A Manual of Toy Dogs Part 3

Occasionally, owing to some idiosyncrasy of the individual, a puppy may bleed after docking, and therefore a careful watch must always be kept.

If there is any haemorrhage, bathe with very cold water in which alum has been dissolved, and apply a styptic, as tannic acid or perchloride of iron. But it is always well to ask the operator to remain for an hour or so, until all risk is over. The blood vessels very quickly seal up at their ends (to use untechnical language), and the tongue of the mother, when re-admitted after the necessary interval, will do no harm. Though docking is neither dangerous nor cruel when properly done on puppies so young that they have little or no sensation in their undeveloped nerves, it is a barbarism to let any ignorant person, as a groom or coachman, do it; and the dog owner who will not sacrifice her own possible repugnance sufficiently to co-operate with the skilled surgeon in seeing it properly done, at least owes it as a duty to her dumb dependents to pay him to take all reasonable care, and bring an a.s.sistant to hold them, and stay until they are quite safe and comfortable.

=Bilious Attacks.=--A slight chill, in east-windy times of year, or from any undue exposure to cold, will sometimes bring on a liver attack in dogs, while some are habitually subject to sick-headache after the manner of their owners. A bilious dog s.h.i.+vers, looks miserable, brings up a little yellow liquid or some froth, after a good deal of retching, and refuses to eat. Such an attack is always easy to diagnose, because the nose remains, as a rule, cold and moist, while there is no rise in temperature. The same symptoms, with feverishness, would probably mean commencing serious illness, necessitating skilled advice; but without rise of temperature are not important, unless they resist treatment and continue for longer than about twelve hours. The patient should be kept warm, covered up before the fire if the weather is severe, and given a soft pill of three grains of carbonate of bis.m.u.th and one grain of bicarbonate of soda, every four hours, until appet.i.te returns.

=Loss of appet.i.te= is a symptom which should never be disregarded. It may be quite right for the owners of sporting dogs to use the phrase so frequently heard: "Oh, if he won't eat, he's better without it," but want of appet.i.te in a toy dog should never be a matter of indifference to the owner. It may, of course, arise only from previous over-eating, and over-fed dogs are certainly subject to bilious attacks which do not call for much sympathy; but it is always desirable to a.s.sure oneself that nothing more serious is the matter before dismissing the subject.

In cases where loss of appet.i.te is the precursor and accompaniment of illness, as in distemper, it would be most unwise to leave the dog to itself, and by allowing it to go without food, pull down the vitality and give the disease a firmer hold. As a general rule, a dog may be allowed to miss one meal without much anxiety; but, if a second is refused, inquisition should be made, and the temperature be taken, without loss of time. A clinical thermometer is a most useful adjunct in the dog-room, and any temperature over 100 degs. or 101 degs.--the former the dog's normal one--is suspicious. The easiest way of taking it is by inserting the instrument between the thigh and the body, and, as it were, holding these together, over it. Puppies will often refuse food simply because their gums are sore from teething, and here, again, it would be extremely foolish to let them go on in a state of semi-starvation. When a puppy is seen to pick up his food with his front teeth, shake each piece, and turn it over indifferently, it is a pretty sure sign that he cannot eat comfortably; if the natural process of cutting the teeth is in fault, all that need be done is to give minced meat and soft though dry food--a sponge cake will nearly always be willingly negotiated--and keep a watch to see that he gets enough to maintain him in good condition and pull him through the critical time; if, as is sometimes the case with an older dog, a too-lingering first tooth is setting up irritation and needs extracting, the vet's services must be requisitioned, as it is not advisable for any amateur to try his hand at canine dentistry. The main characteristic of the "new" or Stuttgart disease, or of gastritis, by the way, is inability to take food, the mouth being ulcerated, in addition to stomach complications; and here, again, commencing loss of appet.i.te must be regarded with suspicion. Simple biliousness is not common among properly-fed dogs, but is sometimes brought on in individuals by what I may be so technically medical as to call idiosyncrasy--to wit, inability to digest certain foods. Many toy dogs cannot eat vegetables, which of course are to all unnatural and very indigestible, and others are invariably sick if they are given milk, and the dog can no more help these peculiarities than human beings similarly afflicted. Biliousness, brought on either by over-eating, a chill on the liver, or some unsuitable food, is easily recognized, and here abstinence for a while _is_ advisable. The patient will be chilly, probably having cold paws, and may be sick several times, producing only a little yellow froth; most dogs eat gra.s.s and soon feel better, requiring no medicine; but if appet.i.te does not return quickly, give a bis.m.u.th-and-soda pill every four hours, the proportion being three grains of bicarbonate of soda to one grain of carbonate of bis.m.u.th.

=Indigestion= is by no means uncommon among toy dogs, and frequently leads to the odious habit of eating horrible things in the street, about which dog owners sometimes complain, and with reason. The presence of worms leads up to this habit, too, and where it exists they may be first suspected; and then, if their existence is disproved, indigestion comes in as the likely factor. Its treatment is not difficult, but the owner must make up her mind to persevere, and to feed her dog herself--no servant, no matter how careful, possesses judgment enough to deal with a case of this kind. Absolute regularity in feeding is necessary; the meals must be small, yet very nouris.h.i.+ng, and the dog should not be allowed to drink immediately after eating. A digestive tonic containing nux vomica is almost invariably useful, but it is not a medicine which can be prescribed at large, for nux vomica is in itself a dangerous drug, and acts much more freely upon some dogs than upon others, making it most unwise to prescribe "so much" for all dogs alike. With this proviso, I will give a prescription intended for a Yorks.h.i.+re terrier weighing about 6 lbs., which may be safely tried upon toys between 5 lbs. and 8 lbs. weight, the quant.i.ty of this particular ingredient being reduced by one-half for dogs between 4 lbs. and 5 lbs. and by two-thirds for toy puppies, upon whom its administration must be watched with extra vigilance: Rx pulv. nucis vom., 1/2 gr.; pulv. radix gentianae, 1 gr.; carb. bis.m.u.thi, 4 grs.; bicarb, sodii, 1-1/2 grs.; ferri carb. sacch., 3 grs. M. H. D. Exhib. c.u.m cib. bis vel ter die. A pill somewhat similar, but in some respects superior to this, is sold as one of the Kanofelin remedies.

The symptom of too great susceptibility to the action of strychnine (nux vomica) will be, in bold language, twitching and nervousness, and where these are observed to follow a dose it must be diminished or stopped altogether, and in this latter case the powder without the first ingredient may be tried.

=Disagreeable Breath and Eructation.=--Beta-naphthol, given in pills containing 1/2 gr. each, is a valuable drug in cases of indigestion where eructation and disagreeable breath are noticeable. For toys under 5 lbs. 1/4 gr. pills must be given; one pill in either case to be given about ten minutes after each meal. The effect of the drug is simply to check the fermentation of the food and the consequent formation of foul gases in the stomach. Where this form of indigestion is accompanied by diarrhoea, salol may be given instead of naphthol, in the same doses; but it and naphthol do not suit all dogs alike, though neither can do any harm, and if the patient is sick after a dose, the sign has been given that marks the treatment as unsuitable to his individuality. As in the case of human patients, the dog doctor may have to try several methods of treatment before he hits upon the cure. Pills are often troublesome to give, which fault cannot be found with powdered vegetable charcoal, to which few dogs make any objection when it is sprinkled upon their food and lightly covered with a few tiny bits of something very dainty; but where the owner prefers to give medicine apart from the food, enclosure of powder in a capsule is always practicable. A simple and tasteless powder is included among the Kanofelin Remedies, and may always have a trial, given with the food, in cases of indigestion.

=The Bad Doer.=--Want of appet.i.te for no particular reason, except general debility of the stomach, is the annoying characteristic of the kennel-man's horror--the "bad doer," who is characterised by thinness and bad coat. Here and there we find a thin little dog that nothing will fatten; hardly ever hungry, and dainty to the distraction of his owner; a dog who will not eat in a strange place or from an unusual plate, and who only grows the thinner and more miserable for what he _does_ eat. He is an unenviable possession, but we must make the best of him, coax him with small and frequent meals, for he will often accept a teaspoonful of raw meat minced, or a tablespoonful of cream, where he would not even look at an ordinary dog's meal, and get him up as well as we can for show with a daily new-laid egg, beaten up in a very little milk, and that useful and valuable dog-owner's aid, cod liver oil and malt. Most dogs will take this with a little tempting meat to help it down. Of course it must not be pushed at first, but given, to begin with, in very small doses, and gradually increased until our usefully typical 6 lb. dog is taking a full teaspoonful twice a day. It is a wonderful hair producer. Cod liver oil alone, without the malt, is of much less use, and cheap preparations of either or both are to be sternly avoided; in the nature of things, such a medicine cannot be cheap, if it is to be thoroughly good. And here, I may remark, that because we are _only_ dealing with a dog is no reason why we should put cheap drugs of any kind into him. His system is just as beautiful and delicate in its balance as that of a human being, though his teeth and his digestion may be stronger--such is not invariably the case by any means--and the administration of impure or adulterated medicine is just as great a cruelty to it as to the human machinery. To give a toy dog crude cod liver oil, imperfectly purified, because it is cheap, is like expecting to do fine carving upon oak with a hatchet, because it _is_ oak and not satin-wood.

=Internal Parasites.=--In no case has modern progress in knowledge disclosed more fallacies, held formerly as firm beliefs, than where the internal parasites--which for our present purpose, this being only a popular manual, may be cla.s.sed as tape-worms and round worms--of the dog are concerned. Only a few years ago, if a dog suffered from skin disease in any one of its several forms, "worms" were at once cited as the cause. Now we know--or rather, those among us know, who either have some understanding of canine anatomy and physiology or will take the word of the scientist for it--that worms cause nothing: they are not a cause, but an effect. They are a symptom of anaemia; and as skin trouble almost invariably accompanies any severe degree of anaemia in dogs, skin trouble and worms are usually found together. We cannot, therefore, cure dogs of harbouring worms by giving expellent doses, no matter how glowingly advertised and boomed, of the various irritant drugs which act as vermifuges. We can only by this means temporarily drive out the enemy, which is certain to return, because the conditions prevailing in an anaemic intestine suit it perfectly, and encourage its increase, whereas in the healthy intestine it more or less shares the fate of food on being digested, and is incapable of rapid or sustained increase. The effect of an anaemic or vitiated condition of the blood-supply to the villi, or, in non-scientific language, digesting pores which exist all over the mucoid lining of the intestinal tract, is to prevent their throwing out those strong juices or digestive fluids which they normally produce. Their secretions are altered and weakened, and have no injurious effect on the parasites, which then increase rapidly. When, therefore, it becomes evident, by the appearance of short yellowish-white segments, generally about an inch long, and varying in breadth from a mere line to about a quarter of an inch, dropped about by a dog, that tape-worm exists; or it is seen by his vomiting them up or otherwise, that he has round worms, which somewhat resemble earth-worms, what we have to do is to alter that condition of the general health which allows these pests to exist. In brief, we have to treat the dog for anaemia, which subject has been already discussed. It is, of course, occasionally possible for a healthy, meat-fed dog to become accidentally infected by swallowing tape-worm ova, and in such a case a few of the parasites may be harboured for a considerable time, not increasing, but now and then making their presence manifest. Infection is possible by the swallowing of fleas, which are intermediate hosts of tape-worm, or by eating the insides of rabbits, which usually swarm with these creatures, or, in the opinion of some authorities, by sniffing the ova up through the nasal pa.s.sages and subsequently swallowing them. As, however, one cannot always be certain that the apparently healthy dog is not a trifle below par, it is always well to treat him with a course of iron, giving the powders or tonic pills advised for anaemia for a month, and at the expiration of that period, when the system is toned up so that the worms' position is almost untenable, and their expulsion will be final, one or two vermifuge doses may be given. All sorts of quack remedies have been praised and boomed as infallible, but many are exceedingly drastic, and some positively dangerous. Areca nut, so frequently advised, is a most violent irritant, actually poisonous in its effects on young puppies, and a very cruel remedy in all cases.

Wormseed oil, an American preparation, possibly from one of the inulas, a family of plants known in English gardens, is sometimes an ingredient; also such highly unsuitable, inert, useless, or dangerous substances as sulphate of magnesia, salt, or cowhage, with strong doses of santonine, a drug that should never be given in unknown quant.i.ty. A violent purgative action often accompanies these secret remedies, adding to their danger. The intelligent dog owner should know what he is giving, and to some extent understand its action; but in a country where quack, much-advertised medicines are largely given to children, I suppose it will be difficult to prevent their being also administered to dogs. In any case, no worm medicine whatever, of any sort or kind, other than an iron tonic, should be given to young puppies, no known drug possessing a stronger action than iron upon the parasites being safe for toy pups under three months old. After that age it is safe to give very small doses of oil of male-fern and absolutely minute ones of santonine. These are best combined in a capsule, in which form they can be given without distressing the patient, and a perfectly safe capsule after this formula is, among the Kanofelin remedies--which are not secret, but are compounded after recognised formulae, and equally suitable for dogs or children in the purity of their drugs and safety of their action. If any of the popular advertised remedies are used for adults, experiment should be made at first with much smaller doses than are cited, and safety thus a.s.sured, for a microscopic dose will often act quite severely enough for the toy dog owner's purpose, and dogs are as variously sensitive to drug action as we ourselves.

In very young puppies the bringing up by the mouth of round worms is not at all unusual, especially when they are pups born of "kennel" parents, dogs crowded together in numbers, insufficiently fed (although possibly upon an excessive quant.i.ty of oatmeal and Indian corn meal), denied meat, and leading a completely unnatural life in every respect. It is rather a shock to an amateur when this occurs, but as a rule little anxiety need be felt, for if the puppy is properly fed upon small dry meals of a very digestible and nouris.h.i.+ng nature, say two tablespoonfuls of good underdone rump-steak, or the same quant.i.ty of roast mutton, three times a day for a dog the size of a pug, and given a one-grain dose of iron with two of these meals, he will be pretty sure to grow out of his troubles. In any such case great attention must be paid to keeping up the strength of the patient, in order to tide him over the time when by reason of youth and his very tender little stomach, it is impossible to give him any stronger medicine with safety.

Extreme thinness and loss of coat are sometimes attributed to that wonderful power worms, in old-fas.h.i.+oned eyes, possessed. Both of these symptoms are those of an anaemic condition, as is foetor of the breath.

Finally, the treatment of that over-rated bugbear in the way of diseases, "Worms," is easily summarised thus--Meat feeding; an iron tonic; a vermifuge after the tonic course, and not before.

After male-fern capsules it is quite unnecessary to give any aperient.

Most inventors of "worm pills" and the like order castor oil to be given after their boluses, a terrible aggravation both to operator and patient.

=Aperients.=--Some people have an idea that it is desirable to dose dogs periodically, on the quaint old "spring-medicine" principle, extended over all the year. No greater mistake can be made. A dog should never be given drugs of any kind unless really ill, and this it will never be in the direction indicated, if it is properly fed and regularly exercised.

A dog's natural and proper food is meat; but the stimulus of distension must be given to the intestine by adding some bulk of innutritious food to the meat. We cannot give quite enough meat to afford this stimulus constantly, because by doing so we should overload the system. In a state of nature dogs ate the fur and skins of their prey, like other carnivora: now we must give them a certain proportion, but only a small one, of biscuits made of wheat (not of oatmeal or Indian corn meal, which are too indigestible) or of brown bread, to provide bulk without nourishment. They may, if any aperient be absolutely necessary, have a meal of boiled liver, a teaspoonful or two of pure olive oil poured over a little meat, or given from a spoon, or some cod liver oil, which may be voluntarily taken, and is equally efficacious. Milk is very laxative, and sometimes, where there is no biliousness, a small saucerful makes a good aperient. Always take a dog for his run at the same time of day, wet or fine, and never lose sight of the fact that a well-behaved clean little house-pet may bring upon itself a dangerous attack of constipation by its good manners if its appeal for a walk is ignored.

Ill.u.s.tration: TYPICAL j.a.pANESE SPANIEL.

=Distemper.=--As a matter of actual fact, there is no such disease as distemper. There are two diseases, or two groups of diseases, both more or less contagious, which, for want of skilled diagnosis, are indifferently so named, but their popular designation is so firmly rooted that "distemper" will be with us to the end of the chapter, and so long as the disease is properly treated it matters little whether we call it bronchial catarrh, gastro-enteritis, typhoid, or distemper.

Perhaps, in a manual not intended for the learned, it will be most useful, as it is certainly most simple, and, I think, practical, to speak of "two forms of distemper," since the chest and lung diseases of the dog all call for one sort of home treatment, and the more ordinary diseases of the intestinal tract can with safety be lumped together as needing another fairly uniform style of treatment. Further than this the non-medical dog owner is not wise to venture, since it is quite as necessary that a canine patient should have skilled advice as that it should be called in for his master--that is, if his recovery is desired.

Roughly speaking, then, there are two kinds of distemper--that which affects the nose, throat, and chest, and in slight cases may pa.s.s as being only a very bad cold, and that which affects the intestinal ca.n.a.l, involving the whole alimentary system. This latter is certainly the more troublesome for an amateur to treat, and decidedly the more fatal; but, fortunately, the former is the more common. It is very easy to tell when a dog is the subject of distemper in the catarrhal form, and when in this state he is, I think, much more likely to do well if carefully nursed at home; but in the typhoid form it requires skilled nursing to do the case justice, and the physical conditions are such that if--it is a big "if"--the right sort of vet can be found, the dog has a better chance with him.

The symptoms of catarrhal distemper are s.h.i.+vering, feverishness--temperature generally not very high at first, but a degree or two over the normal--profuse discharge from the eyes and nose, and, in short, all those of a bad, feverish cold; and the treatment may be exactly that which we should give a child under the same circ.u.mstances.

The great thing, in both forms, is to keep up the strength from the very beginning; this is far more important than giving medicine of any kind, and if the patient will not eat, he should be given food forcibly. I do not by this mean that a large quant.i.ty of food should be forced upon the unwilling animal; he should have about two teaspoonfuls of some invalid nourishment every two hours, and this should be as varied as possible, and kept as sweet and dainty as if for a human patient. A raw egg beaten up with the smallest possible quant.i.ty of milk; a little good beef-tea, made by cutting lean, raw beef into small cubes, and slowly drawing all the goodness out of it in an earthenware jar, tightly covered, in the oven, only two tablespoonfuls of water to the pound of meat being added; veal broth similarly made; arrowroot, with a few drops of the juice of raw meat added; strong chicken tea, with a little rice boiled in it and strained out--all these may be rung upon for change. Some dogs will eat solid food all through the disease, and this simplifies matters immensely. Where there is no appet.i.te, liquids or semi-liquids must be given. Concentrated foods and other invalid preparations, though useful on occasion, very soon pall and sicken the patient, and while it saves trouble to use things like this, they have not the same effect in keeping up the strength as good, honest home-cookery. The necessity for thus dieting and feeding is the same in either form of distemper, and the dog must not be left all night without attention, but fed at intervals then also. Warmth and evenness of temperature come next in importance. A little flannel jacket or cross-over, made of thick, new flannel, is as good as poultices, and should be put, and kept, on well into convalescence, when, of course, it must not be left off too suddenly. I do not say anything about medicine, actual poulticing, etc., because a distemper patient, in view of the complications which are always apt to arise in this disease, should be nursed under skilled veterinary direction. I only insist on the need for feeding up and warmth.

Distemper patients cannot go out of doors, in cold weather, unless there is to be no regard to the great risk they run in such a change of temperature; therefore, as soon as the disease declares itself, it is well to settle the patient somewhere where a tray of earth can be provided, absolute quiet maintained, and an even warmth kept up, and here let the disease run its course.

Relapses from distemper are even more serious than the first attack, and they are very apt to occur where the patient is allowed to go out, or move about too soon or too much. Stimulants--brandy and port wine--are very useful where the weakness is great, and champagne will often be kept down where water or broth would be rejected.

The "new" disease, commonly called the Stuttgart disease, which has created so much excitement among dog owners during the last year or two, and is of the nature of gastritis, or inflammation of the lining membrane of the stomach, spreading upwards and downwards, calls in some ways for quite a different treatment to that of the typhoid form of distemper. They are alike in this: that a teaspoonful or so of iced champagne or iced soda and milk, will sometimes be retained where nothing else will, but in gastric catarrh, or gastritis, the patient must not be allowed to drink water, or to make the slightest exertion.

It may, perhaps, be as well to state what, I suppose, is not yet known to all dog owners--namely, the fact that it is by no means a necessity for a toy, or any other dog for that matter, to have distemper. Like scarlet fever in the human subject, distemper may occur in a dog's life, or may not. The child takes scarlet fever if it has been in the way of infection, and the dog distemper if the contagion has been conveyed to it either by some person who has been near an affected dog, by that dog itself, or by some article on which infected discharges of any kind have been deposited.

The one quarrel we all have with shows is that they certainly offer opportunities of spreading distemper to people who do not consider its existence in their kennels a sufficient reason for withholding entries, and carry the contagion with them, although the dogs they exhibit may be in themselves unaffected. An old-fas.h.i.+oned piece of advice in distemper, and one always given, was that at the outset of the disease a dose of castor oil, or some other aperient, should be administered. I have no hesitation at all in saying that whereas castor oil--to the dog a violent irritant purgative--has carried off many and many a puppy and delicate adult that, if not so weakened just when all the reserve forces of strength were most needed, might have pulled through, this practice is a most mistaken one, to say the least of it. If there is any probability of there being any collection in the intestine which needs clearing away, pure olive oil will do all, and more than castor oil, and will neither cause the pain at the time nor the subsequent constipation, which will be the inevitable results, if there are no worse ones, of the stronger, and, I must call it, vile, drug. Another fallacy is the supposed desirability of constantly was.h.i.+ng the eyes and nose with warm water. This is often not properly dried off, and chill results, while all the fuss and worry is quite needless and does no good. A little bit of old linen rag may be torn up and the fragments used to clean off the discharges and at once burnt. Once, or even twice, a day a sponge damped with boracic lotion can be used, but very sparingly.

The watchword in distemper, as I said before, is nursing--good nursing alone will pull most dogs through--and I deliberately refrain from giving any prescriptions, because, as each case varies according to circ.u.mstances and the patient's const.i.tution, each should be prescribed for on its merits.

For far too long we have gone on in a rough-and-ready rule-of-thumb method of dosing dogs all in the same way, without regard to idiosyncrasy, which all the time has been as marked in them as in human kind--and the sooner we change all this and study each dog after its kind, the better for them and for us.

=Skin Troubles.=--The most annoying thing about the skin complaints which occasionally beset toy dogs is the difficulty to the amateur of diagnosing them correctly. Even veterinary surgeons are sometimes hazy in this respect, and it is therefore well when a skin trouble refuses to yield to simple remedies, incapable of doing harm, to consult a man really experienced in toys, and not some uninterested, and even rather contemptuous, pract.i.tioner, who may even commit such a cruel barbarity as I have heard of, in the advising of _sheep dip_!

The most common form of skin disease in adult dogs is eczema, which for purposes of rough, or popular, cla.s.sification, may be divided into two forms, wet and dry. Weeping eczema is decidedly uncommon, but is the only form of skin disease offering open sores and raw surfaces likely to affect comparatively well-cared-for toy dogs. In this, as in the dry, severer forms of eczema, it is useless to attempt cure by mere outward applications. The mischief is in the blood, and until the blood is put right the external symptoms will continue, unless, indeed, strong mercurial lotion or ointment be used, which may fatally drive the disease in, and by clearing up the skin and so depriving the body of the safety-valve of outward lesions, eventually kill the animal. Such a proceeding is occasionally resorted to by unscrupulous persons whose only desire is to sell their mangy or eczematous dogs, for the immediate effect of dressing with mercurial ointment is often almost miraculously good to the eye. Therefore, my advice to the amateur is, under no circ.u.mstances to purchase a dog which is known to have suffered from any severe form of skin disease. Even if the complaint has not been doctored in the way described, and has been cured by honest methods, it may always break out again, for it is in the const.i.tution. I must, of course, except cases in which contagious eczema has been given to the victim by some other dog, but in dealing with strangers, shops, or professional dealers, it is wisest to avoid a purchase where skin disease has existed.

Some breeds are very much more subject to skin trouble than others, and all long-haired dogs are apt to suffer from simple eczema and erythema, the latter especially when young; while distemper of a severe kind is often followed by a disease of the skin, closely resembling mange, for which it is often unfortunately mistaken. It should be simply treated with a mild antiseptic ointment, while the const.i.tutional weakness is the focus for attention.

Puppies often teeth with a rash, called puppy-pox, which shows as general redness of the skin, generally on the bare parts of the body, under the forelegs, etc., and here and there groups of pustules, each of which contains a drop of thin pus. This is a complaint allied to chicken-pox in children, and by no means dangerous--in fact, a puppy which teethes with such a rash has generally the making of a strong and healthy dog. At the same time, whenever either this trouble, or bare patches about the legs and face, are seen on puppies, the teeth should be looked to, for it is probable they are in some way irritating the system.

The existence of too many worms in puppies generally accompanies skin trouble in the form of bare patches, which may be well rubbed daily with a sponge dipped in an extremely simple, safe, and useful lotion, which I can recommend to be given a trial in all forms of skin disease, as in no case can it do harm, while in many cases it will effect a cure so far as any outward application is capable of doing. It is known as the Kanofelin lotion, a preparation of phenyl, which is not irritating, or in any way poisonous or disagreeable to the nose, but has a taste which prevents dogs from licking it off; should they do so, however, it will not harm them. The lotion, after being applied and well rubbed in with the sponge to smooth, bare places, where the skin is not broken, should be wiped off with a towel or handkerchief, as it is not wise to leave the dog wet. It should be used twice a day, and where the skin is broken, very gently with a soft sponge, and, of course, no rubbing in.

Some dry and scaly skin eruptions, of which pityriasis is the most common, need different treatment. Where-ever bare places appearing on the toy dog look scurfy, and scales fall off, do not use any lotion, nor rub, but lightly dab on a little zinc ointment if the dog is not given to licking the parts; if he is, use a plain, rather thin, sulphur ointment: Sublimated sulphur, 1 oz.; vaseline, 4 ozs. This latter may also be used in cases where the Kanofelin lotion is useful, and then be well rubbed in; but the rule is no rubbing when scales or scurf are present. The Kanofelin ointment is harmless and useful in all cases.

Applications can be much varied to suit cases, and where violent irritation is present, it is sometimes necessary to use a more complex preparation than those mentioned. The poisonous nature of some of the ingredients, included in the most efficacious of them, however, makes it very undesirable to use them otherwise than under the advice of a skilled surgeon. The following cream is a most useful application for use in cases where the skin is not broken, where great irritation and redness of the skin are present, and where the affected parts either cannot be reached by the patient, or the latter can be muzzled during treatment. It is, however, poisonous, on account of the carbolic acid and lead it contains: Liquor plumbi diacet., 4 drs.; liquor carbonis detergens, 40 mns.; boracic acid powder, 1 oz.; new milk, to 4 ozs.

Shake well before use, and apply frequently with a bit of sponge. Label: _Poison_.

In the treatment of medicated baths, usually composed of that most evil-smelling compound liver of sulphur and water--in professional language, "a sulphuretted potash solution"--I own I have little or no faith. A plain sulphur ointment is twice as efficacious, far easier to apply, and has no disagreeable smell; while, if well rubbed into the skin, as it and other skin ointments should be, and not left in the hair, it is not in any way unpleasant.

In all cases where skin trouble is accompanied by a strong and most unpleasant smell, mange (either follicular, or, more commonly, sarcoptic), may be suspected. The latter is easier to cure than many forms of eczema, but it is absolutely needful to keep the patient smothered in a dressing of sweet oil and sulphur, than which there is nothing better, for several days, then to wash and dress again; and such cases are not suitable for home treatment, although no veterinary surgeon should be permitted to apply strong dressings like paraffin, mercurial ointment, or tar (otherwise creosote) to delicate toys.

Mercurial dressings, in all cases, are rank poison, the absorption of the drug into the system having fatal effects for the future.

Follicular mange, in which the insect causing the trouble burrows deep, is a horrible disease, about the worst a dog can have, and here skilled veterinary a.s.sistance cannot be dispensed with. But it is safe for the amateur, in all cases of commencing skin trouble, where there is no smell and the bare patches do not spread rapidly, to use the phenyl lotion or sulphur or Kanofelin ointment, according to the state of the skin, and to begin the more important internal treatment by a complete change of diet.

A very dry or confined diet, certain meals, as oatmeal or Indian corn meals, either in biscuits or otherwise; too little food; more rarely too much; absence of meat from the dietary, or too little of it; as before, but very rarely too much--these are all incentives to skin trouble, while heredity has much to say to a tendency thereto.

A dog which has not been having much meat, but has been chiefly fed on dog biscuit, may, on the appearance of skin irritation, be given plenty of good, underdone meat--roast mutton, sheep's head, and bullock's heart, all being very suitable. In no case of skin disease should either oatmeal or Indian corn be given; and sea air should be avoided, as it is always aggravating to skin troubles. Tripe is nouris.h.i.+ng and very digestible, and fresh fish suits most of the invalids very well.

Together with the entire change of diet--the hours for meals need not, of course, be altered--a course of iron and cod liver oil is always well worth trying. Personally, I pin my faith to the following method, which I have known most successful in difficult cases, and which, as I can say of the other remedies advised in this little book, can do no harm.

Powerful drugs are often a source of danger in inexperienced hands, and a good many of the medicines one sees advised are, so to speak, extremely speculative.

Get, then, a bottle of cod liver oil and malt, and 1 oz.--or more, if you please--of saccharated carbonate of iron. In your pet's dinner mix, at first, well covered over with cut-up meat of extra daintiness, a scant half-teaspoonful of the solution with a dust of the iron, which is a sweet powder. Nearly all dogs will take this without any trouble, and soon get very fond of the oil, even if they object to it at first; but they must not see the dose introduced into the meal. Let them think it an accident, or at any rate, in the natural way of things, and they are far less likely to object than if they see you making a parade of mixing and covering. The dose, given twice a day, in meat dinner and supper, should be gradually increased, until a dog of 6 lbs. is taking a full teaspoonful of the solution twice a day, with 3 grs. of iron to each dose; and patience will be needed, for, to do any good, this dosing must go on for at least a month. It may then be left off gradually, and resumed again if necessary. In obstinate cases of skin disease, a.r.s.enic is a most valuable remedy, and may with most effect be combined with the system of cod liver oil, malt extract, and saccharated carbonate of iron just described. Fowler's solution, which is generally recommended, should not be used, because it contains oil of lavender, which is very offensive to dogs, and sickens them; the British Pharmacopoeia solution should be the one used. Of this the dose is from one drop twice a day, to be gradually increased up to four drops twice a day for toys; the best way is to get the B.P. solution from your chemist, mixed with such a quant.i.ty of distilled water as that there are four drops in each teaspoonful. This may be given with iron and without the cod liver oil, or with cod liver oil without the iron, or alone, in food--it is tasteless--but is far better given in combination with the two. Mr.

Appleby, Argyle Street, Bath, puts up the iron and a.r.s.enic together in a very easily used form, known as the "Kanofelin Blood Mixture," This, my own formula, I generally advise to my readers whose dogs do not or cannot take cod liver oil; he also, _inter alia_, puts up the worm capsules to my prescription as mentioned for the use of toy dog owners; and it is sometimes an advantage to get your medicines ready made.

a.r.s.enic is what is known as a c.u.mulative drug; it produces no special effect until a good deal is stored up in the system. When enough has been given, the said system revolts, and now, when the dog's eyes begin to look watery, and the mucous membrane lining the mouth may be a little red, you have given enough, and must cease; for a time only if the disease is not subdued--in permanence if it be. One last word--a.r.s.enic is the _dernier ressort_, and should not be used until other means have failed, whereas some people fly to it when a much simpler treatment would have done all that was necessary.

Another skin complaint which, is much more common than is generally supposed, is ringworm. I have often seen this diagnosed as eczema, whereas it really is very easy to tell its true nature, as it has very marked characteristics.

It begins with tiny, round, bare spots, about as large as the head of a pin, which usually escape notice at first, but gradually spread round the edges, not always in a circular form, but sometimes as irregular patches, the skin appearing greyish, but not unhealthy. On looking closely it will be seen that the hairs have been broken off short, close to the skin, but are clearly visible, which is the chief feature of the disease and the infallible sign. Ringworm may be caught at any time, most frequently from a visit to some infested stable, but occasionally from chance contagion in the streets. Horses are subject to the same form of the complaint, and dogs generally catch it from them; it is sporadic, and the spores may, of course, fall about anywhere from an infected horse or another dog. It is extremely capricious in its inception; dogs in the same house may or may not catch it from one another, and sometimes a whole kennel will be infected, with the exception of one or two dogs apparently immune. There is, however, no excuse for allowing it to spread, as it is easy to cure. Some of the strongest tincture of iodine available should be well soaked into the spot, and round the edges thereof, using a little ball of cotton wool tied on to the end of a tiny stick, or an aural sponge, and rubbing the iodine somewhat in with this. Two applications will generally kill the spores--the disease is a parasitic fungus--and should be made at an interval of a couple of days. For some time fresh spots are likely to appear, and should be touched up at once. The muzzle, legs, and chest are generally most affected. If left quite alone the complaint would disfigure the dog terribly, but would, after a time, die out of its own accord. I have not found that human subjects were infected with this disease from the dog. A little iodide of pota.s.sium ointment may be put on the patches once or twice, to hasten the complete cure, or they may be washed with the phenyl lotion, in which the proportion is 1 in 40.

The hairs are weakened, and take some little time to grow properly again, but the disease is by no means a serious one, and it is not necessary to use any such stronger and dangerous remedies as carbolic acid, as sometimes suggested.

Erythema, a general redness and rash, most often seen over the inside of the thighs, and sometimes all over a dog's least hairy parts, is about the only skin disease--if we except the curious and rare condition, "hide-bound"--from which dogs very occasionally suffer, that, in a common way, arises from over-feeding. It is best treated by change of diet, _small_ nouris.h.i.+ng meat meals, and the avoidance of any heating, farinaceous substances, milk, or greasy food of any kind. A small dose of sulphate of magnesia twice a week in food--as much as will lie, not heaped, on sixpence for a 6-lb. dog--is often all the medicine needful.