel, 12 ”
Gingerine, 3 ”
Excip. sufficient.
Mix.
Divide into 12 pills—one, two, three, or four[1] to be give on an empty
stomach.
In cases of skin disease, when purgative medicine is necessary, Epsom
salts is the best. The dose varies from fifteen grains to one ounce,[1]
given in some sweetened milk.
=Purpura=:
_Symptoms_: Extravasation of blood into the skin in very small pin-like
spots, or may be in large patches. They are first bright red, then turn
darker, and afterwards become brown in colour. The same symptoms may
occur on the tongue, also the cheek, and on the white parts of the eye,
and they occur also on the internal organs.
_Treatment_: When the spots are very small and few in number, no notice
need be taken of them; but when there are large patches of extravasated
blood, give from half a grain[1] to two grains of ergotine with double
the quantity of reduced iron, made into a pill, two or three times a day.
After a few days, commence a course of arsenic, give from one[1] to six
drops of liquor arsenic (P.B.) three times a day in water after food.
In these cases, avoid giving much meat.
=Pyæmia=:
_Symptoms_: This is an uncommon disease in dogs, but when it does occur
it usually runs a rapid course, death often taking place in a few days.
It generally results from some severe internal operation, though it
may not come on until some months after the operation has taken place,
then a large abscess forms in the liver. The attack commences, as a
rule, by severe shivering, the temperature rises 3 or 4 or more degs.
above normal; the pulse is very quick, often going up to 150. The dog
refuses all food, is very thirsty, frequently vomits, and loses condition
quickly. If the abscess bursts in the abdomen, peritonitis follows, and
death soon takes place; but if it dries up (becomes caseated), then the
dog gets better for a time, but other abscesses are almost sure to form,
if not in the liver, kidneys, or lymphatic glands, they may in the lungs,
when there is a recurrence of all the symptoms previously described.
_Treatment_: There is little to be done in these cases; a large dose of
salicylate of quinine, say from two to ten grains,[1] should be given,
and repeated once in six hours. If no improvement takes place by the
following day, it is worth while to see what a surgical operation will
do, though the chances of a cure by this mode of treatment are never very
bright.
The dog’s strength should be maintained with good strong beef-tea, also
Plasmon with milk, and nutritive suppositories and enemas. Brandy, too,
should be freely given.
=Pyrosis=:
_Symptoms_: The rejection from the stomach of a quantity of watery fluid.
This is generally preceded by discomfort and restlessness, and rumbling
in the stomach.
_Treatment_: Put dog on a milk diet for a few days; it may be given with
Benger’s food, Plasmon, or Spratt’s invalid food, or toast; also three
or four times a day, about a quarter of an hour before food, give from
two[1] to ten grains of subnitrate of bismuth. Do not give any meat.
=Rabies=:
_Symptoms_: As in all illnesses, this one commences with a loss of
appetite, and a rise of temperature from 2 to 3 degs. above normal. The
dog may be constantly licking himself at one particular spot, which is
probably the place where he was bitten and inoculated.
The dog’s disposition entirely changes, the cheerful one becomes morose
and sullen, the quiet one is restless, and the good-tempered dog
quarrelsome, and there is an inclination to hide in dark corners, though
when called by his owner he comes forward and is very affectionate,
licking the hand and even the person’s face if allowed.
A rabid dog is generally depicted with a quantity of frothing saliva
flowing from the mouth, like one suffering from epilepsy. This is a
mistake, the mouth may certainly be a little moister than usual at
first, but it soon becomes dry and of a dark red colour. The rabid dog
is much inclined to attack others, the small, timid pet will, without
provocation, bite both small and large dogs, and it is generally done
cunningly, for he will often go quietly up to his victim and smell him,
in the usual doggy way, and then suddenly bite him, and perhaps give a
sort of howl immediately afterwards.
A rabid dog’s voice is quite altered, and it is very characteristic of
the disease, but it is rather difficult to describe on paper; it is half
a bark and half a howl; it commences with a bark and finishes up with a
dismal howl. A rabid dog is much disposed to wander if he can only get
his liberty, and once he gets out he often goes for miles on a sort of
jog-trot, with head and tail down, going out of his way to attack other
dogs, but not so much people, unless they get directly in his way, or
interfere with him. He may wander for hours, or perhaps a day and a
night, and then return home. A rabid dog, though he refuses good food,
will gnaw and eat all sorts of foreign substances; for instance, if he
is in a kennel, he will gnaw and eat the woodwork; if behind railings
or chained up, the ironwork, even to the extent of breaking his teeth.
If confined in a room, he will gnaw the door, legs of chairs, carpets,
curtains, etc. I have known one to eat his way through a two-inch door in
a couple of hours. A rabid dog is not afraid of water; in fact, he drinks
a good deal at first, before the symptoms are fully developed, and even
during the latter stages, though he is unable to swallow, he will thrust
his muzzle into a basin of water and try to drink.
As the disease advances, he becomes weak in the back legs, and ultimately
quite paralysed, and if not killed, dies within four or five days; but
some have been known to live as long as seven days.
In dumb rabies, so called, the lower jaw is dropped in the early stages
through paralysis, and the dog is unable to close the mouth. This is
sometimes rather deceiving, as a person may think, perhaps, there is a
bone fixed on the teeth, and opening the mouth to see, may get wounded by
the teeth.
It is not often a rabid dog will attack his owner unless the person
tries to restrain him; but he will generally go for a stranger without
hesitation or provocation. Rabies cannot arise spontaneously, or from any
other cause whatever but inoculation by a bite from a dog suffering from
the disease. The inoculative period varies from a fortnight to six weeks;
it has been known to extend for three months. There is no doubt that the
saliva from a rabid dog’s mouth, going into the eye of another dog, would
in all probability induce the disease.
_Treatment_: There is no cure for this disease. Directly it is
established, the dog should at once be destroyed, and shooting is the
best and safest way of destroying such an animal.
I wish to dispel the idea which so many people have, that if a dog bites
another, or even a person, and that dog should ever go mad, the dog and
also the person will go mad too; such a thing is impossible, even though
the disease may be lying latent in the dog the time he inflicted the
bites. Pasteur, who was a great authority on rabies, used to say that a
bite from a dog, even two days before there were any visible symptoms of
the disease observed, was not dangerous.
=Ranula=:
_Symptoms_: A large, bladder-like swelling under the tongue, which
prevents the dog eating properly. Saliva, as a rule, flows freely
from the mouth, and in some cases the dog is unable to close the teeth
together. The cause, in some cases, is due to some blockage of the duct
of the gland which is situated under the front part of the tongue.
_Treatment_: A probe passed through the duct generally allows the
accumulated fluid to escape, but in some cases the fluid in the swelling
has become so thick that it cannot escape through the natural passage,
even though cleared with a probe; then the sac should be freely opened,
and after squeezing out its contents, the cavity should be syringed well
out with a solution of boracic acid—a teaspoonful of the acid to half a
pint of warm water.
=Redness of Skin=:
_Symptoms_: A flushed or red condition of the skin often occurs in white
dogs. It is particularly noticed on the inside of the flaps of the ears,
the inner side of the thighs and skin of the belly, or it may be general.
The redness disappears on pressure, but returns when pressure is removed.
_Treatment_: Dust the part over three or four times a day with
finely-powdered boracic acid. Treat dog for worms, and give some tonic
medicine, as following pills:—
_Recipe_:
Sulphate of Iron, 6 to 24 grains.[1]
Sulphate of Quinine, 3 to 18 ”
Confection of doses, _q.s._
Mix.
Divide into 12 pills—one to be given twice a day.
A mild saline aperient should be given once a week.
=Respiration (Artificial)=:
When a dog has been nearly drowned, before resorting to artificial
respiration he should be held upside down for a few moments, to drain
the lungs of water, and then placed on his back with head extended, and
after drawing the tongue slightly forward between the teeth, so as to
keep throat quite clear, apply pressure to the chest (just where it joins
the abdomen) with the open hand, in a forward and downward direction, so
as to expand the chest—this should be repeated from eighteen to thirty
times a minute, according to the size of the dog. After pressure, the
hand should be removed quickly, that the walls of the chest may assume
their normal position. Whilst this is going on, another person should
inject brandy under the skin, and rigorously work the legs so as to try
and promote circulation. As soon as possible put hot-water bottles around
the dog.
=Rheumatic Gout=:
_Symptoms_: There is no doubt that dogs do occasionally suffer from this
disease, it affecting generally the knees and hocks, but other joints may
be attacked. The dog is very lame, the joint swells and is very tender,
and there is a difficulty in bending it. Even after the inflammation has
dispersed, the joint remains thickened and stiff for some time, in some
cases permanently.
_Treatment_: Give a brisk purge, and also from two to fifteen grains[1]
of salicylate of soda three times a day in water after food. If joint
very painful, use following lotion:—
_Recipe_:
Tr. Opium, 4 drachms.
Water to 6 ounces.
Soak a strip of lint in the lotion, which wind round the joint; cover
entirely over with oil-silk and bandage; change every six hours. When
the inflammation and pain is less, cut the hair closely off over the
joint, and paint with strong tincture of iodine, which repeat once in
twenty-four hours. The iodine must not be applied to flexure side of
joint.
When the joint remains enlarged and stiff for some time, a course of
iodide of potassium, say from a quarter[1] to two grains, may be given
three times a day in a little water after food.
=Rheumatism=:
_Symptoms_: This disease may affect almost any part of dog, and also
dogs of all ages, though old ones are no doubt more liable to it. When
it attacks the muscles of the neck, it often assumes a spasmodic form,
and the pain is sometimes very acute; the dog is unable to move his head
in any direction, the muscles, from contraction, appear swollen, are
very tender to the touch, and the dog cries with the pain. The attack
generally lasts some hours, then it gradually subsides, and the dog seems
all right for a while, when it may come on again. Then, rheumatism often
affects the shoulders, and when it does, it is called “Chest Founder”.
The parts are painful and stiff, and the dog walks with difficulty,
dragging the fore feet along the ground. Bitches, when in low condition
after rearing a litter of puppies, often suffer from this form. Then the
loins, again, are the frequent seat of this disease, and when it affects
this part it is called lumbago. The dog walks with arched back, and very
stiffly—and as when the other parts of the body are affected, there is a
good deal of pain. As the result of lumbago, a dog often loses the use of
the hind legs for a time, and in fact becomes quite paralysed.
The disease is not confined only to these parts mentioned, as the joints
of the fore and hind legs are liable, and a very characteristic symptom
of rheumatism is its changing about quickly from one part to another,
which is unlike any other disease. For instance, one day the dog may be
going dead lame in one of the back legs, the next day the other hind leg
may be affected, and the one that was bad the previous day quite free of
pain, or the disease may leave the hind parts and go to one of the fore
limbs. But this is not always the case, as the disease may settle in a
joint, or some muscles, say of the loins, and remain stationary for a
long time.
_Treatment_: This is practically the same at first, at any rate, whatever
part may be affected. The thing is to try and get the disease out of the
system. It is always a good plan to commence with a good purge; after
this has worked off, give a course of salicylate of soda, from two to
fifteen grains[1] three times a day, either in tabloid form, put up in
cachets, or even dissolved in a little water. If this medicine does not
give relief in twenty-four hours, try aspirin or salicine, the doses
are the same. When the muscles of the neck are affected, the pain is
often very acute, as mentioned before. In such cases it is frequently
necessary to administer some sedative medicine, and for this I find there
is nothing better than giving, subcutaneously, from the twentieth to the
eighth of a grain[1] of acetate of morphia, with from ⅟₃₀₀th to ⅟₁₅₀th
of a grain[1] of sulphate of atropine, the two to be dissolved in from
five[1] to ten minims of water. The dose should be repeated night and
morning for a few days. At first these injections may cause vomiting, but
this soon ceases.
In cases of chest founder, or rheumatism in bitches in a weak condition,
which occurs after rearing puppies, salicylate of quinine is often the
best medicine to give, in doses from half to three grains[1] (made into a
pill), three times a day.
Dogs suffering from rheumatism should be kept quiet, the affected parts
covered over with a thick layer of thermogen wool, and bandaged or rubbed
with some liniment, as the following:—
_Recipe_:
Methylated Chloroform, 4 drachms.
Laudanum, 4 drachms.
Spirits of Camphor, 1 ounce.
Soap Liniment, 1 ounce.
Well mix.
Apply with friction night and morning.
_Diet_: Unless the patient is in poor health, should be light, red meat
being avoided; and so should meat extracts and soups to a great extent.
When the disease has assumed a chronic form, and settled in some joint,
like the knee—a favourite place—strong tincture of iodine should be
painted over the front and on each side of the joint every day for three
days, or a strong blister applied, and iodide of potassium, in from half
to two-grain[1] doses, be given two or three times a day.
=Rickets=:
_Symptoms_: A disease affecting puppies; if it does not commence before
six months of age, it is not likely to occur. In some puppies it
commences before they have left the nest, but, as a rule, it does not
show itself before the puppy is two months old. The joints, especially
the knees and hocks, become enlarged and irregular in shape; the pasterns
weak, the puppy walks on the backs of his legs; the arms are bowed, the
stifles enlarged and standing out, whilst the hocks turn inwards, giving
a “cow-hock” appearance. The bones of the face may be swollen, and there
may be a curvature of the spine.
The puppy, when suffering from rickets, is always dwarfed in growth, very
thin and miserable-looking, with pot belly, and always more or less in
pain. The cause of rickets is improper feeding, want of sufficient fresh
air, light, and liberty; also worms.
_Treatment_: Puppies suffering from this disease, when much below their
normal size and weight, and badly crippled, should be destroyed. When
it is decided to treat a case, give worm medicine, also some chemical
food, from ten drops[1] to a teaspoonful twice a day after eating, either
in water or mixed with cod-liver oil. Bathe the limbs with sea water,
or a solution of sea salt twice a day; but if very weak, bandage with
strips of adhesive plaster, applied so that it does not interfere with
the bending of the joints. The puppy should live out of doors, in a big
gravelled yard if possible, and where there are people about to attract
attention and to encourage movement. Give plenty of raw meat on a bone,
if possible—the act of gnawing it off much improves the digestion; also
give Spratt’s malt and cod-liver oil biscuits, dry, as well as soaked
in good soup. The puppy may have milk to drink instead of water. No
treatment is of any use without fresh air, sunshine, and liberty.
=Ringworm=:
_Symptoms_: Almost bare and nearly circular patches of skin, which is
rough and scaly, and sometimes there are a few small red pimples on
the places and a few short stumps of broken hair. The disease is very
contagious to other animals, and also to people. Rats and mice are very
subject to ringworm, and frequently infect dogs.
_Treatment_: Dress all the spots daily with sulphurated calcium lotion,
applied with a brush. After a week, dress the spots daily with borate of
glycerine.
=Rupture=:
_Symptoms_: A swelling in the groin, navel, scrotum perineum, etc.; and
it may occur at any part of the abdomen, the result of an injury, when it
is called ventral hernia. The swelling may be round or elongated; it is
generally broader at its free extremity than at its point of connection
with the abdominal surface. It becomes enlarged when the dog strains, or
when constipated, and it also has a tendency to increase in size as the
dog gets older.
_Treatment_: Navel rupture, which is generally congenital, has a tendency
to become smaller as the puppy gets older; and often by the time he or
she is a year old it may have quite disappeared. Trusses are useless in
the treatment of hernia in dogs, they fidget the animal so; but a radical
cure can be effected in most cases, with every chance of success, by a
surgical operation, which is not a dangerous one. (_See_ HERNIA.)
=Scalds=:
_Symptoms_: Skin inflamed and red, and very painful; blisters appear,
which break, and matter forms. Unhealthy wounds are the result, which
take a long time to heal. Hair removed, the result of a burn or scald,
never grows again.
_Treatment_: To remove the pain and inflammation, dab the parts freely
with a dressing made of lime-water one part, linseed-oil two parts,
mixed together. Later apply boracic ointment on lint and bandage. The
wounds must be kept clean by being occasionally sponged with warm boracic
lotion.
=Sea Sickness=:
_Symptoms_: Depression, loss of appetite and vomiting. Some dogs, when on
a voyage or living on a yacht, the first few days appear very listless
and dejected in spirits; and although there may be no sickness, food is
refused, and they get very thin and miserable-looking.
_Treatment_: It is not a serious matter, as a rule, for the nausea
generally soon passes off, and the dog starts to eat; but if it continues
more than a couple of days, a small dose of bromide of potassium, say
from two[1] to ten grains, may be given in a little water three or
four times a day, and the dog encouraged to take Vichy water and milk
in equal parts; and some tempting food, as a little chicken and stale
bread-crumbs, or stewed rabbit with rice, may be offered. Once the dog
commences to eat, he generally quickly regains his former condition.
=Seton, How to put in a=: