Part 17

_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.

=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.

It is impossible to tell the age of a dog with any certainty after dentition is finished, but up to then one can judge the age to within a fortnight, if it is borne in mind how the teeth are erupted. After this time, and up to a year or eighteen months, if, together with the condition of the incisor teeth, whose middle prominences at this time show signs of wear, one takes into consideration the general appearances of a dog, a fair judgment as to age may be formed.

Later, the wear of the teeth gives no good idea of the age, because so much depends upon the kind of food the animal eats, whether it is hard or soft. When a dog is fed on bread and gravy or meat, the teeth will show little or no signs of wear when he is two or three years old, while the incisor teeth of another dog of the same age will commence to become blunted if biscuits form the staple food. The teeth become still more worn if a large number of bones are given as a part of the diet. And again, dogs who are always playing with and carrying stones often wear the incisor teeth right down to the gums, and the tusks become worn in the course of a few years.

As a rule, if a dog is fed on a mixed diet, as bread and vegetables, soaked biscuits, etc., and not given many bones, and is not allowed to carry stones, then the teeth (incisors and tusks) preserve their shape and position until the fourth year. But by this time the teeth have lost their _very_ white colour, and have become of a palish yellow colour. As the dog advances in years the teeth become still more yellow, besides becoming coated with tartar just above the neck of the tooth, if they have not been occasionally scaled. The tusks, too, now become blunted, and to some degree are altered in position, being inclined to take a more outward direction. It is, therefore, an easy matter to distinguish between an old and a young dog.

The teeth of dogs that are pig-jawed, and those that are undershot like bulldogs, do not, of course, wear to the same extent as when the incisors meet, forming an even mouth.

When the permanent teeth come up crooked, it is a most difficult thing to redirect them, especially when the tusks are at fault, and they are generally the offenders; for these teeth are so firmly and deeply fixed in the jaw-bone that it is impossible, without employing great force, to move them, and from their conical shape it is almost impossible to fix a rubber band or wire to them unless a small niche is made in the enamel, and this damages the teeth and renders them liable to decay. When the tusks grow inwards so as to injure the palate, I have, after a great deal of trouble, fixed a wedge made of hard wood between the two tusks of the lower jaw, but it always comes out within a few hours. Again, when the incisors, or front teeth, come up twisted or crooked, and one tries to turn them with forceps, the operation is seldom successful; the tooth is almost sure to break, as dogs’ teeth are so brittle. More good is to be done by pressing the erring teeth in the right direction with the fingers; and when they are not very badly misplaced, a good deal of benefit may be derived by this simple treatment. It should be done two or three times a day for ten minutes at a time. Pressure of this kind is very useful to the upper or lower incisor teeth in slight cases of undershot—that is, when the lower incisor teeth project in front of the upper ones; or when the upper incisor teeth project in front of the lower ones—called “pig-jaw.” Either of these conditions is a great drawback to a terrier; and some judges, who are particular, and examine the mouth, will often put a dog back for this defect. In bad cases I think he is right to do so; but it is rather hard on the dog when there is only a slight unevenness, because I think he can hold just as well as one with an even mouth.

There is no doubt a pig-jaw is a much more serious malformation than one that is underhung, as it is absolutely impossible for a dog with a mouth like this to bite or seize his prey firmly and hold it. This is a very common deformity with collies and greyhounds, and very ugly it looks—the former are not required to bite, but at the same time the condition, when very marked, should disqualify a dog on the show bench, for there is no doubt that it is hereditary. Another condition of the teeth, and one which judges often put a terrier back for, is canker. It is a diseased condition of the enamel, which gives the teeth a speckled appearance. In my opinion, canker of the teeth is not hereditary; and it is in nine cases out of ten the result of a dog having distemper in early life—I mean before the eruption or cutting of the permanent teeth. The high fever which accompanies distemper seems to eat away the enamel. Teeth when badly affected in this way are soft, and wear away quicker than sound ones; besides, they look bad. There is nothing to be done in these cases, except brushing them occasionally; to scrape them does harm.

Toy dogs’ teeth go wrong much quicker than bigger ones, more especially Yorkshire terriers, spaniels, and pugs. I have seen many a Yorkshire terrier three years old with half the teeth gone, and the remaining ones covered thick with tartar. The condition, in a great measure, is due to feeding, but some bad teeth are no doubt also hereditary. All dogs should have something hard to gnaw every day, either a hard dog-biscuit or bone—not game or poultry bones, of course, or cutlet or chop-bones, for these are more dangerous than game bones, but a good big bone; for small dogs a leg-of-mutton bone, and for large ones a marrow or some other such bone. Puppies, from the time they are weaned, should be given bones, as this often prevents their eating stones and other indigestible articles. Tartar should never be allowed to remain and accumulate; it irritates the gums, and causes them to recede, and then the teeth soon get loose. Therefore, in all cases where there is a disposition for tartar to collect, it should be scraped off from time to time. As a rule, if it is done about three times a year, the teeth may be kept fairly clean. Once the teeth are cleaned, they may be kept white if people will take the trouble to brush them daily, using some powder. The best kind I know of is carbolated eucalyptus powder, as prepared by Messrs. Hucklebridge, of 116 Ebury Street, London, S.W. I mention the name and address, as I do not know of anyone else who makes it, and carbolic powder is not suitable for dogs. The scaling or scraping of the teeth may be done with the point of a penknife or an ordinary steel nail-cleaner, but one must be careful in using these instruments or the gums may be injured. To lessen the risk of doing so, it is much better to buy a proper instrument, which can be bought for half-a-crown at a place like Krohne & Sesemann’s, Duke Street, Manchester Square, London, W.

Loose teeth should be removed, as they only do harm when left, besides causing inconvenience to the dog whilst eating. Sometimes it becomes necessary in very old dogs to remove all the teeth; and when the food is given soft, and cut up small, they appear to do very well without them, and their breath is certainly a good deal sweeter.