Meningitis (Inflammation of the Membranes of the Brain):
Symptoms: Occasionally occurs in young puppies, particularly when suffering from worms, but is more often the result of a protracted attack of distemper.
In young puppies, the patient rolls its head from side to side, is constantly whining and crying, has convulsions, and the head is burning hot. When the result of distemper, convulsions are always present, the dog champs the jaws, emitting a quantity of frothy saliva. These are what are called distemper fits. The eyes are congested, and there are generally two, three, or more degrees of fever. The patient is frequently crying or whining, denoting evident signs of pain. As a rule, in these cases the patient becomes greatly emaciated and very weak—in fact, paralysed; and often, as the inflammation extends to the spinal cord, which it frequently does, chorea or St. Vitis’s dance sets in, which is practically incurable.
Treatment: When occurring in young puppies, worm medicine should always be given; and to allay the pain and stop the convulsions, small doses of bromide of potassium be given—from two[1] to five grains in a little milk three or four times a day. Ice may also be applied to the head in a sheep’s bladder. When the convulsions have quite stopped, small doses of cod-liver oil do good. When meningitis follows distemper, if the attack is a bad one, there is little hope of recovery, and as a result the proper course to pursue is to have the dog mercifully put out of his misery. However, people seldom will agree to this without, as they say, giving the dog a chance, and when the case is not a bad one recovery is not impossible, though the chances are greatly against it, for usually it is a progressive disease. If the bowels are not operating (but there is generally diarrhœa) give a dose of castor oil, and commence a course of bromide of strontia at once. Give from two[1] to ten grains, or even fifteen grains, if the dog is a very big one, every three, four, or six hours, according to the severity of the case. Apply an ice-bag to the head for a quarter of an hour or longer at a time, and put a seton in the back of the neck, just behind the ears, which dress with turpentine ointment. Keep the dog absolutely quiet in a dark room, and feed entirely on a liquid diet—as milk, with white of egg; Benger’s food or toast; and some beef-tea. Brand’s essence or rabbit soup may be given occasionally, but those latter foods are more stimulating than nourishing. The milk foods mentioned are perfect food, and will support the dog an indefinite time. For the treatment of [chorea] and [paralysis], see the articles on those subjects.
The bromide must be continued for some time, even though the convulsions stop, but given in less quantities.
Milk:
It is not generally known how much stronger or more nourishing a bitch’s milk is than cow’s milk, and when I had some samples analysed I was surprised myself. Below I give the analysis of a fair sample of each kind:—
| Cow’s. | Bitch’s. | |
|---|---|---|
| Water, | 87·4 | 66·3 |
| Butter, | 4·0 | 14·8 |
| Sugar and Soluble Salts, | 5·0 | 2·9 |
| Caseine and Insoluble Salts, | 3·6 | 16·0 |
Practically a bitch’s milk is nearly three times as strong as a cow’s, and yet people, when giving the latter to puppies, often dilute it with one-third of water, and thus add to its weakness. Consequently a much larger quantity has necessarily to be given to a puppy for it to derive sufficient nourishment to sustain it, and as a result the stomach is over-distended. Indigestion follows, and the puppies do not thrive. All breeders must have noticed how often puppies go back directly artificial food is given them, even before being entirely weaned, and this, no doubt, is in a great measure due to improper food in overloading the stomach with a quantity of waste and superfluous fluid. Even when cow’s milk is given pure, nearly three times the quantity in bulk ought to be given than if bitch’s milk is used, and it is thus seen at a glance how a puppy’s stomach, which is naturally small, is over-distended. A dog’s digestive organs are arranged to receive food in a concentrated form—as, for instance, dogs in nature eat only meat, and until they get this food they have nothing else but the dam’s milk, which is also a concentrated food. When about five or six weeks old the mother goes out in search of food, and comes back with her stomach loaded, which, after a time, when it is partially digested, she ejects by vomiting, and this the puppies eat, and thus they get naturally partially-digested food suitable for a puppy’s delicate stomach.
To treat cow’s milk so as to make it as like bitch’s milk as possible, to every three-quarters pint of the former add two and a half ounces of cream—that is, about three tablespoonfuls—two and a quarter ounces of plasmon, and five ounces of water. First mix the plasmon with the water, add the milk and slowly boil in an enamel saucepan for two minutes, then add the cream when cold and well mix.