My dog and I

In sickness the patient should always receive the very kindest treatment and be spoken to very gently. Rough or harsh handling is peculiarly hurtful where affections are of a nervous character.

When exhaustion is very great, and the patient absolutely refuses to eat, soft, nutritious food should be forced down the throat by first placing it in the mouth, then closing the jaws gently yet firmly, and softly rubbing the windpipe with the hand, thus causing the patient to swallow. Strange to relate, almost any sick dog will eagerly eat meat which has been masticated by its attendant. Warmth and perfect quiet are great factors of a complete and early recovery.

When convalescent the patient should have soft, nourishing food (beef-tea and rice, etc.), and whenever meat is given it should be hashed or cut as fine as possible.

A little port-wine can always be given in this description of food with beneficial results. Food should be administered in small quantities and at short intervals.

Bruises, Sprains, Etc.

Burns.

Use equal parts of linseed-oil and lime-water, applying it freely and as soon after the accident as possible.

Canker of the Ear.

Internal canker is an inflammation of the lining membrane of the passage to the ear, accompanied sometimes with suppuration, and when of long standing has a most offensive-smelling discharge. A mangy affection of the ear is often confounded with, or supposed to be, an external canker.

Symptoms.—The ear is very red, inflamed, and heated. The dog continually scratches it, shaking the head as if to remove something from it. After syringing the ear well with warm water and Castile soap, use the following remedy twice daily, holding the dog’s head sidewise on the lap and gently pouring a little into the ear.

Colds.

Symptoms.—Chilliness, shivering, languor, dry, hot nose, accompanied by a thin discharge from the nose.

If the patient is not attended to at once the complaint may lead to distemper and fevers.

Use Fever Mixture, and keep patient warm.

Colic and Inflammation of the Bowels.

To discover the difference between colic and inflammation of the bowels, press the hand along the belly, and if the movement gives relief, the probable trouble is colic. If pain attends the pressure, it is probably inflammation. In these two cases, my advice is to consult a veterinarian at once. The symptoms of both affections are evidenced by the dog standing with arched back and feet drawn toward one another, or crouching with belly on the ground. Inflammation is generally of slower development than colic.

When a dog is affected with colic it is often shown when it is apparently in the best of health and eating well; it is seized with spasms, causing it to moan and howl. The causes are about identical with inflammation of the bowels.

As soon as convinced that colic is the cause of the trouble, give at once, to a dog of, say, 25 pounds, not quite a teaspoonful of the following in three tablespoonfuls of milk or gruel: compound spirits of sulphuric ether (Hoffman’s anodyne) and tincture of opium, equal parts. If relief does not immediately ensue, repeat the dose in half an hour.

After permanent relief, give Purgative Mixture, once a day for three days. (See Inflammation of the Bowels.)

Coughs.

Cough is a symptom of disease rather than a disease in itself, and arises from different causes, differing in character as do the diseases which it precedes, viz.: in the common cold the cough is slight and humid; in bronchitis, hard, dry, and frequent; in inflammation of the lungs and pleurisy, short and suppressed, accompanied with great pain; in asthma, hard and wheezy, followed by vomiting; in distemper, husky and hollow.

For the common cold or cough use either Cough Remedy No. 1 or No. 2. The first is especially good for affections of the respiratory organs.

Cough Remedy No. 1.

Cough Remedy No. 2.

Cuts, Wounds, Etc.

As soon as the cut stops bleeding, which is accomplished either by holding the parts together with the fingers or by use of a lint bandage, wash the wound thoroughly with warm water so as to remove all foreign substances. Then apply with a soft brush a dressing of friars’ balsam, which will form a sort of crust over the wound, keeping out dust, dirt, etc., and allowing the wound to heal quickly.

The sewing up of a wound is a very easy affair. Pass the needle through the skin on one side of the wound from the outside inward, and through the corresponding part on the opposite side from the inside outward. Draw the lips of the wound together gently, and tying the silk thread in a strong knot, cut off ends close, so that the dog cannot bite them. Each stitch must be tied separately, and should be about half an inch apart. If possible the dog should be muzzled, not only during the operation, but for several days afterward. The wound should be constantly washed with the following:

In bandaging a wound, saturate the cloth with a mixture of equal parts of camphorated oil and friars’ balsam.

Diarrhea Mixture.

Distemper.

There are three kinds of distemper, viz., of the head, of the lungs, and of the bowels. Good nursing is nine points out of ten for conquering this fell disease.

Symptoms.—Mucous discharge from eyes or nose, or both, dry, hacking cough, general lassitude, diarrhea of very offensive odor.

Do not try to treat the patient, for, unless you are an M.D. or have had a long experience with the disease, you will probably make a sorry mess of it. Until a veterinarian arrives, keep the patient quiet, warm, out of all draft, feeding only beef-tea with brandy added. Do not give solid food under any circumstances. Bear always in mind that this disease is most contagious, and, to prevent it from spreading, the patient should be quarantined from all other dogs, the farther off the better.

Dr. T. G. Sherwood, a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgery, 127 West Thirty-seventh Street, New York, inoculated four of the author’s dogs, and the result was satisfactory beyond all expectation, as other dogs not so treated quickly succumbed to the disease.

As distemper is about equivalent to pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs in human beings, the reader will readily understand how useless it would be for a layman to try to treat these diseases.

Fever Mixture.

Inflammation of the Bowels.

The main causes of this affection are irregular, improper, or stale diet, irritation caused by some hard, indigestible substance in the stomach, exposure to cold or wet, and a blow, such as a kick.

Symptoms.—Feverishness, nose hot and dry, shivering, distended belly, and scanty or highly colored urine. As this sickness needs scientific treatment, call in a veterinarian at once. If, however, you desire to try to relieve the dog awaiting his advent, proceed at once to give injections of thin oatmeal gruel or soap and lukewarm water, each containing about one ounce of castor-oil. Continue these injections every fifteen minutes till relief is given. The utmost gentleness must be used in this procedure, the patient being coaxed to rest on its side while the injections are being administered.

In order to prevent a recurrence of the trouble, give the Mild Purgative No. 1, and after the danger is past, then Tonic Pills No. 1. (See Colic.)

Inflammation of the Bladder.

Use Fever Mixture, preceded by Mild Purgative No. 1.

Lotion for Eyes.

In affections of long standing use:

Lotion for Sore Feet.

Where inflammation is very great and the feet are swollen, first apply a poultice of bran and boiled turnips, equal parts.

Mange.

Mange as applied to animals is the same as itch in human beings, being beyond question caused by a parasite burrowing into the skin, resulting in the falling out of the hair, and sometimes in an exudation of an offensive-smelling pus, itching to such a degree that the patient scratches continuously.

There are two varieties of mange, viz., sarcoptic and follicular, both of which are contagious to animals, though very rarely to human beings. The first variety shows itself in little red spots, which exude a sort of pus, and these will spread over the entire body unless checked. Follicular mange is less irritating than the sarcoptic, but gives off a very offensive pus. This variety is generally very stubborn before yielding to treatment.

Provided the affected parts are not raw, rub well into the skin (twice daily) for three days a lotion of equal parts of benzine and sweet-oil. This will destroy the parasites. Then for a week apply daily the following, rubbing it well into the skin:

Purgative Mixture (Mild) should be given twice a week for at least three weeks.

A surfeit often shows itself on a dog, which is sometimes called red mange. This is not due to a parasite, but to overheated blood, resulting either from improper food, want of exercise, fleas, or inoperative digestive organs. Treat this affection as prescribed for mange.

Purgative Mixture No. 1 (Mild).

Purgative Mixture No. 2 (Strong).

Tonic Pills No. 1.

Tonic No. 2.

Worms.

There are three principal worms infesting dogs.

First, the common roundworm, from two to six inches in length, of a pale pink color, very thin like vermicelli, and greatly resembling the common earth- or angleworm. This is the worm most common in puppies, and inhabits the stomach and lower intestines.

Second, the tænia, or tapeworm, made up of white, flat joints (about half an inch long), often of great length, and also inhabiting the small intestines. It is about as thick as very coarse thread. Both extremities of this worm must be removed, else it will grow again.

Third, the pin- or threadworm, inhabiting the lower bowels, about half an inch in length and of pinkish color. It is apt to cause partial paralysis in puppies, which disappears after the worms are expelled.

More puppies and grown dogs die each year from worms than from all diseases combined. Their presence is generally manifested by the coat being dry and staring, dull and devoid of gloss, disturbed sleep very often resulting in fits, appetite capricious, distention of the stomach, breath generally offensive, nose hot and dry, loss of flesh, diarrhea accompanied by mucous discharge, and general irritableness. From an experience of ten years with Glover’s Vermifuge for all kinds of worms, I have never found anything to equal it, especially for puppies, however delicate. Having made it always a point to give my puppies a couple of doses of vermifuge at two and six months of age, whether they show evidences of having worms or not, I have rarely had any further trouble with these pests.