Symptoms.—Mucous discharge from eyes or nose, or both, dry, hacking cough, general lassitude, diarrhea of very offensive odor.
Do not try to treat the patient, for, unless you are an M.D. or have had a long experience with the disease, you will probably make a sorry mess of it. Until a veterinarian arrives, keep the patient quiet, warm, out of all draft, feeding only beef-tea with brandy added. Do not give solid food under any circumstances. Bear always in mind that this disease is most contagious, and, to prevent it from spreading, the patient should be quarantined from all other dogs, the farther off the better.
Dr. T. G. Sherwood, a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgery, 127 West Thirty-seventh Street, New York, inoculated four of the author’s dogs, and the result was satisfactory beyond all expectation, as other dogs not so treated quickly succumbed to the disease.
As distemper is about equivalent to pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs in human beings, the reader will readily understand how useless it would be for a layman to try to treat these diseases.
Fever Mixture.
| Powdered nitre | 1 | dram |
| Sweet sp. nitre | ½ | oz. |
| Mindererus spirits | 1½ | ” |
| Wine antimony | 1 | dram |
| Water (distilled) | 4 | oz. |
Dose for 25-pound dog, 1 tablespoonful every four hours in a little gruel.
Inflammation of the Bowels.
The main causes of this affection are irregular, improper, or stale diet, irritation caused by some hard, indigestible substance in the stomach, exposure to cold or wet, and a blow, such as a kick.
Symptoms.—Feverishness, nose hot and dry, shivering, distended belly, and scanty or highly colored urine. As this sickness needs scientific treatment, call in a veterinarian at once. If, however, you desire to try to relieve the dog awaiting his advent, proceed at once to give injections of thin oatmeal gruel or soap and lukewarm water, each containing about one ounce of castor-oil. Continue these injections every fifteen minutes till relief is given. The utmost gentleness must be used in this procedure, the patient being coaxed to rest on its side while the injections are being administered.