For many purposes fomentations are superior to poultices, the chief difficulty being in keeping up the heat to the desirable standard.
A pad of thick flannel should be planned, and this soaked in boiling water, then wrung dry in a roller.
To assist in maintaining the heat, a piece of mackintosh sheeting ought to be put over the pad, and a dry flannel above all.
For difficult breathing, pain in the belly, or local pain, etc., moist warmth is exceedingly beneficial, and quite harmless under any circumstances.
In animals, it is a general custom to bathe the seat of disease with the hot water.
Perseverance is essential to success, and more harm results from hot fomentations applied in a half-hearted manner than where they are not used at all.
BLISTERING
Beyond the application of mustard, turpentine, or hot water, blistering agents are not much employed in the treatment of canine ailments.
As a remedy for external use in diseases of the bronchial tubes and lungs, mustard has not, in the author's opinion, any superior.