The Airedale

by Williams Haynes

If the nose becomes very badly stopped up, so that breathing is difficult, the dog's head may be held over a pail of hot water in which a little turpentine has been dropped and he made to inhale the fumes. If the throat and bronchial tubes are affected, give a little cough syrup—any one will do, but be careful not to give enough to upset the stomach. See that the dog has plenty of water to drink and keep him out of all drafts, though the room must be well ventilated.

Fits seem to be a part of the life of most puppies. They are not dangerous and usually pass off without bad effects. But fits are a symptom, and the cause should be removed. They may be caused by worms, stomach troubles, or heat. Keep the dog quiet and give him a dose of castor oil and buckthorn.

Insects of several kinds take pleasure in seeing to it that neither the dog or his owner gets lazy. The commonest and the easiest to get rid of are fleas, but they are dangerous as being the cause of tapeworm, for the tapeworm of the dog spends part of his life (in the larva form) in the fleas. There are any number of good flea soaps on the market and a dozen good flea powders, so little need be said about ridding the dog of these pests.

Lice are harder to get rid of, but the dog can be freed of them in the same way as of fleas. Care should be taken to get rid of as many of the lice eggs, little black specks that stick to the hair, as possible. Ticks are the least common, but because of their habit of burrowing into the skin cannot be washed out. The best way is to give the dog a good rubbing in a dressing composed of olive and kerosene oils, equal parts of each, followed by a bath.

Kennel Lameness, or rheumatism, affects a dog similarly to human beings, there being a soreness of certain parts—usually the foreshoulders or back—and pain, with even swelling of the joints. The dog should be kept in a light, dry, well-ventilated place, his bowels kept open, and the food given light, but nourishing. A little sodium bicarbonate or sodium salicylate added to his drinking water will be found to be beneficial, and hot baths and rubbings with liniments eases the pain considerably.

Skin diseases are among the common troubles of the dog owner, for there are three varieties. The wire terriers seem to suffer a good deal from eczema,—this is especially true of Scotties,—and their owner is sure to know it before he has been in the game very long. It is a skin disease, noncontagious, arising from the blood and showing itself in red eruptions which burst, oozing their contents and forming scabs. The hair comes off, and by scratching the dog aggravates the condition.

High feeding and too little exercise are the usual cause of the trouble, and the root of the matter must be gotten at before a cure can be effected. A good purge should be given and the dog put on a light, simple diet. The sores should be washed clean and then treated with a wash of four parts of sugar of lead and one part of zinc sulphate in water. Fowler's Solution is also given sometimes, but this is a poison and ought not to be administered save on a veterinarian's advice.

There are two forms of mange—sarcoptic and follicular, both highly infectious, and the latter so hard to cure that many dog owners would almost rather kill a dog than go through the siege with the constant danger of inoculating other dogs. The sarcoptic form is more on the surface and attacks dogs under the legs, which become red and inflamed, little reddish pimples forming, which break and form dark red scabs. The follicular mange usually starts on the back near the tail or over the collar. The hair falls out, red scabs form and there is a peculiar odor. It is difficult to tell just which form one is dealing with after the case has gone far, but at the outset it is comparatively easy.

Both of these manges are caused by parasites which live in the skin. The microscope reveals these, and this is the only way that one, at the outset, can be sure he is dealing with mange and not eczema. The dog should be thoroughly cleaned and then dressed with the following ointment: creosote ½ oz.; oil of cade 1 oz.; zinc ointment and lanoline each 3 ozs.; and sulphur ½ oz. This is not a pretty or a nice mixture, but it has done the work more than once for me. The main thing with mange is cleanliness and keeping everlastingly at it. Skipping a day in the treatment will add a week to the cure. Sarcoptic mange caught in time can be cured in two weeks. Follicular mange may take three months, or even longer, to be cured completely.

Worms are almost sure to be found in all dogs not regularly treated for them, and they are the cause of a good deal of trouble. Puppies are favorite victims for these internal parasites and youngsters who serve as hosts for these undesirable visitors never do well. Worms come from fleas, sheep and cattle stomachs and intestines, and sheep heads. Three varieties are common—the round, thread, and the tape, the last the most dangerous.