half-a-crown where the needle is to enter the skin, and also where it
is to pass out; then wash with warm water and soap, and dry. The needle
should be slightly curved and sharp-pointed, and threaded with a piece
of half-inch tape, which should be smeared over with a little turpentine
ointment for about two inches in the centre, which is the part that is
to be left under the skin. _The dog being muzzled_, a fold of skin from
an inch and a half to four inches[1] should be well raised between the
forefinger and thumb from the muscles underneath; then the point of the
needle should be passed quickly through the raised skin where the hair
has been removed; then draw the needle right through, and detach the
tape. A knot should be tied at each end of the tape, about half an inch
from the wounds, to prevent the seton coming out. The ends of the seton
must be drawn backwards and forwards twice daily to allow the discharge
to escape, and a little turpentine ointment rubbed on the tape every day
for three or four days. The wounds must be kept very clean. A seton may
be allowed to remain in from one to four weeks.
[Illustration: Seton]
A seton placed on the back of the neck, running from just behind the back
of one ear to the other, is a useful form of counter irritant in cases of
chronic epilepsy, also for distemper fits.
In cases of general paralysis, when all four legs are affected, a seton
placed on either side of the neck, running along the course of the spine,
often do good; and so they do when placed in the loins, one on either
side of the spine, in paraplegia or paralysis of the hind quarters.
In pneumonia a seton may be placed in front of the chest, running from
the inside of one shoulder-joint to the other.
Troublesome cysts that are difficult to disperse, like those found in the
flaps of the ear, may often be cured by running a seton through it, and
keeping it there for a few days.
A small seton placed in the throat, just in front of the larynx, is
useful in cases of chronic cough.
=Sexual Excitement=:
_Symptoms_: Some dogs are constantly worrying themselves, getting on
people’s feet and legs, and working their body, which is, to say the
least, most disagreeable. Very often any amount of chastising fails to
stop the disagreeable habit, but if the dog is young, there are always
hopes that he will improve with time, for, as a rule, when he is a year
old the disagreeable habit ceases; but there are dogs who continue to
misbehave themselves whenever an opportunity occurs the whole of their
lives, and the only cure is to have them castrated, which is a certain
cure. This operation does not seem to affect a dog’s health or spirits.
=Shaking Palsy=:
_Symptoms_: Trembling of the limbs, particularly the back ones, when
standing, although when walking the dog may go with a normal gait. It
is a condition that is more often seen in big dogs than small ones,
particularly those with straight hocks and stifle joints. It may also
occur as the result of advanced age even in small dogs.
_Treatment_: Medicine is seldom of any use, although sometimes a course
of Nux Vomica appears to do some good, and is worth a trial, unless there
is some physical defect. The dose is from one to eight drops,[1] given in
water after food, and repeated two or three times a day.
=Shock=:
_Symptoms_: The dog is generally in a semi-comatose or unconscious
condition, lying on the side; the breathing is feeble and slow; the pulse
almost, if not quite, imperceptible; the mouth and also the membranes
of the eyes are quite white; the limbs are cold, and if the temperature
be taken, it is often 5 or 6 degs. below normal. This condition may
be due to loss of blood or the result of internal injury, as after an
accident—for instance, being run over with some vehicle.
_Treatment_: Place the dog on his right side, and keep the head low; give
stimulants, as brandy, from ten drops to a couple of teaspoonfuls[1] in
a little water. If the dog is unable to swallow, inject from ten[1] to
sixty drops under the skin. This may be repeated in half an hour, if
necessary. Also apply hot-water bottles to the back, and well hand-rub
the limbs.
=Snake Bite=:
_Symptoms_: Swelling, redness, and great pain at the part bitten. The
breathing becomes heavy and laborious; paralysis sets in; and later,
convulsions and death.
_Treatment_: A ligature applied as tightly as possible above the part
bitten, and the application of a saturated solution of permanganate of
potash (Condy’s fluid undiluted) to the wound. Give stimulants, as brandy
or sal volatile, freely, the latter well diluted with water.
=Snoring=:
_Symptoms_: This condition is particularly noticed in old, fat dogs,
especially pugs, and other dogs with a short nose.
_Treatment_: When a dog has naturally an exceptionally short nose, there
is little to be done. Sometimes when the snoring is worse than usual, a
dose of purgative medicine gives some relief. When the dog is very fat,
take means to make him thinner. (_See_ article on STOUTNESS.)
=Snorting=:
_Symptoms_: The dog stands with all four legs outstretched and nose
extended, and draws the air sharply through his nose as if trying to
remove some obstruction in the nasal passages or throat. It may occur at
any time, but more often when first going out of doors into the cool air.
Snorting often occurs after a cold or distemper. It is also a symptom
of a polypus in the nose, and worms in the nasal passages; and dogs
suffering from stomach disorders often snort.
_Treatment_: When the result of some simple obstruction of mucus, as
from cold or distemper, syringing the nose thoroughly with a solution of
common salt (five grains to each ounce of water) gives relief. If the
irritation proceeds from the fauces or throat, an emetic should be given,
and purgative medicine is indicated if the stomach be deranged. When
the condition is due to a polypus, a surgical operation is necessary.
Parasites in the nose are difficult to dislodge, but sometimes an ounce
of a solution of Pearson’s disinfectant fluid (one in a hundred) syringed
up each nostril has the desired effect. I may add that worms in the
nostrils of dogs living in England are of rare occurrence.
=Spaying=:
This is an operation occasionally performed on bitches to prevent
breeding. Though it succeeds in this respect, it seldom prevents the
bitch operated upon coming into heat to a more or less extent, and being
troublesome with male dogs. For this and other reasons, the operation is
not recommended.
=Sprains=:
_Symptoms_: Pain and swelling of the injured parts, followed, as a rule,
by discolouration, lameness.
_Treatment_: If where a bandage can be applied, the following lotion on
lint is recommended:—
_Recipe_:
Goulard’s Extract of Lead, 1 drachm.
Laudanum, 2 drachms.
Water to 6 ounces.
Mix.
A piece of lint should be soaked in the lotion, placed over or around the
injured part; this should be covered with a piece of oil-silk, taking
care that it entirely covers the lint, and then a bandage applied. Repeat
every eight hours. If the injury has occurred where a bandage cannot
easily be applied, the following liniment is recommended:—
_Recipe_:
Chloroform, 4 drachms.
Tincture Hyoscyamus, 4 drachms.
Spirits of Camphor, 1 ounce.
Soap Liniment, 2 ounces.
Mix.
Apply with gentle friction twice a day.
In cases of sprains, keep the dog quiet for a week or so, and then give
gentle exercise, swimming, for preference, if the weather is suitable,
and the dog takes quietly to the water.
In these cases, a free dose of purgative medicine, given as soon after
the accident as possible, is beneficial.
=Stifle Joint, Injury to=:
This joint appears to be a particularly weak one in dogs, and is very
liable to injury, due from slipping, or twisting of the leg.
_Symptoms_: The dog is very lame, and often carries the leg. If he puts
it down, he stands with only the points of the toe touching the ground,
and placed just behind the other leg. The joint becomes swollen, more
particularly on the inside, and is very painful.
_Treatment_: These cases are always long ones, and a bad injury to this
joint means the dog being lame very often for two or three months. If the
case is taken in hand at once, hot poppy-head fomentation is the best
application, which should be applied two or three times a day. After
three or four days, the following liniment may be applied night and
morning all around the joint, but particularly on the inside, where the
principal swelling is:—
_Recipe: The Liniment_:
Chloroform, 4 drachms.
Tincture Hyoscyamus, 4 drachms.
Spirits of Camphor, 1 ounce.
Soap Liniment, 2 ounces.
When the inflammation has passed, the dog often continues to go lame for
some time, due to the joint being stiff. This condition is relieved by
rubbing the swelling, which will be found on the inside of the joint,
daily with colourless tincture of iodoform.
In all cases of injury of the stifle joint, the dog should be, for the
first two or three weeks, kept absolutely quiet, and then gentle walking
exercises may be given, and later, it is a good plan to give the dog
swimming exercise.
=Stings=:
_Symptoms_: Pain, swelling and redness of the part. A dog sometimes gets
stung on the tongue with a wasp, and the swelling which afterwards occurs
is often serious.
_Treatment_: When possible, extract the sting, and apply a solution of
ammonia; ammoniated tincture of quinine is one of the best preparations
for this purpose. When the tongue has been stung, after extracting the
sting and applying the ammonia _sparingly_, ice should be applied to
reduce the swelling.
=Stoutness=:
_Symptoms_: A general increase of the fatty constituents of the body; the
neck becomes thick and seems shorter; the body is enlarged, especially
the abdomen, which is hard and distended. The dog walks with difficulty,
is constantly panting, and often has an asthmatical cough. The heart’s
action is generally weak and feeble.
_Treatment_: More good is to be done by dieting in these cases than
medicine, and often great benefit is derived by feeding sparingly and
entirely on lean raw meat. As to quantity, this, of course, must depend
on the size of the dog, but if half the quantity in bulk is given to what
the dog has been in the habit of having, this should be about the right
amount. Feed twice a day. Also give, at least once a week, a dose of
purgative medicine, and make the dog take some exercise, which should be
gradually increased. Do not allow the dog to drink much water.
=Stye=:
_Symptoms_: A small hard red swelling on the edge of the eyelid. This
condition sometimes occurs in dogs during or after distemper.
_Treatment_: It can often be cured at once during the early stages by
extracting the eyelash around the roots of which the stye has formed.
If treated later, the parts should be fomented with hot poppy-head tea,
with the addition of boracic acid. This should be made by boiling for ten
minutes two crushed poppy-heads in a quart of water, then strain through
fine muslin and add a dessertspoonful of boracic acid. Apply with piece
of absorbent wool for ten or fifteen minutes as hot as can comfortably be
borne. Repeat three or four times a day.
=Suffocation=:
_Symptoms_: Those of interruption to breathing. May be the result of
partial drowning, also from a piece of food or some foreign body being
fixed in the fauces or throat. The dog gasps for breath; the eyes are
staring and prominent; the mouth is generally fixed open, and the tongue
is of a dark blue colour.
Dogs are often suffocated in hot weather whilst travelling, through being
shut up in a too small or badly-ventilated box. As a rule, such cases
are not found out until the dog arrives at his destination, when the box
is opened, and he is found lying dead at the bottom of it. Sometimes the
dog is not quite dead, though unconscious. The breathing is very slow and
shallow; the pulse imperceptible. The body is cold, and the tongue a dark
blue colour.
_Treatment_: At once remove the cause if possible. If some foreign body
or food is lodged in the throat, it must be removed—brought up or pushed
down. If no forceps are at hand, one can often remove the substance with
the finger, bent in the form of a hook. If it cannot be brought up, it
must be pushed down, so that the breathing may be relieved as quickly as
possible. If the dog is unconscious, dash cold and hot water alternately
on the face; slap the body hard with the hand. If the suffocation is due
to partial drowning, artificial respiration is necessary. (_See_ article
on that subject.)
In cases, the result of insufficient air, take the dog out into the open,
that he may have as much air as possible. Hold from one to three drops[1]
of nitrate of amyl upon a piece of blotting-paper or handkerchief to the
nose; repeat in ten or fifteen minutes. Well hand-rub and work the limbs
to promote circulation; and if not soon better, bleed rather freely from
the jugular vein if possible; if not, then from both ears.
=Sunstroke=:
_See_ APPENDIX.
=Superfluous Hair=:
_Symptoms_: The only place that I have seen this occur in a dog is on the
cornea of the eye, which causes a constant watery discharge; and there is
a tendency to keep the eye closed.
_Treatment_: Nothing but an operation is of any use. This consists in
carefully cutting off the small piece of skin on which the hair grows.
There is little or no blemish the result of the operation. Afterwards,
for a few days, bathe the eye occasionally with boracic lotion, half a
drachm to six ounces of water.
[Illustration: TOY SPANIEL, CHAMPION WINDFALL.
Winner of 6 Championships, 24 Firsts and 25 Cups, Gold Medals and Special
Prizes. The property of the Hon. Mrs. Lytton, Crabbet Kennels, Poundhill,
Crawley.
[_face p. 286._]
=Synovitis (Inflammation of a Joint)=:
_Symptoms_: Great lameness, the dog probably not being able to put the
leg to the ground at all. The joint is much swollen, very painful, and
red. It is generally the result of an injury.
_Treatment_: Give at once a dose of purgative medicine, and use the
following lotion:—
_Recipe_:
Goulard’s Extract of Lead, 1 drachm.
Laudanum, 2 drachms.
Distilled Water to 6 ounces.
Saturate a piece of lint sufficiently wide to cover the joint, and long
enough to go round it; cover over entirely with oil-silk, and apply a
bandage. The lotion should be repeated every four or five hours.
If, after the pain and inflammation has passed, the joint remains
swollen, rub sparingly into the part once a day a liniment made with
equal parts of colourless tincture of iodine and soap liniment. Should
the joint become stiff and callous, it may be necessary to apply a
mercurial blister.
=Tail, Sores at the Tip of=:
_Symptoms_: Big dogs with long tails, especially great Danes, and those
confined in kennels, frequently suffer from a sore at the tip of the
tail, which, in many cases, is most difficult to cure.
_Treatment_: Thoroughly cleanse the wound with a solution of chinosol
lotion, ten grains to eight ounces of water, and when well dried, dust
over with powdered iodoform and cover the sore with a few layers of
gauze, and as it is impossible to keep a bandage on, several layers of
Mead’s plaster should be placed over the end of the tail, which prevents
further bruising. In some cases it is necessary to make the dog wear a
leather bag over the tail. This should be fastened around the loins. The
part covering the tip should be of double thickness.
When well, it is a good plan when a dog is always banging his tail about,
to pad his kennel with sacks stuffed with straw, to prevent his injuring
it again, for once a tail has been hurt, it remains tender, and is more
liable to injury.
=Teats (Crack in)=:
_Symptoms_: A bitch, when nursing puppies, often suffers from the teats
cracking; the parts become swollen, inflamed, and very painful.
_Treatment_: Keep clean with boracic lotion, and anoint night and morning
with boracic ointment. A few grains of bicarbonate of potash, mixed with
the food, cools the blood.
=Teeth=:
Dogs, like most other mammals, have two sets of teeth. The first are
temporary, and, from their whiteness, they are often called the milk
teeth; they are twenty-eight in number. The second set are permanent, and
therefore not deciduous; they are forty-two, and sometimes forty-four, in
number.
A set of teeth consists of three different kinds. Those situated in
front or anterior part of the mouth are called the _incisors_, and
those placed immediately behind the incisors are called the _tusks_ or
_canines_, and behind those are the _molars_.
Each tooth is divided into three parts. The free, or part that is seen
when looking into the mouth, is called the crown; then there is the neck
or constricted part, which is encircled by the gum, and divides the crown
from the fang or root, which is inserted in a cavity (the Alveolus) in
the jaw-bone.
Each tooth is made up of three different structures. The external, or
enamel, which gives the new tooth its beautiful white appearance, and
consists only of a somewhat thin layer, and covers the crown of the
tooth only. Immediately underneath the enamel, is situated the ivory or
dentine, of which the tooth, including the fang, principally consists.
In the centre of the fang is a foramen, or small cavity, containing the
pulp, consisting of a membrane nerve and small blood-vessels to supply
nourishment, etc., to the tooth.
The _incisors_, twelve in number, both in the temporary as well as in
the permanent set, are for distinction divided into _nippers_, which are
the two centre ones; the _intermediates_ are those situated between the
nippers and _corners_, the latter being placed next to the tusks.
The crown of an incisor tooth presents three prominences—a middle, which
is the strongest, and two lateral. On the internal surface of the tooth
is noticed a slope, somewhat resembling that found in an ox’s or sheep’s
tooth. The root is well developed, longer than the crown, and flattened
on both sides.
The tusks, four in number, in both sets are strong, elongated organs,
conical in form, and curved in an outward and backward direction. The
upper fangs are the strongest, and there is a small space between them
and the corner incisor teeth, in which the lower tusks are situated when
the mouth is closed. Most of the molars terminate in sharp lobes, and,
consequently, are well adapted for tearing and crushing. They are, as a
rule, twenty-six in number, seven on each side of the lower jaw, and six
on each side of the upper one; but sometimes there are seven on each side
of the upper jaw, the same as the lower. It is not an uncommon occurrence
for a dog with a short face, like bulldogs, spaniels, and pugs, to have
only five upper molars, and six lower molars. But there are only twelve
temporary molars—three on each side of both jaws.
A puppy, when born, has no teeth visible, though the milk ones are formed
and in the gums, and in some cases, their outline may be seen through the
mucous membrane.
The milk teeth are smaller, softer, and more pointed than the permanent
ones, and they are not situated so closely together. The tusks, too, are
slightly pink in colour just above the neck, which is not the case with
the second ones.
Puppies of different breeds vary in the time when they cut their teeth,
those of the larger kinds cutting them earlier than small dogs; and
though a fox-terrier puppy’s teeth appear earlier than a toy terrier’s,
yet St. Bernards have them still earlier.
The process of dentition of the milk teeth is usually carried on without
any trouble at all to the puppy. Such is not the case with respect to the
cutting of the permanent ones, for it is a very common occurrence for
puppies at this time to have convulsions. In other cases, at this period,
eczema is very often troublesome, which, in some instances, continues
after dentition is completed.
With regard to the cutting of the deciduous teeth, the first that appear,
in most cases, is the middle molar on each side of the lower jaw. These
pierce the gums in puppies of large breeds like St. Bernards, about the
eighteenth or nineteenth day after birth. Puppies, like greyhounds,
retrievers, fox-terriers, and others of similar size, do not cut these
same teeth until about four days later, whilst puppies of the toy class
are often a week later still.
About a day after the second lower molars have appeared, the upper
incisors show themselves; the nippers and intermediates are the first
to make their appearance. These are followed the next day by the upper
corner incisors, and about the same time the lower corner incisors pass
through the gums, and the tusks are erupted; but it often happens that
all the incisors pass through the gums together, and the tusks at the
same time, or just a day or so later.
About the fourth week, the last or third lower molar, and also the first
one, have been cut, and are fairly well up; and about two days later,
the middle upper molar is just appearing. In a day or two more, the last
upper molar is erupted; and a couple of days afterwards, the first upper
molar, which is the last to be cut, now makes its appearance.
By this, it will be seen that large puppies, like St. Bernards, have a
complete set of milk teeth by the fifth week. Puppies of the smaller
breeds are, as previously stated, a few days later.
It may be here remarked, that bitch puppies invariably cut their teeth
rather better, and somewhat earlier, than dogs. Winter puppies are a
little later in getting their teeth than those born in the spring.
The milk teeth are seldom placed close together, and as the puppy grows,
they become still wider apart. This fact is useful in helping one to
ascertain the age of a puppy.
The deciduous teeth are much softer than the permanent ones, and when a
pup is three months old, if it has had any hard food, the points of the
tusks and incisors are worn off.
When a puppy is about three and a half to four months old, the upper
incisor nippers are loose, and sometimes have fallen out, and the
permanent ones are just coming through the gums at this part. At the
same time, the fourth upper molar, which is the fourth from the tusk,
makes its appearance. (It will be noticed that though the lower temporary
molars are cut before the upper ones, the reverse is the case with the
permanent teeth.) In the course of another few days, or a week, the
other upper deciduous incisors are shed, and the permanent ones appearing
in their place, then the lower milk incisors commence to fall out, and
the new ones to make their appearance. About the same time the tusks are
showing themselves through the gums. In some cases, the tusks do not
appear until all the other teeth are up. This is about the general order
in which the teeth are cut, but of course there are exceptions, and in
some instances, the permanent tusks appear just after the eruption of the
upper centre incisors.
It does not always happen that the temporary teeth are shed before the
permanent ones appear, and the latter shoot up either beside, in front,
or behind the milk teeth. Then the latter teeth should always be drawn,
or the permanent ones may not come straight and regular.
With regard to the permanent molars, the first to appear, as previously
stated, is the fourth one. It makes its appearance just behind the last
temporary molar. Before it is fully up, the fifth upper molar has passed
through the gum. At about this same time the fifth, or large permanent
lower molar, is appearing; this is quickly followed by the sixth, and
again by the seventh. About the same time as these two latter teeth are
erupting, the temporary molars in the same jaw are falling out, and their
places are being filled by permanent ones. About a week later, the first
lower milk molar is shed and the permanent one cut; this is followed by
the second and third ones. The corresponding teeth on each side of the
jaw, as, for instance, the fourth molar on the left and right sides,
are erupted simultaneously. By the time puppies, such as St. Bernards,
mastiffs, retrievers, and others of similar size, are about four months
old, the process of dentition is complete. Fox-terriers, and other dogs
of this size, are in some cases a fortnight later, and small toy dogs are
often from six to eight months of age, or even later, before the mouth is
fully furnished.