Part 4

_Symptoms_: A sac containing fluid or semi-fluid substances, or even hair and other foreign substances. A form of cyst often seen in flap of the ear.

_Treatment_: Cysts can only be removed by cutting. In the case of the ear, it should be freely opened at the most depending part and a tube inserted, or at any rate the wound should be kept open for a few days, otherwise fluid will collect again. No other treatment required except keeping the parts clean. The dog must not wear a collar.

=Dandruff (Scurf)=:

_Symptoms_: Dryness of the skin and hair, and the rising of branny greyish-white scales from the former, and mixing with the coat.

_Treatment_: As a rule, a thorough wash once a week, using a tar soap like Sherley’s shampoo, and putting a little borax in the rinsing water, with daily brushing of the coat, will effect a cure in mild cases; but in bad cases greasing the dog all over with some such preparation as the following is necessary:—

_Recipe_:

Oil of tar, 1 drachm. Almond Oil, ½ pint.

Mix.

To be thoroughly worked into the skin twice a week, and after a few days washed off, using the soap mentioned. A course of arsenic is useful; give from one[1] to eight drops in water twice a day for two or three weeks, but it must be discontinued if it causes sickness or diarrhœa.

=Deafness=:

_Symptoms_: In many cases, especially in white dogs, as bull terriers, it may be congenital. In ordinary cases it is often due to an accumulation of hard wax, or from growths in the canal of the ear. In old dogs it may be due to thickening of the drum of the ear.

_Treatment_: When congenital it is incurable. If result of growths in the ear, these must be removed by operation. When caused by accumulation of hard wax, a little warm almond oil should be poured into the ear, and the next day the ear should be thoroughly syringed with five ounces of tepid water in which has been dissolved a scruple of carbonate of soda. When the deafness is due to a thickening of the drum of the ear, which is often seen in old dogs, there is nothing to be done.

=Debility=:

_Symptoms_: May be due to constitutional causes, as is often seen in highly-bred puppies, or it may result from severe illness, particularly after distemper. The pulse is quick and weak, loss of appetite, and disinclination for exercise, poor condition, and membranes pale.

_Treatment_: For puppies, Sherley’s chemical tablets answer well. When result of illness, the following tonic may be given:—

_Recipe_:

Ammoniated Citrate of Iron, ½ drachm. Tincture Nux Vomica, 40 minims. Tincture Gentian, 3 drachms. Water to 3 ounces.

From half a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful[1] three times a day one hour before food.

=Deformities, Congenital=:

These are numerous in the dog. Inverted eyelids: puppies are sometimes born without eyes, squinting small eyes, eyelashes growing in. Hare lip, cleft palate, pig jaw, deformities of the feet and limbs: particularly the stifle joint, the patella being out of its place, and the leg contracted or drawn up. Deformities of the chest: this condition is common in Japs, but seems to do no harm. Puppies are sometimes born without tails; though a good feature in schipperke and bob-tail sheep dogs, one does not like to see a pug or a dachshund without a tail, and when he is good in all other points, it is disappointing. A screw tail is objectionable in all breeds except the bulldog, and some people object to it in these dogs. Absence of one or both testicles.

_Treatment_: Many cases of deformity may be remedied by operation, but in others there is nothing to be done. Inverted eyelids can be cured by operation, an elliptical piece of skin and also the muscle underneath being cut out immediately under the lower eyelid, when that one is affected, or immediately over the upper eyelid, if it is that one that is turned. The cutting is best done with curved scissors, and should extend nearly the whole length of the lid. As the wound made heals, it draws the lid out.

In-growing eyelashes must be plucked out with forceps from time to time. Very often as the puppy grows older and stronger, the lashes assume a normal position, and cease to be a trouble, but if they continue to turn in after the dog is twelve months old, a similar operation as for inverted eyelids is recommended, but in these latter cases it is not necessary to divide the muscle, but only the skin. Squinting may be cured by operation, but it is not recommended, as the defect does no harm, and with Japanese spaniels, who often squint, it rather adds to their quaintness.

In cases of unnatural small eyes, which often occur in fox terrier puppies, an operation is not of any use; but with time, it may be months, perhaps a year, the condition often improves. Matters are helped by giving the puppy affected something to stare at, as, for instance, placing his food for a time behind some railings, so that he can see it, but cannot get at it. Anything, in fact, that attracts attention, and causes the puppy to stare. A stuffed cat behind the railings does for a change, a lump of raw meat or a bone. Hare lip can be cured by operation, but in consequence of the position, it is difficult to keep the edges of divided lip together after sewing them, as the puppy will rub his nose on the ground if he has a chance, besides constantly licking at the stitches. The operation should not be undertaken before the puppy is three months old, and then just before operation a good square meal of meat should be given; this will take some time to digest, and will satisfy the puppy for a long while; at any rate, nothing more should be given for twenty-four hours, by which time the healing has made good progress, and for some days after the operation the puppy should be fed from the fingers, piece by piece, certainly no dish should be given for him to rub his nose in.

As to the operation, the edges of the split lip should be freely scarified, and also be loosened from the gum by cutting through the mucus membrane, then the two edges of the lip should be brought firmly together with pin sutures, and a few layers of collodion painted over the external part, and dusted over sparingly with powdered iodoform. It is not necessary to give chloroform for an operation of this kind, a few drops of a 4% solution of cocaine injected into each side of the divided lip is sufficient.

There is no cure for cleft palate, and a puppy born with this condition should be destroyed.

Pig jaw is incurable.

As to deformities affecting the feet, a dog may be born without toes, or with only two or three toes; in such cases, of course, nothing can be done, but sometimes there may be an extra toe. If a show dog, it spoils the appearance of his foot, and interferes with his gait, and so must be removed.

Dew-claws are not a deformity, but they are a useless appendage, and should be cut off close to the leg about three days after birth; if left they are a constant nuisance, either through being frequently broken, or torn off at the quick, or else turning and growing into the flesh, which causes a good deal of pain.

Nothing can be done for deformity of the stifle joint, it causes no pain, though it renders the leg useless; but if the subject is a bitch, and well bred, she may be kept for breeding purposes. A screwed tail may be remedied, if not too badly twisted, by breaking, setting it straight, and applying an adhesive bandage.

In cases of absence of one or both testicles in the scrotum, there is nothing to be done. A dog with both testicles absent is useless for getting stock, though he is able and will serve a bitch, but in cases where only one is missing, it does not prevent such a dog being useful for stud purposes.

=Delirium=:

_Symptoms_: Restlessness, constantly howling and barking. Dogs in this state lose flesh very rapidly. Delirium is seen in some bad cases of distemper.

_Treatment_: Unsatisfactory; bromide of strontia may be tried; from two[1] to sixteen grains in water three or four times a day. Ice bags should be applied to head.

_Diet_: Give easily digested food—as Benger’s with milk, kreochyle with water, and well-boiled tripe or fish, with rice or stale bread.

=Destroy Dogs, How to=:

There is no doubt that the quickest and most painless way of killing a dog is by shooting, providing it is done properly, and the man is a good shot and can be relied on. The best place to hit a dog is either behind the ear, or in the middle of the forehead; but there are many people who don’t like an old favourite destroyed in this way. Personally, I don’t like it. I consider a large dose of morphia, and then chloroform, is better. At any rate, it does not seem such a harsh way of taking an old favourite’s life.

To destroy a dog with morphia and chloroform, from half to two grains of acetate of morphia[1] should be injected under the skin; then after waiting until the dog is in a heavy sleep, chloroform should be slowly administered. It is necessary to do it very slowly indeed, or else the dog will wake up. In this case don’t place anything over the dog’s nose at first, but pour a trifle on a handkerchief or napkin, and hold it from six to eight inches away from the dog’s nose, then gradually get nearer and nearer until at last you cover the dog’s nose over with the cloth. The chloroform must be continued until the dog has _stopped breathing for five minutes_.

The administering of half[1] to a dram of prussic acid is also a very sudden and quick way of destroying a dog, but it is a debatable point whether this causes acute pain. At any rate, the dog invariably cries out loudly after it has been administered a few moments, and so he often does when going under the influence of chloroform. However, death by freshly prepared and strong prussic acid is very certain and sudden.

When administering this acid, one should be very careful never to stand in front of a dog, for if he coughs while it is in his mouth, and some goes into the eye of the person giving it, the consequences may be serious, as it is most deadly.

=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_:

Laudanum, 1 drachm. Tincture of Rhubarb, 4 drachms. Peppermint Water to 4 ounces.

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

_Recipe: Pills for Diarrhœa_:

Extract of Kino, 1 drachm. Powdered Ipecacuanha, 12 grains. Powdered Opium, 6 ”

Ex. cip. _q.s._

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_:

Diluted Sulphuric Acid, 2 drachms. Laudanum, 1 drachm. Water to 8 ounces.

_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_:

Benzoated Oxide of Zinc Ointment, 2 drachms. Almond Oil, 1 ounce.

Well mixed.

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.