Reverting again to fleas, that bane of all dog owners, too much care cannot be taken to prevent these pests from obtaining the upper hand. The bedding must be frequently changed and the sleeping places thoroughly cleansed, but the dog himself must be watched. The creosote preparations (and there are many of them) are considered the best exterminators and if used once a week in summer, no dog should harbor fleas, provided his sleeping quarters are clean. However, some might object to this preparation on toy dogs and to those the following is recommended: Carbolic acid, one-half ounce; laudanum, one ounce; bicarbonate of potassa, one dram; water, one and one-half pints. Pour a small amount into a hand basin and apply all over the body with a brush or sponge, rubbing it well into the skin. To those who prefer a dry form of exterminator, Dalmatian or Persian insect powder is recommended. The dog should be placed on a newspaper, the powder dusted well into the coat and allowed to remain for a few minutes, after which it should be brushed out while the dog remains standing on the paper. After this process is completed, roll up paper, powder, fleas and all and burn.
CHAPTER VIII.
If Sickness Comes.
Where but one dog, or even two or three are kept in a home, the danger of sickness is very small, especially if the behests as laid down in the preceding chapters are followed. Dogs in the home are not exposed like those which are kept in a kennel where new ones are constantly coming in and going out. Nor is the danger of contagious or infectious disease as great as when the dogs are exhibited at bench shows. Nevertheless, the highly bred dog is a fine-spun piece of mechanism and it is therefore best to know what to do as first aid in case sickness does come. To the novice, however, my advice is, send for the veterinarian, if a good one lives in your vicinity, as soon as you notice something seriously wrong with your dog. If no qualified canine practitioner is available, then seek the advice of some dog expert, but do not resort to all manner of dosing for dosing’s sake, as so many do, for in many cases too much medicine has led to more serious consequences than the illness itself.
The principal disorders that the one-dog owner is likely to encounter, are probably distemper, worms, skin diseases, fits and other various temporary stomach and intestinal ailments, most of which right themselves by the administration of a dose of castor oil or some other purgative.
Very frequently a dog will go off form due to overeating or perhaps because of devouring something that was harmful, or possibly because of lack of exercise. In most cases this is only temporary and the animal will doctor himself, provided he has access to grass. Do not be alarmed if your dog eats grass upon occasion, even though he partakes of it copiously. He is simply finding in this green element a nature remedy that will act as a conditioner. Fortunate is the canine that has the opportunity to do this, for he is thus finding a home remedy which is perhaps more effective than the most skilled veterinarian might be able to prescribe.
Sometimes old dogs suffer from constipation and it is well, occasionally, to put a little olive oil in their food, or even resort to a purgative. One of the best ever-ready remedies I know of is equal parts olive oil, cascara sagrada and castor oil. This may be mixed up and kept on hand indefinitely as there is nothing in it that will spoil. If your dog should go off his feed without showing any symptoms of something more serious coming on, give him, if he is a dog of from thirty to forty-five pounds, a tablespoonful of this night and morning for four or five days, and he will soon come back to his natural form. For smaller or larger dogs the dosage should be graded accordingly. All dog owners, however, should know when a dog is coming down with something serious. One of the most dreaded ailments is distemper, a contagious disease which may be communicated either by direct contact with a dog which has distemper, by being put in a place that was recently occupied by a distempered animal, or by associating with a dog which might be himself immune, but which had recently come from a place where he was exposed. In this manner such a dog is able to carry the disease even to some distant locality. Thus many dogs have been subjected to disease through their companions which were exhibited at bench shows, and which, though immune themselves, carried it home to their kennel companions.
First of all it should be said that the normal temperature of the dog is from 100 to 100 1/2 degrees when taken under the forearm or inside of the thigh. Taken per rectum it is one degree higher. This temperature may vary some in the larger and the smaller breeds, but it is the general average. If the dog appears listless, apathetic, refuses to eat and possibly begins to sneeze or water at the eyes, if his temperature has gone three or four degrees above normal, then it may be taken for granted that he is in the first stages of distemper. On the other hand, he may only show the dullness and the high temperature; there may be no discharge from the eyes or nose, but a dry, husky tell-tale cough may be noted. Any of these forms are the symptoms of distemper and the victim should be isolated at once and the first act should be to administer a liberal dose of castor oil. At this stage I have found it very efficacious to give quinine and hyposulphite of soda, each in two-grain doses, either together or one following the other within half an hour, four times a day. The dog must be placed in a warm and dry room and should not be allowed to go out for anything. The room should be kept at a temperature of seventy degrees, but must be ventilated by windows opening from above so that there can be no draughts with which the victim will come in contact. The disinfectant used should also be some dry form, such as the various sanitary sawdust preparations that are on the market. Any dampness in the room is detrimental to the patient. The principal thing to remember in distemper is good care, for it will be found more effective than medicine, whether given in serum form or by mouth. The dog’s strength must be kept up and to this end eggs, broth, and even finely chopped up raw beef in small quantities will be beneficial. Some kennel men object to the beef, but nevertheless many a dog will eat this where he refuses everything else and certainly nothing is more nutritious than beef. Every symptom must be combated as it arises and many complications are likely to set in. One thing must always be kept in mind, and that is, to make the dog take nourishment, for once he refuses to eat, then the case is practically hopeless.
Those who prefer the serum treatment should begin giving it, as per directions, subcutaneously, with hypodermic syringe. There are several good serums or vaccines on the market, but the one that I have had the most experience with is that put up by a Detroit laboratory. This firm makes not only a curative vaccine, but one known as a preventative. It is useless to give the prophylactic or preventative after the dog has once been exposed. Rather await the earliest developments and then begin with the curative and give the six doses as per direction. Begin with bulb number one and follow up at the intervals indicated until all have been given. In the meantime, however, exercise the usual care in the way of even temperature in the place where the patient is confined and in the matter of diet. This is imperative, no matter what treatment is being used. The prophylactic or curative treatment consists of three doses. It is also given with hypodermic syringe, subcutaneously. It is well to keep this serum on hand to use if one expects to show his dog or run him in field trials, but the treatment should be given at least a month before the time he is to appear in public. The success of this serum treatment seems to be general, although many breeders have no faith in it. This may be due to the fact that they begin too late or failed to follow instructions. The treatment is supposed to combat all symptoms that arise in the most virulent cases of distemper.
The worst complication of all distempers is that affecting the nervous system; the brain and its membrane may become inflamed and fits follow, or the spinal cord and its membranes are attacked, in which event paralysis or chorea, or sometimes both occur. These can be overcome, but it is a long drawn out and a very uncertain thing. Generally, chorea occurs after the virulent phase of the disease is passed and it is mostly due to too early exposure. The patient should not be allowed to go out of doors or get excited in any way until the temperature has been normal for at least ten days.
Common sense and good nursing win out more times than all the medicine, but the complications as they arise must be combated. For instance, the eyes must be looked after. The discharge should be washed away frequently during the day with a warm boracic acid solution by dissolving one teaspoonful of the boracic acid in half a pint of warm water. The following lotion should be used afterward as it will help keep the eyes clear: