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

Diabetes Insipidus:

Symptoms: Increased secretion of urine of a watery nature—great thirst. For a time the dog’s condition does not alter, but if the disease is not checked then he loses condition, the muscles waste, the legs become thin, the ribs prominent, and the abdomen distended as the result of the large quantity of water taken. This is a disease to which old dogs are particularly liable.

Treatment: Limit the quantity of water given the dog to drink; for a small dog, say half a tumblerful[1] to a couple of pints for a large dog. Feed on dry food. For medicine, give from half a drop[1] to two drops of Fowler’s solution of arsenic in water three times a day before food. If this does not benefit the case, give from an eighth[1] to a grain of powdered opium twice a day in the form of a pill. Treatment is often unsatisfactory.

Diabetes Mellitus:

Symptoms: Large quantities of urine containing sugar are passed; great thirst, voracious appetite, and gradual wasting of body. The tongue is dry and parched, and is of a red-brick colour; coat stares, and the dog looks generally unhealthy.

Treatment: Food containing sugar or starch must be avoided; meat given nearly or quite raw is the best diet. As to medicine, though it is practically an incurable disease, codeine does in some cases mitigate the symptoms. Of this medicine, give from a twelfth[1] to half a grain three times a day. After a fortnight or so the dose may be doubled.

Diarrhœa:

Symptoms: Frequent watery motions, which may vary in colour—white, slate, brown, black, and sometimes green—accompanied very often by great thirst and loss of appetite.

Treatment: In most cases a small dose of castor oil at the commencement of the attack does good, and in many cases effects a cure. Should the symptoms continue after the effects of the oil have passed off, give from five[1] to twenty grains of carbonate of bismuth three or four times a day before food, or the following mixture:—

Recipe: The Mixture for Diarrhœa:

From one teaspoonful to two tablespoonfuls[1] three times a day. Or the following pills may be tried:—

Recipe: Pills for Diarrhœa:

A sixth, fourth, half, or the whole[1] may be mixed and divided into twelve pills. One to be given three or four times a day. If the motions are very offensive, from two[1] to ten grains of salol may also be given three or four times a day.

Diet: At first liquid, as milk, thickened with equal parts of arrowroot and Benger’s food; after two or three days, raw beef cut up very fine may be given alone or mixed with equal parts well-boiled rice; rice water to drink. In chronic diarrhœa a liquid diet should be given for some time, and in addition to the milk diet previously mentioned, home-made beef-tea (with all fibrine removed) may be given slightly thickened with isinglass, and the following mixture tried:—

Recipe:

Dose: From a teaspoonful to two tablespoonfuls[1] three times a day. When there is much straining accompanying the diarrhœa, it is a good plan to give an enema consisting of one teaspoonful to two tablespoonfuls[1] of thick-boiled starch, with from three[1] to fifteen drops of laudanum mixed. When the diarrhœa is due to disordered liver, which is generally the case when the motions are white or grey, from one[1] to six grains of grey powder may be given at first instead of castor oil.

Diarrhœa in Puppies:

Symptoms: Very often the result of worms, but may be due to indigestion, the result of improper or too much food. Motion liquid and frequent, generally of a yellowish colour.

Treatment: If worms are suspected give Sherley’s worm tablets for puppies, otherwise first give a small dose of castor oil, and after it has worked off give from two[1] to six grains of carbonate of bismuth every four hours. If the diarrhœa is accompanied by colicky pains give also from two[1] to ten drops of paregoric in a little water three or four times a day.

Diet: If the patient has been kept on a milk food, discontinue this, and give scraped lean raw meat, a small quantity four times a day; but when a meat diet has been given and the diarrhœa continues, then give milk with Benger’s food or Plasmon. In very obstinate cases from a quarter[1] to one grain of grey powder once or twice a day for three days is often useful.

Discharge from Ear (Canker):

Symptoms: The canal of the ear is red, inflamed, and painful; in slight cases there is often a brownish discharge; in chronic and severe cases the discharge is fœtid and generally purulent, and may be tinged with blood. In these cases the ears are very painful, and the dog cries when he shakes his head.

Treatment: In very mild cases cleaning the ears daily with a weak solution of Condy’s fluid will often effect a cure; but if the ears are inflamed after cleaning them the canal should be painted twice a day with the following lotion:—

Recipe: Lotion for Ears:

Each time before dressing the ears they should be carefully wiped out with medicated cotton wool.

In bad cases, when the discharge is purulent, the ears should be syringed morning and evening with two tablespoonfuls of methylated spirits added to half-a-pint tepid water, and after letting the dog shake his head, wipe the ears out as dry as possible with absorbent cotton wool, and then fill with powdered boracic acid by the aid of a quill and a piece of indiarubber tube attached. If this treatment does not cure, then wash the ears out night and morning with peroxide of hydrogen—x vols.

Some cases of canker are very obstinate.

Dislocations:

Toe, Dislocation of:

Symptoms: The dog is very lame—in fact, cannot put the foot to the ground; the joint is swollen, and painful to manipulate. If the injured toe is compared with a sound one, it will be found that the lower bone which assists in forming the joint that is dislocated sticks up much more than is natural.

Treatment: As a rule, especially in a recent case, the reduction is not difficult. The toe should be pulled straight with the fingers of one hand, and with those of the other the projecting bone should be pressed into its place. In some cases it may be necessary to give chloroform. A padded splint extending from the back of the knee or hock to just below the foot should be put on, and a bandage applied to prevent the foot being used for a few days.

Knee, Dislocation of:

Symptoms: This generally occurs in conjunction with fracture of the radius, but it may happen alone. The dislocation generally occurs sideways, and the foot either turned outwards or inwards. The parts are very painful, and soon swell.

Treatment: The reduction should be attempted as quickly as possible after the accident, otherwise it will be necessary to wait until the swelling is reduced, and this can be helped by the application of crushed ice placed in a woollen bag and applied right round the joint.

It is best to give the patient chloroform before attempting the reduction of a dislocated knee; and when the dog is well under the influence of the anæsthetic the foot should be seized with one hand and pulled in straight direction from above downwards, and with the fingers of the other hand, during the pulling, the joint should be pressed into their place. As a rule, in dislocation of the knee the ligaments of the joint are often much injured, therefore when the reduction has been completed padded splints and bandages should be applied, as is recommended for fracture of the radius or arm, and be kept on for about three weeks.

Elbow, Dislocation of:

This does not often occur in adult dogs, but is not uncommon in delicate puppies as the result of some violence.

Symptoms: Lameness, and if the dog attempts to put weight on the leg, the elbow turns out. The joint as the result of the dislocation is wider than the one on the other side, but there is not much pain on pressure, as is the case of fracture at the elbow when the inner condyle of the shoulder bone (humerus) is broken off.

Treatment: In reducing this dislocation chloroform is not necessary. The arm should be flexed on the shoulder, and then by bearing pressure on the head of the bone and a twist of the head of the bone inwards the reduction is completed. The joint is to be afterwards fixed in its place with strips of adhesive plaister applied as depicted in the illustration annexed. If the bones cannot be kept in their place with the plaister, a splint cut out of thin zinc and of the shape of the elbow joint must be applied. The inside of the splint should be slightly concave to fit the leg, and of course well padded before being put on.

Shoulder Joint, Dislocation of:

Symptoms: Lameness; pain at the seat of injury, which is increased by putting leg forward; and some slight swelling, and the leg is perceptibly shortened. When there is any difficulty in diagnosing the case, all doubt is removed by making the dog stand evenly on both fore legs and comparing the sound shoulder with the injured one.

Treatment: In all cases I have seen of dislocation of the shoulder joint the head of the shoulder bone, which fits in a cup at the bottom of the blade bone, shoots upwards—of course only to a slight extent, as the bone is held in its position by strong muscles and tendons as well as by the capsule of the joint. Chloroform having been given, an attendant must hold the dog firmly by clasping his hands between the fore legs in front of the chest, or by fixing a towel in a similar position; and then the operator, seizing the paw with one hand, must pull the limb in a forward and downward direction, and at the same time with the fingers of the other hand press the head of the shoulder bone into its position. It is well afterwards to put a wide bandaging on round the chest over the shoulder joint, and keep the dog quiet for a few days.

Hock, Dislocation of:

This does not often occur except in conjunction with fracture at this part.

Symptoms: The dislocation occurs generally sideways, and may be either outwards or inwards, the foot being placed almost at right angles. The joint quickly swells, and is very painful.

Treatment: The reduction is carried out in a similar way as advised for reducing a dislocated elbow; afterwards the same kind of splints as recommended for treating fracture of the tibia are to be applied with bandages, and should be allowed to remain on for at least three or four weeks, and even after this it may be necessary to support the joint with a few strips of plaister for a time.

Patella, Dislocation of:

Symptoms: The patella is a small bone situated in front of the stifle joint, and is more liable to dislocation than any other part, especially in small dogs. With some dogs it is constantly slipping out of its place when running along, and then after a few steps it goes back again of its own accord. The bone almost always becomes displaced towards the inside of the leg, the dog in some cases being unable to put his foot to the ground; if he does attempt to put any weight on the leg, the stifle joint bends outwards. There is little or no pain caused by this dislocation.

Treatment: The patella is easily returned to its place, but as often as not it slips out again. The best way of reducing this dislocation is to straighten the leg and draw the foot towards the elbow of the same side, and then with the fingers of the other hand push the patella into its place; afterwards, to keep it there, bind the joint with several layers of Mead’s plaister as depicted in the illustration. The plaister should be continued for some distance above the joint.

Distemper:

The first symptom of distemper is a rise of temperature—if a dog is dull and off his food, take the temperature. It is best to take it in the rectum, where the normal is 101 degs. to 101½ degs. F.; if taken under the arm or inside of the thigh it is 1 deg. lower. If the thermometer registers 2 or 3 degs. of temperature above normal, you may be sure there is something wrong, and the dog should be isolated at once; and by doing this the infection may often be prevented spreading. If the disease is distemper, other symptoms will soon develop, as a husky cough, loss of appetite and condition, and occasionally vomiting. The eyes are weak and sensitive to light, and there is often a little gummy discharge which collects along the edges of the lids; the breath is offensive, and the teeth become furred. Diarrhœa may, or may not, occur. If the illness is only some passing ailment, the temperature will soon be normal, and the dog assume his usual condition. But the temperature, even in distemper, after two or three days, may go down to normal; but do not be deceived by this, and think the dog is all right, but look out for some of the other symptoms mentioned, and if the dog is in for that disease they are sure to appear, and the fever will return again in a couple of days or so.

People often think a dog cannot have distemper unless there is a discharge from the nose; this is a mistake, but it certainly does occur in most cases, though it does not appear as a rule until the dog has been ill for some time. If the lungs become affected, the breathing is short and quick, not panting with the mouth open; the chest is tender on pressure. At first there is no cough, but after two or three days there is a suppressed painful cough, with retching. The pulse is often much accelerated, the beats varying from 110 to 140 per minute. In some cases the pulse is very slow, and may only be 48 to the minute; of course, this refers to a big dog. A pulse of this kind is worse than a fast one with pneumonia. When it is between 60 and 70 in a small dog, it is also serious with lung complications. The heart’s action in dogs is very frequently intermittent even in health. The eyes during distemper are often a source of anxiety, and in those dogs with prominent orbits, as spaniels, pugs, etc., there is always an inclination for ulcers to form, which are extremely painful.

The worst complications of all in distempers are those affecting the nervous system; the brain and its membranes may become inflamed, and fits follow, or the spinal cord and its membranes attacked, and paralysis or chorea, or perhaps both, occur. These complications of the nervous system may often be prevented by not letting the dog out too soon after distemper. The temperature should be regularly taken, and the patient not allowed to go out of doors or be excited in any way until the temperature has been normal at least ten days. Sometimes suddenly changing the diet from liquid to solid food will induce fits.

Occasionally in distemper a crop of pustules appears on the inside of the legs and over the stomach—in fact, in some cases all over the body. This is rather a good sign than otherwise, for they seem to relieve the system of the distemper poison.

To treat distemper successfully, good nursing and dry, warm, comfortable quarters for the patient are the two essential things. For outdoor dogs, a loose box in a stable makes a capital place, and in cold weather the temperature should be kept as near 55 deg. F. as possible. Dogs who are in the habit of living indoors should be put in a well-ventilated room, and the temperature kept up between 60 and 65 deg. F. It is a good plan to cover the floor with sawdust, which should be changed at least once a day, and oftener when necessary. The dog should not be let out of the box or warm room for anything. Very often at first there are difficulties with very clean dogs, but it can generally be overcome with perseverance. Sometimes a little soiled straw from a kennel thrown down in the room is useful. Some dogs may be taught to use a tray or box filled with sawdust or mould. Directly a dog shows signs of distemper he should be sewn up in a flannel coat to keep the chest warm.

As to diet, if it is only a slight case, a light meal of bread or crushed biscuit with gravy or milk may be given three or four times a day.

For a change, a little well-boiled fish with rice, or sheep’s head broth and rice, or bread. Milk may be given freely to drink.

In all cases of distemper it is important to keep the eyes free of discharge by cleaning or bathing them frequently with some warm boracic lotion, made by dissolving half a teaspoonful of boracic acid in half a pint of warm water. When the discharge is very free and continues, in addition to keeping them clean with this lotion a little of the following may be run on to the eyes, especially on the inside of the lower lid:—

The Lotion for Eye:

To be applied three times a day after cleansing with the boracic.

In severe cases where the discharge is very profuse and offensive, a little powdered iodoform may be dusted over the front of the eye two or three times a day. If ulcers form they are to be treated the same way: and if the eyes are very painful, add to every half-pint of boracic lotion four grains of hydrochlorate of cocaine.

As the dog recovers from distemper, and the discharge ceases, if there is any opacity of the corners left, the following ointment should be used:—

The Ointment for Eyes:

A small piece should be placed between the lids, and then gently rub the upper eyelid over the eye for one minute so as to work the ointment in. Repeat twice a day. In some cases the opacity is very obstinate, and cannot be removed by the ointment, then the following drops may be tried:—

One or two drops to be placed in the eye twice a day.

The dog should be held for a few minutes after this lotion has been applied or he may rub the eye.

After distemper, eczema often follows as the result of weakness; tonics should be given and the disease treated in the ordinary way.

Some dogs during distemper, especially in bad cases, discharge a thin, purulent, offensive matter or pus from the skin around the mouth, head, under the neck, and inside of ears. This condition, which is more often seen in bloodhounds than other dogs, is a very bad sign.

The parts should be thoroughly cleansed once a day by being washed with Pearson’s Antiseptic diluted eighty times with warm water, carefully dried with soft cloths, and then freely dusted with some absorbent powder, as anylyform, or with the following:—

Tonics, especially quinine, are indicated during this condition, as the discharge is very weakening.

When the appetite is very bad, the patient may be tempted with some giblet soup or a little well-stewed rabbit and bread, or rice. Very often, in bad cases, the dog absolutely refuses all food; he must then be drenched with strong meat tea, or with milk thickened with Benger’s food. When there is an inclination to diarrhœa, the beef tea and milk should be thickened with cornflour or arrowroot. One of the best ways of making meat tea is with beef, mutton, and veal, say half a pound of each cut up very fine; this should be gently simmered with a pint of water for three or four hours, and then strained off. Of this, from a tablespoonful[1] to a small teacupful may be given every three or four hours alternately with the milk food. In addition to this, if the dog will drink raw beef tea, which they will often do, it may be given freely. This is best made as follows: Half a pound of lean raw meat passed through a sausage machine; to this add half a pint of water, and place in an earthenware jar in front of a fire for two or three hours, stirring occasionally; then strain off through a cloth. Some pressure is required to get all the juice out of the meat. It requires to be made fresh every day. When the patient is very weak and exhausted, feeding is necessary every hour or two, as only very small quantities of food can be retained. Then strong meat extracts are required. Plasmon may also be tried mixed with milk, and Valentine’s meat juice with milk. Of this latter from fifteen[1] drops to a teaspoonful, with one[1] to four teaspoonfuls of milk. Invalid Bovril may be given instead of Valentine’s for a change in the same proportions, but fresh meat juice from raw meat is as strong as anything. As to stimulants, there is no doubt, when the dog is very low and the pulse weak, from ten[1] drops to a teaspoonful of brandy does good. When the dog is eating all right himself, it may be given in a little water after food, but when one is drenching the food it should be mixed with it.

There is no doubt that dogs who continue with a good appetite through distemper do much better, and have a better chance of recovering, no matter how severe the attack may be, than those bad feeders who refuse food and have to be drenched. A little food taken voluntarily does much more good than a lot forced upon the dog; therefore I advise tempting the patient with a variety of diet, so as to get him to eat something himself—of course, given in small quantities, particularly when the case is bad. I always commence with soup and milk alternately, mixed with bread, biscuits, or rice; as the dog gets tired of these, I add a little meat, say from a sheep’s head or stewed neck of mutton; for a change some fish, boiled tripe, or stewed rabbit, and if the dog goes off these I try scraped raw meat. I never commence forcing food if I can help it, for I find, once this is started, there is always a difficulty in getting the dog to eat anything himself.

As to medicine, the more experience one gets the more one finds this is quite secondary in treating distemper. I do not believe in specifics, and, do what one may, the disease under the best circumstances will run a certain course. In simple cases, where the temperature is not very high, an occasional mild dose of syrup of buckthorn and castor oil is often all that is required. This is necessary, as the dog cannot go out and take exercise; therefore the bowels often get constipated, and if this is neglected troublesome diarrhœa may occur. After the temperature is normal and remains so for a few days, and the dog does not feed well, then some tonic is useful, as the following:—

Recipe: The Pills:

Dose: From half to two pills[1] to be given three times a day.

Quinine does not suit all dogs, for in some cases, instead of improving the appetite, for which it is given, it has the opposite effect, when the following mixture may be tried instead:—

Recipe: The Mixture:

Dose: From one teaspoonful to a tablespoonful three times a day.[1]

It is not necessary to take notice of a relaxed condition of the bowels so long as the motions are not very frequent, but diarrhœa (frequent watery motions) must not be allowed to go on. As a rule, a small dose of castor oil—say from one teaspoonful[1] to a tablespoonful—will usually stop it by removing the cause. If it continues after the oil has acted, give, shaken dry on the tongue, from 3[1] to 15 grains of salicylate of bismuth three or four times, or oftener, a day. Thicken the food with cooked arrowroot, and give boiled rice with soup and meat if the latter is being given.

If bismuth does not stop the diarrhœa, try the pills as per prescription below:—

Recipe: The Pills for Diarrhœa:

Dose: From half to two pills to be given three or four times a day.[1]

In complications affecting the lungs, as soon as they are noticed the chest should be sewn up in gamgee wool covered over with flannel. I have no faith in ordinary liniments; and poultices, unless they are applied by a professional hand, often do more harm than good. In very acute cases the hair may be closely cut off over a small patch on each side of the chest, and strong liniment of iodine applied with a camel’s-hair brush. This may be repeated in four hours, and again four hours later, if the application has not made the skin inflamed and swollen. Of course, the size of the patch must vary according to the size of the dog—from a five-shilling piece to the palm of the hand.

No very special medicine is required unless the heart is affected, which is often the case, when the following mixture is useful:—

Recipe: The Mixture:

From one[1] to four teaspoonfuls to be given every four or six hours, according to the severity of the symptoms. If the fever is very high, from two[1] to ten grains of bicarbonate of potash may be added to each dose. Some brandy may also be given with advantage, from ten[1] drops to a dessertspoonful every two or three hours, given as previously recommended.

When the nervous system becomes affected during distemper, or just afterwards, it is always a serious matter; in fact, when the brain is attacked and fits are the result, the case is practically hopeless, and if the fits are very severe and frequent it is better to destroy the dog at once, rather than waste time and money in continuing the treatment. When the disease attacks the spinal cord, St. Vitus’s dance (chorea) generally follows. This is also practically an incurable disease, and in severe cases it is best to put the dog out of its misery, for if it lives it will always be a hopeless cripple. Slight cases improve with time and judicious treatment, but the twitching never entirely disappears, though the dog may recover sufficiently to be shown, and also to be bred from. The disease is not hereditary, though I have sometimes thought that puppies of parents suffering from chorea are more disposed to the disease than others. Again, as the result of distemper, the patient may become paralysed to a more or less extent in different parts of the body or limbs—generally the back legs, though occasionally the fore ones are affected, and sometimes all four legs become useless. I have seen some cases when only the tail has been affected, the dog not being able to move it in the least. In other instances the eyes are the seat of the mischief, and amaurosis is the result. Unfortunately, treatment is quite useless in this latter case; in fact, I never saw a dog recover. The blindness may not be complete at first, but this paralysis of the eyes is a progressive disease which no treatment seems able to stop. I may here mention in amaurosis that the eye remains clear and bright, and to the casual observer there is nothing to be seen except a widely dilated blue pupil, which ordinary light does not cause to contract, though exposure to the strong rays of the sun will do so slowly. If the owner of a patient thus affected is anxious to try some treatment, then I suggest the following:—

Recipe: The Lotion:

One drop to be placed into each eye three times a day.

For medicine, give nux vomica as the following:—

Recipe: The Mixture:

Doses: From one[1] teaspoonful to a tablespoonful three times a day after food.

Later, the following mixture may be tried:—

Recipe: The Mixture:

Doses: From one[1] teaspoonful to a tablespoonful three times a day.

A seton may also be placed in the back of the neck just behind the ears, and galvanism may also be tried.

As to the treatment of distemper fits, if they are noticed at the commencement, before they have become severe, something may be done. Large and frequent doses of bromide of strontia should be administered, from 3 to 15 grains,[1] in from a teaspoonful[1] to a tablespoonful of water every three or four hours at first, or so long as there are any fits; when they cease, give the medicine less often—say, every six hours, or four times a day. After a few days, three times a day will be often enough for the medicine, and later twice a day. If there is no diarrhœa, give aperient medicine, and feed on a very light and sloppy food, as bread, with soup or milk, Benger’s food, egg and milk, etc. Keep the dog absolutely quiet, and in the dark as much as possible.

When the bromide in large doses is continued for some time, one often notices weakness or partial paralysis of the limbs; this passes off when the medicine is discontinued.

As to the treatment of chorea, I know of no specific; in fact, medicine has little or no effect over this disease at all. Strong doses of medicine like nux vomica or Easton’s syrup do more harm than good during the early stages, whereas later small doses of these drugs are beneficial. Directly the twitching is noticed the bromide of strontia should be given, from two[1] to ten grains three times a day. In the course of a week, if the twitching does not increase, some arsenic may be added to the bromide, as from one[1] to five drops of Fowler’s solution to each dose. Later, in about a month or so, when all inflammatory symptoms have passed, the eyes clear, and the temperature has been normal for some time, some nerve tonic is useful, but it must be given with caution, or the twitching will increase. Easton’s syrup is as good as anything—for very small dogs like Japanese spaniels five drops three times a day in a teaspoonful of water is enough; after a week, six drops may be given; and a week later, seven drops for a dose. The dose for toy spaniels weighing about eight pounds is eight drops; full-sized fox terriers, ten drops; collies, etc., fifteen drops; St. Bernards, etc., twenty drops. In each case the dose may be gradually increased. If the dog is in very poor condition, petroleum emulsion may be given with the Easton’s syrup instead of water. In any case, it is a matter of months before any improvement is noticed. In ordinary paralysis as the result of the distemper, when there is an absence of twitching, bromide in any form does more harm than good. In these cases some preparation of nux vomica is required, and the following pills I have found useful:—

Recipe: Compound Nux Vomica Pills:

Divide into twelve pills, one to be given three times a day.

If there is no improvement after a short time, a blister applied to both sides of the neck in cases of paralysis of the forelegs is often useful, and in chronic cases of paralysis of the back legs a blister should be applied to the loins. The blister may be repeated in a fortnight, if necessary.

Galvanism is also useful in cases when of long standing.

The bowels should be kept open with mild aperients, and vermifuge medicine given if there are any signs of worms. Dogs suffering from paralysis, the result of distemper, generally recover with time and care.

Docking:

Puppies should be docked when three or four days old, and the operation should be done with a pair of sharp scissors. The skin should be drawn well forward before severing the tail, then afterwards it slips back and well overlaps the bone. There is, as a rule, little or no bleeding; at any rate, not sufficient to be of any importance. Should there be, it can easily be stopped by the application of a little tincture of perchloride of iron, or of Friar’s balsam. It is well after docking a puppy to keep the mother away for half an hour or so.

Different breeds of dogs have their tails docked at different lengths. The fox terrier should have three-fifths of his tail left. Irish and Airedale terriers rather less than half. Spaniels, about two-fifths of the tail should be left, and griffons about a third.

Doses:

In consequence of the difference in the sizes of dogs, it is always difficult when giving a general prescription suitable for dogs of all breeds to make the doses quite clear for dogs of different sizes. However, to make it as clear as possible, I have divided dogs into eight different sizes, as for instance, griffons and others, 4 or 5 pounds weight. I call No. 1 size, spaniels, pugs, etc., weighing 10 or 12 pounds. No. 2 size, fox terriers, Irish terriers, etc., weighing from 18 to 25 pounds. No. 3 size, bull dogs, field spaniels, etc., weighing about 40 pounds. No. 4 size, collies, retrievers, greyhounds, etc. No. 5 size, bloodhounds, etc., and other dogs weighing about 80 pounds. No. 6 size, great Danes, etc., weighing about 120 pounds. No. 7 size, bigger dogs, like St. Bernards. No. 8 size, mastiffs, etc. Therefore, if the dose advised is from half a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful, it is intended for No. 1 size, half a teaspoonful; No. 2, a teaspoonful; No. 3, a teaspoonful and a half; No. 4, two teaspoonfuls; No. 5, two teaspoonfuls and a half; No. 6, three teaspoonfuls; No. 7, three teaspoonfuls and a half; and No. 8, four teaspoonfuls or a tablespoonful. When pills or powders are prescribed, they are to be divided in the same way.

Dosing:

People who are not in the habit of administering medicine to dogs often have a difficulty in giving it. Liquid is best given out of a bottle. The person about to give it should stand on the right hand side of the dog, place the left hand around the muzzle, then slightly raise the head, and place the neck of the bottle inside the cheek, and pour a small quantity of the fluid at a time into the pouch formed by the cheek. If the muzzle is held tightly with the left hand, there is no danger of the dog biting the bottle. If the reader is afraid to use a bottle, the fluid may be given with a spoon, but then a second person is required to hold the dog’s head, and with the finger pull out the side of the cheek so as to form a pouch in which the medicine should be poured. This is by far a better plan than forcing the dog’s mouth open, and pouring the fluid right on his tongue.