Part 7

The diet should consist principally of unboiled milk, given plain or with Benger’s food, or beaten up with the white of an egg, and the quantity of course must vary according to the size of the dog, say from half[1] a pint to two quarts a day. Later, when the motions seem normal and the condition of the tongue improves, scraped lean raw meat may be given in small quantities.

=Epilepsy=:

_Symptoms_: An attack generally occurs quite suddenly; dog falls uttering perhaps a loud cry, is violently convulsed, champs his jaws, and froths at the mouth, and is unconscious. The attack generally lasts about half a minute, when the dog looks around him in a sort of dazed condition, and then often bolts off, not knowing where he is going to. Often one attack is followed by more, so it is important that the dog should be put in a place of security as quickly as possible, a good sized hamper is as good as anything. During the convulsions of epilepsy or just after, the patient unknowingly will bite his owner or anyone else, but there is no danger from such a bite.

_Treatment_: During the convulsions, it is best to leave the dog alone, unless one attack is being quickly succeeded by another, in which case two[1] or three drops of nitrite of amyl held to the nose, on a piece of blotting paper, lessens the severity of the convulsions. Chloroform similarly applied answers the same purpose. Directly the patient is able to swallow, give a dose of hydrated chloral and bromide of potassium, from three[1] to twenty grains of each, in from two teaspoonfuls[1] to two tablespoonfuls of water. This may be repeated in one, two, three, or four hours, according to the necessity, and under any circumstance the bromide alone should be given three or four times a day for a week or so after the attack. When a dog has had a succession of fits, a long course of bromide of potassium will often effect a cure.

_Diet_: Should be light, and consist principally of milk.

In all these cases, free purging does good.

=Epistaxis (Bleeding from the Nose)=:

_Symptoms_: When the blood comes from one nostril, the trouble is generally local. When from both nostrils, it is more likely to be due to some lung mischief.

_Treatment_: If the hæmorrhage is not severe, nothing is necessary except keeping the dog quiet for a time, as it will soon discontinue. However, should the bleeding persist, syringe up the nostril a saturated solution of alum, or a teaspoonful of tincture perchloride of iron, mixed with a tablespoonful of water. In very severe case, the local application of adrenalin should be tried, and from half to two grains[1] of ergotine, given subcutaneously, dissolved in a few drops of brandy. This may be repeated every three or four hours. In some cases it is necessary to plug the nostrils with strips of lint. When bleeding is severe, stimulants should be freely given, and also scraped lean raw meat.

=Erysipelas=:

Uncommon in dogs, but occasionally seen.

_Symptoms_: Temperature quickly rises, and may go up to 106 or 107 degs. F., and even higher—dog constantly shivering—total loss of appetite, but as a rule thirst very great. Skin becomes thick, tense, and shiny—at first red, and then perhaps of a purple colour; blisters may form; affected parts much swollen.

_Treatment_: Give from two to fifteen grains[1] of chlorate potash every four hours; dust parts with powdered boracic acid, mixed with three parts of powdered starch.

=Erythema=:

_Symptoms_: Red and inflamed condition of the skin, the redness temporarily disappearing on pressure. Condition often noticed on inside of flaps of ears, inside of thighs and arms. It is accompanied sometimes by a good deal of burning and irritation which makes the dog lick and bite himself.

_Treatment_: Dust over with boracic powder often, or bathe parts with thymol lotion. Treat for worms and give sulphate of magnesia, from five[1] grains to one scruple, and reduced iron, from half[1] to four grains, twice a day with food.

_Diet_: Meat may be given with other food in this case.

When the Erythema is spread more or less all over the body, a bath every day or every other day made as follows gives relief:—

_Recipe_: Borax, two tablespoonfuls; fine oatmeal, eight tablespoonfuls; tepid water, three gallons.

It is a good plan when the dog is wet to rub the yolks of three or four eggs into the coat, which cleanses it, besides removing the dandruff from the skin.

=Exhaustion (Result of great Exertion)=:

_Symptoms_: The dog is very languid, and perhaps unable to stand; breathes heavily, pulse quick and weak. If very bad, the tongue and membrane of the eye may be of a dark blue colour, the result of defective circulation.

_Treatment_: Rest and stimulants, as from ten drops to two teaspoonfuls[1] of brandy in a little water, which repeat every half hour. When dog very bad and unable to swallow, the brandy may be injected under the skin. As the dog comes round, Valentine’s meat juice or scraped raw meat in small quantities may be given.

=Eye, Dislocation of=:

_Symptoms_: This is not an uncommon occurrence with dogs with prominent eyes, such as pugs, Japanese and Pekingese spaniels, as well as King Charles spaniels, and other such dogs. Generally it is caused by fighting, or from some sudden blow just at the back of the side of the eye.

_Treatment_: If attended to immediately the eye is easily returned, especially if a little castor oil be poured over the front of the eye, and then with gentle pressure with the fingers it slips back into its place, and the eyesight is uninjured; but if left for some time, even for an hour, the eye becomes distended, and then it is impossible to return it without dilating the orifice. This must be done by making a small slit at the outer corner where the eyelids meet, say about one eighth of an inch long, and then pour a few drops of castor oil over the eye, and with pressure return it. Afterwards carefully sew up the incision made, and either put a couple of stitches through the lids, so as to keep the eyelids closed, or else put a piece of lint double thickness, soaked in boracic lotion, over the eye, and apply a bandage; but it is much safer to put a couple of stitches through the lids, which may be removed twenty-four hours later. The eye is sure to be inflamed and very painful for a few days, but this may be relieved by hot poppy-head fomentation made by boiling a couple of crushed poppy-heads in a quart of water for ten minutes, and then straining through fine muslin.

After the eye has been out for an hour or two, one cannot tell for some days whether the sight has been destroyed or not. As a rule it is.

=Eye, Haw of, Growth on=:

_Symptoms_: A small red swelling appears in the inner corner of one or both eyes. It is particularly common in bull puppies, pugs, and young bloodhounds.

_Treatment_: The only treatment consists in excising the swelling in the following way: Paint the little red body several times with a 6 per cent. solution of hydrochlorate of cocaine, then after waiting a few minutes the swelling should be gently drawn out with forceps, or by passing a thread through it with a needle, and then it should be quickly snipped off with a pair of curved scissors. The bleeding will stop of itself in a few minutes, and no further treatment is required.

=Eyelids, Sore=:

_Symptoms_: The membrane of the eye is much congested, and freely discharges white matter; the skin around eye is swollen, inflamed, and raw, which sometimes makes it difficult to see the eye.

_Treatment_: Apply following lotion often:—

_Recipe_:

Goulard’s Extract of Lead, ½ drachm. Hydrochlorate of Cocaine, 6 grains. Distilled Water to 3 ounces.

Apply frequently with a piece of absorbent wool. When the skin is dry and inflammation less, anoint the lids three or four times a day with following ointment:—

_Recipe_:

Hydrochlorate of Cocaine, 3 grains. Water, 1 drachm. Lanoline, 2 drachms. Almond Oil, 1 drachm.

Mix.

Give a dose of purgative medicine, also some cooling medicine with food, as from three to twenty grains[1] each of bicarbonate of potash and sulphate of magnesia.

=Fainting=:

Dogs subject to asthma often have a weak heart, and when the cough is severe frequently fall down in a faint, but as a rule it only lasts for a few moments, and the dog soon seems all right.

_Symptoms_: When due to loss of blood, the dog lies in an apparently lifeless condition, the mouth is white and clammy, the membranes of the eyes are bloodless, the pulse is quick and weak, and the breathing slow and laboured. The same condition occurs as the result of shock after an accident, as a dog being run over, even when there is no internal bleeding.

_Treatment_: In the first instances, when a dog faints as the result of heart disease, the application of smelling salts to nose is generally sufficient at the time, but the condition that causes it requires attending to, and a course of some heart tonic should be given as the following:—

_Recipe_:

Tincture Digitalis 1 drachm. Tincture Convallaria (Maj.) 1 drachm. Water to 6 ounces.

From one teaspoonful to a tablespoonful[1] to be given three times a day.

It is also a good plan to give a few drops of brandy in water after each meal, and the best food in these cases is under-done meat. In the second instance, as the result of hæmorrhage, let the animal lie perfectly quiet on his right side; if he can swallow, give small quantities of brandy and milk frequently; if this cannot be taken, inject under the skin from ten drops[1] to a teaspoonful of brandy, in which has been dissolved from half[1] to two grains of ergotine; repeat in an hour. To make up for the loss of blood, inject slowly into the bowel from a tablespoonful to half a tumblerful[1] of warm peptonised milk, which may be repeated in an hour. If very cold, place hot-water bottles to back. As soon as dog is able to swallow give Valentine’s meat juice with water, alternately with milk and brandy, later small quantities of scraped lean raw meat.

In the third instance, viz., fainting as the result of shock, without hæmorrhage, it is certainly difficult at first to know whether there is any internal bleeding or not going on, but in the absence of this the dog soon recovers. Brandy should be given as previously recommended, and smelling salts held to the nose.

=False Conception=:

Bitches sometimes after being properly served, though not in pup, become big and hard, and behave in every respect as if they were going to have a large litter, and at the end of the period of the supposed gestation, nothing but a little discharge comes away, and the bitch gradually gets smaller. There is an accumulation of milk, but this is a common occurrence seven or eight weeks after heat, even in maiden bitches.

=Favus (Form of Ringworm)=:

_Symptoms_: This is a form of ringworm which dogs often suffer from. It is frequently caught from rats. It is recognised by circular patches covered with yellow sulphur-coloured crusts. As a rule, there is not much irritation of the skin, but the disease is very contagious, even to people.

_Treatment_: The part should be painted daily with sulphurated calcium lotion. The lotion should not only be applied to the parts, but half an inch round the outer circumference of the patch. This should be continued for about a fortnight. Then dress the place daily for another week with a lotion of equal parts of methylated spirits, green soft soap, and oil of cade.

=Feeding=:

_See_ APPENDIX.

=Feet, Cracked=:

_Symptoms_: The pads of some dogs are constantly cracking, especially in hot, dry weather. As a consequence, the feet become very tender, and in some cases the dog is quite lame when exercising on hard roads.

_Treatment_: Rub well into the pads night and morning some borate of glycerine. The loose horn should be removed with scissors. Give the dog cooling medicine, from three[1] to twenty grains of sulphate of magnesia, also from two[1] to ten grains of bicarbonate of potash twice a day with the food. Exercise the dog for a time on grass.

=Feet (Swelling between Toes)=:

_Symptoms_: A swelling often suddenly forms between the toes, which makes the dog go exceedingly lame, and in fact, he is often unable to put the foot to the ground. As the swelling increases in size, it soon becomes soft, and as a rule quickly breaks.

_Treatment_: Directly the swelling is noticed, a hot bread poultice should be applied, and repeated two or three times until the swelling is quite soft, and then it should be freely opened and the parts scraped out. The wound should be kept open for two or three days by packing it with a little boracic wool or carbolic gauze, otherwise if it heals too quickly it gathers again. The dog should have a dose of purgative medicine, and in chronic cases when the swelling keeps reappearing first in one foot and then in another, a course of arsenic should be given, as from one[1] to eight drops of liq. arsenicalis in from one[1] to four teaspoonfuls of water. Repeat the medicine twice a day, and give after food. Dogs subject to this complaint should be fed principally on dog biscuits.

=Fever=:

This is a condition of the body characterised by an increase of temperature, shivering, lassitude, and loss of appetite; and, as a rule, is a symptom of some specific disease; but on some occasions it occurs as a result of some unascertainable cause, and generally in such cases the rise of temperature, which may go up to as much as 104 degs. F., is only temporary. This is more particularly the case in young puppies. This condition also occurs in dogs after exertion, especially when not in condition, as after a long walk on a hot day; but when due to such causes, the temperature soon drops, and is normal in a couple of hours, without any treatment. But if a dog, from whatever cause, ascertainable or not, continues feverish, say over twenty-four hours, some medicine should be given to relieve it, such as from two[1] to ten grains of salicylate of soda, or from one-half[1] to five grains of phenacetin; but this latter medicine should never be given to a dog in a low condition, as there is always a danger of causing collapse by inducing heart failure. Either of these medicines may be repeated every four hours, but if after twenty-four hours the temperature still keeps more than two degrees above normal, then salicylate of quinine should be tried: doses, from one[1] to five grains given in a cachet, or made into a pill, and repeated once in six hours. There are occasions when no medicine seems to have any permanent effect upon the temperature, and in such cases the application of an ice-bag to the head for an hour or so may be often applied with great advantage. A sheep’s bladder makes a capital bag for small dogs. The ice should be broken in small pieces, and the temperature taken from time to time whilst the bag is on, so that one can see whether the temperature is going down or not, as it is not advisable to reduce it below normal.

=Fistula of Anus=:

_Symptoms_: A small wound running from the side of the anus in an inward direction, and in many cases opening into the bowel. There is generally some discharge from the wound, and a good deal of irritation, which keeps the dog constantly licking the parts.

_Treatment_: The quickest and surest cure is to have the sinus freely laid open, and afterwards foment and keep the wound clean with hot boracic lotion—1 drachm to eight ounces of water.

=Fits=:

_See_ EPILEPSY, CONVULSIONS, etc.

=Flatulence=:

Symptoms: Dogs, especially large ones, become occasionally distended with gas in the stomach. The abdomen becomes enormously swollen and hard; dog breathes with difficulty; is much distressed, being in great pain. This is a very fatal disease, as the stomach frequently ruptures as a result of over-distention.

_Treatment_: Give stimulants freely, as brandy; and to disperse the gas, give in a cachet from three[1] to fifteen grains of naphthol beta. This may be repeated in an hour. In some cases the gas may be evacuated by passing a tube down the throat into the stomach. (_See_ also WIND IN THE STOMACH.)

=Flatulence (Simple)=:

_Symptoms_: Dogs occasionally, as a result of indigestion, suffer from simple flatulence after eating. He is uncomfortable and restless, and there are eructations of wind from time to time. The dog may also vomit, and suffer from diarrhœa.

_Treatment_: A course of the following mixture is useful:—

_Recipe_:

Tincture of Rhubarb, 4 drachms. Bicarbonate of Soda, 2 drachms. Tincture Nux Vomica, 1 drachm. Liquor Bismuth, 4 drachms. Water to 6 ounces.

_Doses_: From one half to four teaspoonfuls[1] two or three times a day after food. A little charcoal, say sufficient to cover a sixpence[1] to a teaspoonful, may also be mixed with the food twice a day.

=Fractures=:

Fractures of the different bones of the limbs, also of the body and head, are very common in the dog, especially of the first mentioned parts.

_Symptoms_: The symptoms of a fractured part are deformity, pain and swelling at the seat of fracture, with crepitus or grating together of the broken ends of the bone when the parts are moved. There are three kinds of fractures. Simple, when one or more bones are broken in two pieces, as in fracture of the two bones—radius and ulna—of the fore leg or arm, and an absence of serious injury to the skin. Compound, when besides fracture of the bones, the skin and other tissues are torn, exposing the bones; and comminutive, when a bone is crushed into several pieces. It is, of course, possible to have a compound comminutive fracture. There is a false form of fracture that occasionally occurs in puppies, especially of the larger breeds, more particularly when affected with rickets; that is, the separation of the epiphyses from the shaft of the bone. The epiphyses are the ends of the long bones, and in young animals they are joined to the main shaft by cartilage, later this becomes ossified or converted into bone.

_Fracture of the Metacarpal and Metatarsal Bones_: They are the bones running from the knee and hock to the toes respectively; one or more of these bones may be broken at a time.

_Treatment_: With the fingers bring the broken ends of bones together, and in the case of the fore leg apply a thin wood splint to the front of the leg, from just above the toes to an inch or more above the knee, according to the size of the dog. The splint should be made of thin wood, the same as is put to the back of pictures, and the part coming next to the leg should be padded with a thick layer of wool which is best kept in its place by winding a piece of bandage round it. In cases of fracture of the metatarsal bones, the splint should be taken from the foot to the point of the back of the hock. In either case, the splint must be kept in its place by the application of a thin bandage, wound several times round the leg, commencing (always) from the foot and working it upwards and then downwards several times.

In treating fractures, it is important to get them set and bandaged before the parts have had time to swell, otherwise in a few days when the swelling has disappeared, the bandage will be found loose and perhaps come off, necessitating resetting and bandaging. When the setting has been properly carried out, there is no occasion to remove the bandages in cases of simple fracture, at any rate for a month; but if the splints have not been properly padded, they may rub the prominent parts of the joints or bones, causing bad wounds. When such is occurring, the dog is restless, and shows unmistakable signs of discomfort by constantly licking the parts; then the splints and bandages must be removed, and the sores washed and dressed by sprinkling the wound over with powdered iodoform before applying the splints and bandages again. The wound may require dressing every other day, or even daily if it is a bad and deep one; in these cases a pad of some antiseptic gauze, as carbolic gauze, should be applied.

_Fracture of the Radius and Ulna_: It is very seldom indeed that one of these bones alone are broken; if one goes, the other does. They form the arm; that is, the fore leg from elbow to the knee.

_Treatment_: In these cases four padded splints should be applied—one on each side, and one at the back, and one in front of the leg. The one in front must be shorter than the side ones, so as not to rub the front of the elbow joint or the toes, and the one on the inside of the leg should be slightly shorter than the one on the outside. One, two, or three six-yard thin bandages must be fairly firmly applied, commencing right down at the foot and carried up over the elbow joint.

It is a good plan to apply a few strips of Mead’s plaister over the bandage; it keeps it from slipping.

_Fracture of the Lower Extremity of the Shoulder Bone, and Humerus_: These fractures in the elbow joint almost always consist of a breaking off of the inner condyle of the humerus, and as a consequence the limb becomes shortened.

_Treatment_: These cases cannot be cured, and it is best not to bandage them; in fact, they are best left to Nature, for whatever is done, the dog remains always lame, but after a time he adapts himself to circumstances, and makes good use of the shortened leg.

_Fracture of the Humerus_: This bone may be fractured through the shaft.

_Treatment_: it is a somewhat difficult bone to set, as it is situated so close to the body that it is not easy to put a bandage round; but a splint made of poro-plaister may be moulded to the bone, and kept in its place with one-inch wide strips of Mead’s plaister. They should be cut about six inches long.

_Fracture of Scapula or Blade Bone_:

_Treatment_: These fractures should be treated by fixing with hot pitch an oval piece of thin, pliable leather, large enough to just more than cover over the bone.

_Fracture of Hock_: Sometimes, as the result of being run over, the bones of the hock become broken, and as a consequence a stiff joint results.

_Treatment_: A similar splint as illustrated, the same that is recommended for fracture of the tibia, should be applied.

_Fracture of Tibia_: This bone extends from the stifle joint to the hock, and is often broken when a dog is run over across the hind leg.

_Treatment_: A splint made of thin zinc, as depicted in illustration, is the most suitable for these cases; it must be well padded. When the patient is a big dog, it is advisable to have two splints, one on either side of the leg. They should extend from the foot to the stifle joint or just above.

The illustration shows a joint in the centre of the splint, but this is not absolutely necessary, though it has its advantages. One is, the joint does not become so stiff, as it allows just slight movement.

Over the bandage a few strips of Mead’s plaister should always be used to prevent the bandage shifting.

_Fracture of Femur_ (_Thigh Bone_):