DIARRHOEA AND DYSENTERY
Cause.—Among the common causes of Diarrhoea and Dysentery can be mentioned irritating foods, sudden change in feed, decomposed matter, irritation from intestinal worms, imperfect mastication of food and its imperfect preparation for digestion, eating more food than the digestive organs can well digest, debilitated condition and irritation from indigestible food. The immediate cause is perhaps the irritated condition of the mucous membranes lining the intestines and a profuse secretion from the intestinal glands, nature’s own method of removing poisonous or infectious matter from the digestive canal.
Symptoms.—Undue amount of liquid feces, the dog weakly and sickly, the coat staring and perhaps a sort of curdled fluid passes with the feces. If the fecal matter is tinged with blood, then it is called Dysentery, and this is more serious than common Diarrhoea. These conditions are generally associated with other diseases and should be examined very carefully for complications.
Treatment.—Treatment consists of keeping the dog as quiet as possible, feed sparingly on clean, easily digested food, as raw eggs, etc. It may be necessary to give a dose of physic, as Castor Oil in two to four ounce doses which is an excellent remedy for expelling irritants from the bowels without griping. After the cause or irritant from within the intestines is removed administer Protan, one-half ounce; Gum Catechu, one-half ounce; Zinc Sulphocarbolates, two grains. Make into sixteen capsules and give one capsule every four hours. This dose is prepared for a dog weighing forty pounds. To larger dogs or puppies give the same medicine in doses proportionate to their weight.