The Dog's Medical Dictionary / An encyclopædia of the diseases, their diagnosis & treatment, and the physical development of the dog

Piles (External):

Symptoms: Dogs do not suffer from internal piles, but old dogs occasionally have a form of external piles; then the anus becomes red, inflamed, and swollen; small red pimples form about the part, inducing a good deal of irritation, and causing the dog to drag the hind parts along the ground.

Treatment: Dab the parts often with the following lotion:—

Recipe:

Or the following ointment may be tried:—

Apply night and morning.

Some cooling medicine, as the following, does good:—

From sufficient to cover a threepenny-piece to a teaspoonful[1] twice a day with food.

Poisons:

Strychnine:

Symptoms: It all depends how the agent has been administered how quickly it acts. If in a liquid form, the symptoms may commence in ten minutes, or quicker; but if it has been given in a piece of meat, it may be an hour or so before any signs appear. Then the animal becomes restless; the limbs are stiff, and the dog walks with difficulty, and with the hind legs stretched apart. Occasionally there is a violent twitching or jerk of all the muscles of the body, as if the dog had a galvanic shock, and then he suddenly falls to the ground, often in a forward direction, and in acute tetanic spasm. The limbs are extended, and as stiff as pieces of iron, the fore ones in a slightly forward direction, and the hind legs in a backward direction. The head is drawn back, and the back arched and the tail extended and stiff; the eyes protrude, the mouth firmly closed, and the pulse extremely quick. Respiration during the spasm, which lasts about half a minute or so, entirely ceases. At the end of the attack the dog gives a few heavy sighs, and then commences to pant hard. The least movement or touch, or even a noise, will cause a return of the convulsions, which continue at frequent intervals, unless the dog is relieved by some suitable antidote, or until death occurs, which generally takes place during a paroxysm. In some cases, though the acute symptoms may have been checked by treatment, the dog afterwards dies from the effect of the exhaustion.

Treatment: In all cases of poisoning, more especially when due to strychnine, prompt action is required, and means should at once be taken to make the dog disgorge what has been swallowed. An emetic that will act well and quickly must be at once administered; for this there is nothing better than a dose of hydrochlorate of apomorphia. This medicine acts in two ways: it is the quickest and surest emetic; and besides, it relieves the spasms. The dose is the twelfth of a grain for small dogs, and about a quarter of a grain for large ones, given in a teaspoonful of water; but the best way of administering it is by injecting it under the skin with a hypodermic syringe; then from three[1] to ten minims of the one in fifty solution is to be given. I always advise persons who keep a number of valuable dogs to have a solution of apomorphia by them ready for emergency, for whilst it is being obtained the patient may die, and if huntsmen would always carry a small bottle of the solution with them many a valuable hound’s life might be saved. When this medicine is not at hand, some other emetic must be given. Ordinary table salt can always be quickly procured, and from one teaspoonful[1] to a tablespoonful should be given in warm water. If the dose does not act freely, repeat it in a few minutes; or instead, give from five[1] to twenty grains of powdered ipecacuanha, or from half[1] to three grains of tartar emetic. Either of these may be shaken dry on the tongue. The dog must be made to vomit somehow; but anything like salt, requiring a quantity of water, is difficult to administer, as the dog’s mouth is often tightly clenched, and trying to open it induces paroxysm, during which time it is impossible to give anything by the mouth; and here the advantage of the subcutaneous injection of apomorphia comes in. This may also be repeated in a quarter of an hour, if the vomiting has not been free. Besides the emetic, some medicine is necessary to relieve the spasms. For this there is nothing better than chloral and bromide of potassium. From fifteen[1] grains to two scruples of each may be given in from one[1] to three tablespoonfuls of water, if the dog can be made to swallow; and half the quantity of each may be given again in twenty or thirty minutes, and repeated, if necessary, in half an hour. When the dog is unable to swallow, from two[1] to six minims of nitrite of amyl, held to the nose on a pocket-handkerchief, is useful. This may be repeated in a quarter of an hour, or chloroform may be given. Also, inject into the rectum from one[1] half to two drachms of laudanum in from one[1] to four tablespoonfuls of water, which repeat in a quarter of an hour, and again in another fifteen minutes if the paroxysms continue.

After the severe symptoms have passed, and the dog is weak and prostrate, from a quarter[1] to two teaspoonfuls of brandy added to some milk may be administered, and repeated every half hour for a time.

Arsenic:

Symptoms: The dog, shortly after taking the poison, becomes restless. Violent sickness soon commences, the vomited matter being mixed with blood. There is also acute diarrhœa, accompanied by severe straining, and a good deal of blood is often passed with the motions. The dog is extremely thirsty, has an anxious countenance, showing evident signs of great pain, and breathes heavily. There may be severe convulsions, followed by paralysis, collapse, and death.

Treatment: The vomiting at first should be encouraged by giving an emetic, as three[1] to ten drops of the one in fifty solution of apomorphia with a hypodermic syringe. If this is not at hand, give from the twelfth[1] to a quarter of a grain of the same medicine in a teaspoonful of water. Failing the apomorphia, give from five[1] to twenty grains of sulphate of zinc in a little warm water, or even salt and water. The vomiting may be kept up by getting the dog to drink warm water. Besides endeavouring to free the stomach of all the arsenic, an antidote is required to remedy the ill effect of the poison. For this there is nothing better than dialysed iron given in large doses, as from half[1] a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful every half hour until several doses have been given. This may be followed by a large dose of castor oil. About an hour afterwards some carbonate of bismuth should be given, shaken dry on the tongue, from ten[1] grains to a drachm, which may be repeated every hour or two. When there is great prostration, stimulants, as brandy, are required, and when the patient is unable to swallow or retain it in the stomach, from one[1] half to a drachm may be injected under the skin frequently. If the body is cold wrap the dog up in hot blankets, and place hot-water bottles around him. As improvement takes place, milk thickened with arrowroot, barley, or rice water may be given. If the dog appears in much pain after the acute stage has passed, small doses of laudanum may be given, and hot linseed poultices applied to the stomach.

In chronic cases of poisoning by arsenic—a not uncommon occurrence, as this is a favourite remedy for skin diseases, and too much is often given, or the medicine is given too long—the dog loses appetite and condition, becomes very weak and emaciated, frequently vomiting a white, frothy mucus as well as food.

There is often severe diarrhœa, and blood is passed with the motions. There are signs of tenderness on pressure over the region of the stomach, and excessive thirst. The membrane (conjunctiva) lining internal surface of eyelids is red and congested.

Treatment: Discontinue the use of the arsenic immediately, give tonics, as reduced iron, from one[1] to three grains made into a pill with an extract of gentian. If the sickness continues, give from three[1] to ten grains of carbonate of bismuth, shaken dry on the tongue, every three or four hours.

For food, lean raw mutton, in small quantities, every three or four hours, and milk to drink. If the latter is not retained, try it peptonised with Fairchild’s powders, which can be obtained at most chemists. When the sickness is very severe, Brand’s beef essence is recommended, given in jelly form, in small quantities frequently.

Phosphorus:

Symptoms: There is vomiting, but not to the same extent as is seen in cases of arsenic poisoning. The vomited matter, when taken into the dark, is generally luminous, and it gives off that well-known odour of phosphorus which resembles the smell of garlic; the same perfume may be detected in the breath. If the dog survives the acute stage, in the course of a few days the symptoms of jaundice may develop; there is also a tendency to hæmorrhage from the nose. Poisoning by phosphorus is often followed by convulsions, but sometimes coma; in other cases noisy delirium.

Treatment: In treating cases of poisoning by phosphorus, oils and other greasy substances must be always avoided, as it easily dissolves in anything of an oily nature, and when such occurs greater mischief happens. An emetic of sulphurate of zinc, from five[1] to twenty grains in warm water, should be given as quickly as possible, and repeated in ten minutes. If it has not acted, salt and water or ipecacuanha wine may be given instead of the zinc, when the latter cannot be obtained.

After the sickness has ceased, administer a free dose of Epsom salts, and keep the dog’s strength up with Brand’s beef-tea jelly; also give barley or rice water to drink.

Carbolic Acid:

Symptoms: The dog shows signs of great pain, and is violently sick; the lips, mouth, and tongue are white, swollen, and hard. There is great prostration and signs of collapse, the lips and ears being cold. The urine is of a dark brown colour, sometimes even black, or it may be altogether suppressed. When a fatal dose has been taken, the pupils are contracted, the dog soon becomes comatosed, breathing difficult, and death follows. It is rather characteristic of carbolic acid poisoning that the patient, a short time before death, often seems to rally, making one (even persons of experience) think that the worst has passed, and that he is going to get better. But a sudden collapse often occurs, and death takes place unexpectedly. All cases do not run this acute course; the membrane of the tongue and mouth may be badly burnt, which peels off, leaving a large raw surface, which ulcerates. The same may occur in the throat, and even in the stomach and bowels; and the dog gradually dies from exhaustion, or even blood poisoning, a week or ten days after the accident has happened.

Treatment: Give a large dose of Epsom salts at once, to be followed a few minutes afterwards by an emetic, the apomorphia being the best—from one[1] to two teaspoonfuls of one grain to two ounces of water solution. Failing this, salt and water, or from five[1] to twenty grains of sulphate of zinc in water; also give the white of an egg or olive oil to relieve the burning irritation in the stomach. If symptoms of collapse occur, give stimulants, as brandy and ether. When the patient is very bad, these are more beneficial if injected under the skin; wrap the body in hot blankets and apply hot-water bottles. The ulcers that form in the mouth, the result of the caustic action of the acid, are often very troublesome, and the discharge from them is most offensive. When such is the case, keep the parts clean by sponging them frequently with a saturated solution of chlorate of potash.

Mercury:

Symptoms: There are signs of pain, violent vomiting, accompanied by profuse purging, the evacuations being mixed with blood; the lips, tongue, and mouth are swollen and white. The patient soon shows signs of collapse. The lips and ears become deadly cold; the breathing is heavy and difficult; the secretion of urine is suppressed; coma and convulsions follow, then death occurs.

Treatment: Encourage the sickness by giving warm water; also administer large quantities of raw white of egg, flour and water and barley water. Give brandy or ether subcutaneously, if signs of collapse occur.

In cases where slow poisoning by mercury occurs, caused by the injudicious use of some of the preparations of this agent for the skin, especially that called blue ointment, I have seen this salve applied as freely all over a dog as one would use lard, with the result I need not mention. Then there is the green iodide of mercury—a favourite remedy of the late Stonehenge. This is a valuable preparation for old wounds, for chronic eczema, and other skin diseases, used sparingly, and not over a large surface. Then, again, repeated doses of calomel act very injuriously.

Symptoms: Diarrhœa, the evacuations being stained with blood; loss of appetite, sickness, great wasting; profuse flow of saliva from the mouth; gums at first red and inflamed, subsequently become ulcerated—the breath being horribly foul; a rash often appears on the skin, pustules form and break, giving forth a fœtid discharge, and the hair falls off in patches. These cases usually terminate fatally, the result of exhaustion, though occasionally a patient may be saved when the case is taken in time.

Treatment: At first, give a mild dose of castor oil, with from three[1] to ten drops of laudanum; the oil, etc., may be repeated in a couple of days. Large and frequent doses of subnitrate of bismuth should also be given. When the diarrhœa is very profuse, and there is much blood being passed, tannic acid is useful, given in the following formula:—

Recipe: The Pills:

Mix and divide into 12 pills.

Dose: One pill to be given every four or six hours, according to the severity of the diarrhœa.

The mouth and gums should be kept clean by being frequently sponged with a saturated solution of boracic acid.

Keep the strength up with strong beef-tea, thickened with isinglass, and each time the dog is fed, give from half[1] to a teaspoonful of port wine. Let the patient have milk with white of an egg added, or barley water to drink.

A warm bath and a free application of some soap is beneficial. This is more particularly the case when the attack is due to absorption of the poison through the application of some ointment containing a mercurial compound.

If the skin is very moist, apply to the parts freely some finely powdered Fuller’s earth.

When the dog has become convalescent, some iron or bark tonic will assist the patient to regain strength. Raw meat should also be given in small quantities five or six times a day.

Iodine and its Compounds, as Iodide of Soda or Potash, etc.:

Symptoms: A person can take ten times as much iodide of potassium as 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:

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.

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.

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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.

Bitches, as a rule, have their puppies on the sixty-second or sixty-third day, the day of service being included; but some will pup on the sixtieth day, or even a day or so earlier, and the puppies may be fairly strong; but when born before the fifty-seventh day they seldom live. On the other hand, many, especially those of the larger breeds, will go two or three days over the specified time without inconvenience; and I have known one to go as long as seventy-three days, and then to have a litter of strong, healthy puppies, but this does not often occur when there is a large litter.

One who is accustomed to dogs can tell within a few hours when a bitch is going to pup. There is disinclination for food, the vulva is swollen, and there is a discharge of thick mucus from the vagina, and, as a rule, she seeks a quiet spot to be alone.

At this time, after making the bitch comfortable with a nice clean straw bed—there is nothing better than straw, which should not be supplied too plentifully—she should be left by herself for a time. As the labour pains come on, she becomes restless, and pants; is frequently looking around, and licking herself. When such occurs, labour in earnest may be considered to have commenced; and if all is going well, one or more puppies should be born in the course of an hour or so. If after two hours there are no signs of a puppy appearing, it is well to examine the bitch; but if a bladder (fœtal membrane) is protruding from the vagina, there is no hurry to interfere, as this is a sign, as a rule, that matters are taking a normal course, and that more time is required; and the bitch, after being offered some milk, may be left again for another hour or two. Bitches at their first pupping should always be given more time than one which has had two or three litters, and this is more especially the case when she is three or four years old, or even older. I have known bitches when over nine years of age to have a litter of puppies for the first time, and, as may be expected, it often goes very hard with them, though with care they may live through it. Once the membrane protrudes, which the bitch generally ruptures by biting, the first puppy, if everything is all right, soon makes its appearance; and, as a rule, by the time the cord is divided, and she has attended to the young arrival’s toilet, another youngster is nearly born, and in the course of an hour the bitch may have given birth to three or four puppies; then, perhaps, if there are any more, there is an interval of two or three hours, which gives the bitch time to recover her strength, and take some refreshment in the way of thin oatmeal gruel or plain milk, and in most cases this is quite sufficient; but if there are signs of exhaustion, some Brand’s essence, or the white of an egg beaten up with milk, and a small quantity of brandy, may be given. After this, in cases of the smaller breeds, when the average number is four or five, the last of the puppies soon makes its appearance; this also refers to terriers, though they may have five or six, or even more puppies, as they are such strong dogs compared to toy spaniels, pugs, etc.

Very often a bitch will have all her puppies but one with the greatest ease (for it is seldom a bitch cries out whilst pupping after the first litter), when the pains seem to cease altogether, and do not return for many hours afterwards, perhaps not until the next day. In such cases, a dose of some medicine to excite the action of the uterus is necessary, but this will be dealt with later on.

Bitches of the larger breeds which have big litters of twelve, fourteen, sixteen, and more puppies, invariably take all day, even in normal cases; but after twelve some assistance and great care are required, for by this time the mother is getting exhausted. Good gruel should be offered, and about every three hours the white of an egg beaten up with a teacupful of milk and a dessertspoonful of brandy should be given.

Bitches that have had their puppies easily do not require much food during the next twenty-four hours, the fœtal envelopes, which are always eaten, affording a certain amount of nourishment; therefore, if some thin oatmeal gruel or Benger’s food made with milk be offered, it is sufficient. Plain milk may also be given to drink. The same diet does for the following two days, with the addition of some soup or sheep’s-head broth with bread or crushed dog biscuits, a small quantity twice a day. After the third day a more liberal diet may be allowed; boiled fish, as fresh haddock, with bread, also the meat from a sheep’s head, and bread or broken biscuit soaked soft in the soup. By degrees the quantity and quality of the food may be increased, for after a fortnight, when there is a large litter, a good deal of nourishment is required, if the bitch is to be kept strong and the puppies fat.

Very often, two or three days after parturition, the bitch has diarrhœa. As a rule, it is not severe, and passes off in the course of twenty-four hours. Should it continue after this time, a dose of castor oil and laudanum may be given. In small bitches, as toys, a teaspoonful of the oil with three drops of laudanum; for terriers, a dessertspoonful of the former and five drops of the latter; collies, etc., a tablespoonful, and ten drops of tincture of opium; and large bitches, two tablespoonfuls and ten drops. The dose should be repeated in six hours. If the diarrhœa continues after the oil has worked off, from five[1] to twenty grains of bismuth may be given three or four times a day, shaken dry on the tongue. During the diarrhœa, the milk should be thickened with arrowroot, and the soup be given with rice instead of bread or biscuit.

Some bitches, when due to pup, and though in good health and fairly strong, have not sufficient labour pains to bring forth their young; the water-bag may break and there is the usual green-coloured discharge, but the throes are so slight as to be of little use. Of course, once the fœtal membrane is broken, and the fluid escapes, the puppy soon dies if not born; therefore, it is necessary to use means to stimulate the contraction of the womb—in other words, to induce labour pains—and for this there is nothing better than ergotine, which is a strong extract of ergot of rye. Until recently the latter was used, the seed being coarsely powdered, and from ten[1] to sixty grains administered in warm milk or coffee, the dose being repeated every two or three hours until several had been given. There are other preparations of ergot, as the ammoniated liquid extract, and ammoniated tincture. The former is the next best preparation to ergotine, and should be used when ergotine cannot be obtained. The dose varies from ten minims to one drachm,[1] which may be given with water, or in a little milk, and repeated every two hours until the pains have been induced, or six doses given; but these preparations are not so good as ergotine, for not only does the latter act with more certainty, but there is another advantage in its administration, and that is, it may be injected under the skin, and consequently the stomach is not irritated and perhaps the bitch made sick, which often happens when these medicines are given by the mouth. The dose of ergotine is from one[1] to three grains, given in from ten[1] to forty minims of brandy. There is no advantage, as is often recommended, in injecting it deeply into the muscles in the region of the pelvis, as it is quite sufficient to introduce it just under the skin. I generally do so behind one of the shoulders on the side of the chest, where the skin is loose. The action of the drug, when given in this way, may generally be observed within a quarter of an hour, and the dose, if necessary, may be repeated in a couple of hours.

It is not an uncommon occurrence, as before observed, in cases of parturition, for bitches that have large litters, to give birth to all the puppies quickly, and with a certain amount of ease, until the last, and in some instances two puppies. Then the pain seems to cease, and the bitch appears fairly comfortable for some hours, and it is often thought by the attendant she has finished, and there is no further cause for anxiety; but in about twelve hours, or perhaps the next day, the bitch becomes restless again, refuses her food, and is inclined to neglect her pups, and is constantly wanting to go out, and after passing water, sits and strains for a few moments. When these symptoms are noticed, the bitch should be immediately examined, and if it is found there are more puppies, and that the foremost one is not unnaturally situated, a dose of ergotine should be at once given, and some nourishment also administered, as milk and brandy, or Brand’s beef essence, or even a little scraped lean raw meat.

Breeders should make it a regular practice to examine a bitch when it is thought she has finished pupping, by gently manipulating the abdomen, also by passing carefully a well-oiled finger into the vagina, for it is often impossible to tell for certain, without examination, if there is only one left, more especially in cases when the mother has had a large litter. Many a valuable bitch is lost through this not being regularly done. Because the pups, when left behind, if not already dead, die, and quickly decompose and set up blood-poisoning, which invariably terminates fatally within twenty-four hours.