Not only does it thus differ in different species of dogs, but in different breeds of the same species. I have known several gentlemen who have laboured in vain for many years, to rear particular and valuable breeds of pointers and greyhounds. The distemper would uniformly carry off five out of six. Other sportsmen laugh at the supposed danger of distemper, and declare that they seldom lose a dog. This hereditary predisposition to certain kinds of disease cannot be denied, and is not sufficiently attended to. When a peculiar fatality has often followed a certain breed, the owner should cross it from another kennel, and especially from the kennel of one who boasts of his success in the treatment of distemper. This has occasionally succeeded far beyond expectation.

It is time to proceed to the symptoms of this disease; but here there is very considerable difficulty, for it is a truly protean malady, and it is impossible to fix on any symptom that will invariably characterise it.

An early and frequent symptom is a gradual loss of appetite, spirits, and condition: the dog is less obedient to his master, and takes less notice of him. The eyes appear weak and watery; and there will be a very slight limpid discharge from the nose. In the morning there will, perhaps, be a little indurated mucus at the inner corner of the eye. This may continue two or three weeks without serious or scarcely recognizable illness. Then a peculiar husky cough is heard, altogether different from the sonorous cough of catarrh, or the wheezing of asthma. It is an apparent attempt to get something from the fauces or throat. By degrees the discharge from the eyes and nose, and particularly the former, will increase. More mucus will collect in the corners of the eye; and the eye will sometimes be closed in the morning. The conjunctiva and particularly that portion which covers the sclerotica, will be considerably injected, but there will not be the usual intense redness of inflammation. The vessels will be large and turgid rather than numerous, and frequently of a darkish hue.

Occasionally, however, the inflammation of the conjunctiva will be exceedingly intense, the membrane vividly red, and the eye impatient of light. An opacity spreads over the cornea, and this is quickly succeeded by ulceration. The first spot of ulceration is generally found precisely in the centre of the cornea, and is perfectly circular; this will distinguish it from a scratch or other injury. The ulcer widens and deepens, and sometimes eats through the cornea, and the aqueous humour escapes. Fungous granulations spring from it, protrude through the lids, and the animal evidently suffers extreme torture.

A remarkable peculiarity attends this affection of the eye. However violent may be the inflammation, and by whatever disorganization it may be accompanied, if we can cure the distemper, the granulations will disappear, the ulcer will heal, the opacity will clear away, and the eye will not eventually suffer in the slightest degree. One-fourth part of the mischief in other cases, unconnected with distemper, would inevitably terminate in blindness; but permanent blindness is rarely the consequence of distemper.

It may not be improper here shortly to revert to the different appearance of the eye in rabies. In the early stage of this malady there is an unnatural and often terrific brightness of the eye; but the cornea in distemper is from the first rather clouded. In rabies there is frequent strabismus, with the axis of the eye distorted outwards. The apparent squinting of the eye in distemper is caused by the probably unequal protrusion of the membrana nictitans over a portion of the eye at the inner canthus, in order to protect it from the light. In rabies, the white cloudiness which I have described, and the occasional ulceration with very little cloudiness, and the ulceration, are confined to the cornea; but a dense green opacity comes on, speedily followed by ulceration and disorganization of every part of the eye.

The dog will, at this stage of distemper, be evidently feverish, and will shiver and creep to the fire. He will more evidently and rapidly lose flesh. The huskiness will be more frequent and troublesome, and the discharge from the nose will have greater consistence. It will be often and violently sneezed out, and will gradually become more or less purulent. It will stick about the nostrils and plug them up, and thus afford a considerable mechanical obstruction to the breathing.

The progress of the disease is now uncertain. Sometimes fits come on, speedily following intense inflammation of the eye; or the inflammation of the nasal cavity appears to be communicated, by proximity, to the membrane of the brain. One fit is a serious thing. If it is followed by a second within a day or two, the chances of cure are diminished; and if they rapidly succeed each other, the dog is almost always lost. These fits seldom appear without warning; and, if their approach is carefully watched, they may possibly be prevented.

However indisposed to eat the dog may previously have been, the appetite returns when the fits are at hand, and the animal becomes absolutely voracious. Nature seems to be providing for the great expenditure of power which epilepsy will soon occasion. The mucus almost entirely disappears from the eyes, although the discharge from the nose may continue unabated; and for an hour or more before the fit there will be a champing of the lower jaw, frothing at the mouth, and discharge of saliva. The champing of the lower jaw will be seen at least twelve hours before the first fit, and will a little while precede every other. There will also be twitchings of some part of the frame, and usually of the mouth, cheek, or eyelid. It is of some consequence to attend to these, as enabling us to distinguish between fits of distemper and those of teething, worms, or unusual excitement. The latter come on suddenly. The dog is apparently well, and racing about full of spirits, and without a moment's warning he falls into violent convulsions.

We may here, likewise, be enabled to distinguish between rabies and distemper. When a person, unacquainted with dogs, sees a dog struggling in a fit, or running along unconscious of every surrounding object, or snapping at everything in his way, whether it be a human being or a stone, he raises the cry of "mad dog," and the poor brute is often sacrificed. The very existence of a fit is proof positive that the dog is not mad. No epilepsy accompanies rabies in any stage of that disease.

The inflammation of the membrane of the nose and fauces is sometimes propagated along that of the windpipe, and the dog exhibits unequivocal proofs of chest affection, or decided pneumonia.

At other times the bowels become affected, and a violent purging comes on. The faeces vary from white with a slight tinge of gray, to a dark slate or olive colour. By degrees mucus begins to mingle with the faecal discharge, and then streaks of blood. The faecal matter rapidly lessens, and the whole seems to consist of mingled mucus and blood; and, from first to last, the stools are insufferably offensive. When the mingled blood and mucus appear, so much inflammation exists in the intestinal canal that the case is almost hopeless.

The discharge from the nose becomes decidedly purulent. While it is white and without smell, and the dog is not too much emaciated, the termination may be favourable; but when it becomes of a darker colour, and mingled with blood, and offensive, the ethmoid or turbinated bones are becoming carious, and death supervenes. This will particularly be the case if the mouth and lips swell, and ulcers begin to appear on them, and the gums ulcerate, and a sanious and highly offensive discharge proceeds from the mouth. A singular, half-fetid smell arising from the dog, is the almost invariable precursor of death.

When the disease first visited the continent, it was regarded as a humoral disease. Duhamel, who was one of the earliest to study the character of the malady, contended that the biliary sac contained the cause of the complaint; the bile assumed a concrete form, and its superabundance was the cause of disease. Barrier, one of the earliest writers on the subject, described it as a violent irregular bilious fever. Others regarded it as a mucous discharge, or a depurative; and others, as a salutary crisis, removing from the constitution that which oppressed the different organs. Others had recourse to inoculation, in order to give it a more benign character; and others, and among them Chabert, considered that it possessed a character of peculiar malignity, and he gave it a name expressive of its nature and situation—'nasal catarrh'. It exhibited the ordinary symptoms of coryza: it was a catarrhal affection in its early stage; but it afterwards degenerated into a species of palsy. The causes were unknown. By some, they were attributed to the natural voracity of the dog; by others, to his occasional lasciviousness; by others, to his frequent feeding on carrion, or the refuse of fat and soups.

There is no doubt that nasal catarrh is, to a very considerable degree, contagious on the continent. It often spreads over a wide extent of country, and includes numerous animals of various descriptions. It is complicated with various diseases; and particularly, at an early stage, with ophthalmia. It may be interesting to the reader to trace the progress of the disease among our continental neighbours. It commences with a certain depression of spirits; a diminution of appetite; a heaviness of the head; a heat of the mouth; an attempt to get something from the throat; an insatiable thirst; an elevated temperature of the body; a dry and painful suffocating cough; and all these circumstances continue twenty to thirty days, until at length the dog droops and dies.

The duration of distemper is uncertain. It sometimes runs its course in five or six days; or it may linger on two or three months. In some cases the emaciation is rapid and extreme: danger is then to be apprehended. When the muscles of the loins are much attenuated, or almost wasted, there is little hope; and, although other symptoms may remit, and the dog may be apparently recovering, yet, if he continues to lose flesh, we may be perfectly assured that he will not live. On the other hand, let the discharge from the nose be copious, and the purging violent, and every other symptom threatening, yet if the animal gains a little flesh, we may confidently predict his recovery.

When the dog is much reduced in strength and flesh, a spasmodic affection or twitching of the muscles will sometimes be observed. It is usually confined at first to one limb; but the most decisive treatment is required, or these spasms will spread until the animal is altogether unable to stand; and while he lies every limb will be in motion, travelling, as it were, at the rate of twenty miles an hour, until the animal is worn out, and dies of absolute exhaustion. When these spasms become universal and violent, they are accompanied by constant and dreadful moans and cries.

In the pointer and the hound, and particularly when there is little discharge from the eyes or nose, an intense yellowness often suddenly appears all over the dog. He falls away more in twenty-four hours than it would be thought possible; his bowels are obstinately constipated; he will neither eat nor move; and in two or three days he is dead.

In the pointer, hound, and greyhound, there sometimes appears on the whole of the chest and belly a pustular eruption, which peels off in large scales. The result is usually unfavourable. A more general eruption, however, either wearing the usual form of mange, or accompanied by minute pustules, may be regarded as a favourable symptom. The disease is leaving the vital parts, and expending its last energy on the integument.

The 'post-mortem' appearances are exceedingly unsatisfactory: they do not correspond with the original character of the disease, but with its strangely varying symptoms. If the dog has died in fits, we have inflammation of the brain or its membranes, and particularly at the base of the brain, with considerable effusion of a serous or bloody fluid. If the prevailing symptoms have led our attention to the lungs, we find inflammation of the bronchial passages, or, in a few instances, of the substance of the lungs, or the submucous tissue of the cells. We rarely have inflammation of the pulmonary pleura, and never to any extent of the intercostal pleura. In a few lingering cases, tubercles and vomicae of the lungs have been found.

If the bowels have been chiefly attacked, we have intense inflammation of the mucous membrane, and, generally speaking, the small intestines are almost filled with worms. If the dog has gradually wasted away, which is often the case when purging to any considerable extent has been encouraged or produced, we have contraction of the whole canal, including even the stomach, and sometimes considerable enlargement of the mesenteric glands [1].

The membrane of the nose will always exhibit marks of inflammation, and particularly in the frontal sinuses and ethmoidal cells; and I have observed the portion of membrane on the septum, or cartilaginous division of the nostrils, between the frontal sinuses and ethmoidal cells, to be studded with small miliary tubercles. In advanced stages of the disease, attended with much defluxion from the nose, the cells of the ethmoidal bone and the frontal sinuses are filled with pus.

Ulceration is sometimes found on the membrane of the nose, oftenest on the spot to which I have referred—occasionally confined to that; and now and then spreading over the whole of the septum, and even corroding and eating through it; generally equal on both sides of the septum; in a few instances extending into the fauces; seldom found in the larynx, but occasionally seen in the bronchial passages. The other viscera rarely present any remarkable morbid appearance.

The distemper is clearly a disease of the mucous membranes, usually commencing in the membrane of the nose, and resembling nasal catarrh. In the early stage it is 'coryza', or nasal catarrh; but the affection rapidly extends, and seems to attack the mucous membranes generally, determined to some particular one, either by atmospheric influence or accidental causes, or constitutional predisposition. The fits arise from general disturbance of the system, or from the proximity of the brain to the early seat of inflammation.

This account of the nature and treatment of distemper will, perhaps, be unsatisfactory to some readers. One thing, however, is clear, that for a disease which assumes such a variety of forms, there can be no specific; yet there is not a keeper who is not in possession of some supposed infallible nostrum. Nothing can be more absurd. A disease attacking so many organs, and presenting so many and such different symptoms, must require a mode of treatment varying with the organ attacked and the symptom prevailing. The faith in these boasted specifics is principally founded on two circumstances—atmospheric influence and peculiarity of breed. There are some seasons when we can scarcely save a dog; there are others when we must almost wilfully destroy him in order to lose him. There are some breeds in which, generation after generation, five out of six die of distemper, while there are others in which not one out of a dozen dies. When the season is favourable, and the animal, by hereditary influence, is not disposed to assume the virulent type of the disease, these two important agents are overlooked, and the immunity from any fatal result is attributed to medicine. The circumstances most conducive to success will be the recollection that it is a disease of the mucous surfaces, and that we must not carry the depleting and lowering system too far. Keeping this in view, we must accommodate ourselves to the symptoms as they arise.

The natural medicine of the dog seems to be an emetic. The act of vomiting is very easily excited in him, and, feeling the slightest ailment, he flies to the dog-grass, unloads his stomach, and is at once well. In distemper, whatever be the form which it assumes, an emetic is the first thing to be given. Common salt will do when nothing else is at hand; but the best emetic, and particularly in distemper, consists of equal parts of calomel and tartar emetic. From half a grain to a grain and a half of each will constitute the dose.

This will act first as an emetic, and afterwards as a gentle purgative. Then, if the cough is urgent, and there is heaving at the flanks, and the nose is hot, a moderate quantity of blood may be taken—from three to twelve ounces—and this, if there has been previous constipation, may be followed by a dose of sulphate of magnesia, from two to six drachms.

In slight cases this will often be sufficient to effect a cure: but, if the dog still droops, and particularly if there is much huskiness, the antimonial or James's powder, nitre and digitalis, in the proportion of from half a grain to a grain of digitalis, from two to five grains of the James's powder, and from a scruple to a drachm of nitre, should be administered twice or thrice in a day. If on the third or fourth day the huskiness is not quite removed, the emetic should be repeated.

In these affections of the mucous membranes, it is absolutely necessary to avoid or to get rid of every source of irritation, and worms will generally be found a very considerable one in young dogs. If we can speedily get rid of them, distemper will often rapidly disappear; but, if they are suffered to remain, diarrhoea or fits are apt to supervene: therefore some worm medicine should be administered.

I have said that vomiting is very easily excited in the dog; and that for this reason we are precluded from the use of a great many medicines in our treatment of him. Calomel, aloes, jalap, scammony, and gamboge will generally produce sickness. We are, therefore, driven to some mechanical vermifuge; and a very effectual one, and that will rarely fail of expelling even the tape-worm, is tin filings or powdered glass. From half a drachm to a drachm of either may be advantageously given twice in the day. There may generally be added to them digitalis, James's powder, and nitre, made into balls with palm oil and a little linseed meal. This course should be pursued in usual cases until two or three emetics have been given, and a ball morning and night on the intermediate days. Should the huskiness not diminish after the first two or three days, if the dog has not rapidly lost flesh, I should be disposed to take a little more blood, and to put a seton in the poll. It should be inserted between the ears, and reaching from ear to ear.

When there is fever and huskiness, and the dog is not much emaciated, a seton is an excellent remedy; but, if it is used indiscriminately, and when the animal is already losing ground, and is violently purging, we shall only hasten his doom, or rather make it more sure.

It is now, if ever, that pneumonia will be perceived. The symptoms of inflammation in the lungs of the dog can scarcely be mistaken. The quick and laborious breathing, the disinclination or inability to lie down, the elevated position of the head, and the projection of the muzzle, will clearly mark it. More blood must be subtracted, a seton inserted, the bowels opened with Epsom salts, and the digitalis, nitre, and James's powder given more frequently and in larger doses than before.

Little aid is to be derived from observation of the pulse of the dog; it differs materially in the breed, and size, and age of the animal. Many years' practice have failed in enabling me to draw any certain conclusion from it. The best place to feel the pulse of the dog is at the side. We may possibly learn from it whether digitalis is producing an intermittent pulse, which it frequently will do, and which we wish that it should do: it should then be given a little more cautiously, and in smaller quantities.

If the pneumonia is evidently conquered, or we have proceeded thus far without any considerable inflammatory affection of the chest, we must begin to change our plan of treatment. If the huskiness continues, and the discharge from the nose is increased and thicker, and the animal is losing flesh and becoming weak, we must give only half the quantity of the sedative and diuretic medicine, and add some mild tonic, as gentian, chamomile, and ginger, with occasional emetics, taking care to keep the bowels in a laxative but not purging state. The dog should likewise be urged to eat; and, if he obstinately refuses ail food, he should be forced with strong beef jelly, for a very great degree of debility will now ensue

We have thus far considered the treatment of distemper from its commencement; but it may have existed several days before we were consulted, and the dog may be thin and husky, and refusing to eat. In such case we should give an emetic, and then a dose of salts, and after that proceed to the tonic and fever balls.

Should the strength of the animal continue to decline, and the discharge from the nose become purulent and offensive, the fever medicine must be omitted, and the tonic balls, with carbonate of iron, administered. Some veterinary surgeons are very fond of gum resins and balsams. Mr. Blaine, in his excellent treatise on the distemper in his Canine Pathology, recommends myrrh and benjamin, and balsam of Peru and camphor. I much doubt the efficacy of these drugs. They are beginning to get into disrepute in the practice of human medicine; and I believe that if they were all banished from the veterinary Materia Medica we should experience no loss. When the dog begins to recover, although not so rapidly as we could wish, the tonic balls, without the iron, may be advantageously given, with now and then an emetic, if huskiness should threaten to return; but mild and wholesome food, and country or good air, will be the best tonics.

If the discharge from the nose become very offensive, the lips swelled and ulcerated, and the breath fetid, half an ounce of yeast may be administered every noon, and the tonics morning and night; and the mouth should be frequently washed with a solution of chloride of lime.

At this period of the disease the sub-maxillary glands are sometimes very much enlarged, and a tumour or abscess is formed, which, if not timely opened, breaks, and a ragged, ill-conditioned ulcer is formed, very liable to spread, and very difficult to heal. It is prudent to puncture this tumour as soon as it begins to point, for it will never disperse. After the opening, a poultice should be applied to cleanse the ulcer; after which it should be daily washed with the compound tincture of benjamin, and dressed with calamine ointment. Some balls should be given, and the animal liberally fed.

Should the fits appear in an early stage, give a strong emetic; then bleed, and open the bowels with five or six grains of calomel and a quarter grain of opium: after this insert a seton, and then commence the tonic balls.

The progress of fits in the early stages of the disease may thus be arrested. The occurrence of two or three should not make us despair; but, if they occur at a later period, and when the dog is much reduced, there is little hope. This additional expenditure of animal power will probably soon carry him off. All that is to be done, is to administer a strong emetic, obviate costiveness by castor oil, and give the tonic balls with opium.

Of the treatment of the yellow disease little can be said; we shall not succeed in one case in twenty. When good effect has been produced, it has been by one large bleeding, opening the bowels well with Epsom salts, and then giving grain doses of calomel twice a day in a tonic ball.

While it is prudent to obviate costiveness, we should recollect that there is nothing more to be dreaded, in every stage of distemper, than diarrhoea. The purging of distemper will often bid defiance to the most powerful astringents. This shows the folly of giving violent cathartics in distemper; and, when I have heard of the ten, and twenty, and thirty grains of calomel that are sometimes given, I have thought it fortunate that the stomach of the dog is so irritable. The greater part of these kill-or-cure doses is ejected, otherwise the patient would soon be carried off by super-purgation. There is an irritability about the whole of the mucous membrane that may be easily excited, but cannot be so readily allayed; and, therefore, except in the earliest stage of distemper, or in fits, or limiting ourselves to the small portion of calomel which enters into our emetic, I would never give a stronger purgative than castor-oil or Epsom salts. It is of the utmost consequence that the purging of distemper should be checked as soon as possible.

In some diseases a sudden purging, and even one of considerable violence, constitutes what is called the crisis. It is hailed as a favourable symptom, and from that moment the animal begins to recover; but this is never the case in distemper: it is a morbid action which is then going on, and which produces a dangerous degree of debility.

The proper treatment of purging in cases of distemper, is first to give a good dose of Epsom salts, in order to carry away anything that may offend, and then to ply the animal with mingled absorbents and astringents. A scruple of powdered chalk, ten grains of catechu, and five of ginger, with a quarter of a grain of opium, made into a ball with palm oil, may be given to a middle-sized dog twice or thrice every day. To this may be added injections of gruel, with the compound chalk mixture and opium.

When the twitchings which I have described begin to appear, a seton is necessary, whatever may be the degree to which the animal is reduced. Some stimulating embrocation, such as tincture of cantharides, may be rubbed along the whole course of the spine; and the medicine which has oftenest, but not always, succeeded, is castor-oil, syrup of buckthorn, and syrup of white poppies, given morning and night, and a tonic ball at noon. If the dog will not now feed, he should be forced with strong soup. As soon, however, as the spasms spread over him, accompanied by a moaning that increases to a cry, humanity demands that we put an end to that which we cannot cure. Until this happens I would not despair; for many dogs have been saved that have lain several days perfectly helpless.

As to the chorea which I have mentioned as an occasional sequel of distemper, if the dog is in tolerable condition, and especially if he is gaining flesh, and the spring or summer is approaching, there is a chance of his doing well. A seton is the first thing; the bowels should be preserved from constipation; and the nitrate of silver, in doses of one-eighth of a grain, made into a pill with linseed meal, and increased to a quarter of a grain, should be given morning and night.

We should never make too sure of the recovery of a distempered dog, nor commit ourselves by too early a prognosis. It is a treacherous disease; the medicines should be continued until every symptom has fairly disappeared; and for a month at least.

It may be interesting to add the following account of the distemper in dogs, by Dr. Jenner. Several of our modern writers have copied very closely from him.

"That disease among dogs which has familiarly been called the 'distemper,' has not hitherto, I believe, been, much noticed by medical men. My situation in the country favouring my wishes to make some observations on this singular malady, I availed myself of it, during several successive years, among a large number of foxhounds belonging to the Earl of Berkeley; and, from observing how frequently it has been confounded with hydrophobia, I am induced to lay the result of my inquiries before the Medical and Chirurgical Society. It may be difficult, perhaps, precisely to ascertain the period of its first appearance in Britain. In this and the neighbouring counties, I have not been able to trace it back beyond the middle of the last century; but it has since spread universally. I knew a gentleman who, about forty-five years ago, destroyed the greater part of his hounds, from supposing them mad, when the distemper first broke out among them; so little was it then known by those most conversant with dogs. On the continent I find it has been known for a much longer period; it is as contagious among dogs as the small-pox, measles, or scarlet fever among the human species; and the contagious miasmata, like those arising from the diseases just mentioned, retain their infectious properties a long time after separation from the distempered animal. Young hounds, for example, brought in a state of health into a kennel, where others have gone through the distemper, seldom escape it. I have endeavoured to destroy the contagion by ordering every part of a kennel to be carefully washed with water, then whitewashed, and finally to be repeatedly fumigated with the vapour of marine acid, but without any good result.

"The dogs generally sicken early in the second week after exposure to the contagion; it is more commonly a violent disease than otherwise, and cuts off at least one in three that are attacked by it. It commences with inflammation of the substance of the lungs, and generally of the mucous membrane of the bronchi. The inflammation at the same time seizes on the membranes of the nostrils, and those lining the bones of the nose, particularly the nasal portion of the ethmoid bone. These membranes are often inflamed to such a degree as to occasion extravasation of blood, which I have observed coagulated on their surface. The breathing is short and quick, and the breath is often fetid; the teeth are covered with a dark mucus. There is frequently a vomiting of a glairy fluid. The dog commonly refuses food, but his thirst seems insatiable, and nothing cheers him like the sight of water. The bowels, although generally constipated as the disease advances, are frequently affected with diarrhoea at its commencement. The eyes are inflamed, and the sight is often obscured by mucus secreted from the eyelids, or by opacity of the cornea. The brain is often affected as early as the second day after the attack; the animal becomes stupid, and his general habits are changed. In this state, if not prevented by loss of strength, he sometimes wanders from his home. He is frequently endeavouring to expel by forcible expirations the mucus from the trachea and fauces, with a peculiar rattling noise. His jaws are generally smeared with it, and it sometimes flows out in a frothy state, from his frequent champing.

"During the progress of the disease, especially in its advanced stages, he is disposed to bite and gnaw anything within his reach; he has sometimes epileptic fits, and a quick succession of general though slight convulsive spasms of the muscles. If the dog survive, this affection of the muscles continues through life. He is often attacked with fits of a different description; he first staggers, then tumbles, rolls, cries as if whipped, and tears up the ground with his teeth and fore feet: he then lies down senseless and exhausted. On recovering, he gets up, moves his tail, looks placid, comes to a whistle, and appears in every respect much better than before the attack. The eyes, during this paroxysm, look bright, and, unless previously rendered dim by mucus, or opacity of the cornea, seem as if they were starting from their sockets. He becomes emaciated, and totters from feebleness in attempting to walk, or from a partial paralysis of the hind legs. In this state he sometimes lingers on till the third or fourth week, and then either begins to show signs of returning health (which seldom happens when the symptoms have continued with this degree of violence), or expires. During convalescence, he has sometimes, though rarely, profuse haemorrhage from the nose.

"When the inflammation of the lungs is very severe, he frequently dies on the third day. I know one instance of a dog dying within twenty-four hours after the seizure; and in that short space of time the greater portion of the lungs was, from exudation, converted into a substance nearly as solid as the liver of a sound animal. In this case the liver itself was considerably inflamed, and the eyes and flesh universally were tinged with yellow, though I did not observe anything obstructing the biliary ducts. In other instances I have also observed the eyes looking yellow.

"The above is a description of the disease in its several forms; but in this, as in the diseases of the human body, there is every gradation in its violence.

"There is also another affinity to some human diseases, viz., that the animal which has once gone through it very rarely meets with a second attack. Fortunately this distemper is not communicable to man. Neither the effluvia from the diseased dog nor the bite have proved in any instance infectious; but, as it has often been confounded with canine madness, as I have before observed, it is to be wished that it were more generally understood; for those who are bitten by a dog in this state are sometimes thrown into such perturbation that hydrophobia symptoms have actually arisen from the workings of the imagination. Mr. John Hunter used to speak of a case somewhat of this description in his lectures.

"A gentleman who received a severe bite from a dog, soon after fancied the animal was mad. He felt a horror at the sight of liquids, and was actually convulsed on attempting to swallow them. So uncontrollable were his prepossessions, that Mr. Hunter conceived he would have died had not the dog which inflicted the wound been found and brought into his room in perfect health. This soon restored his mind to a state of tranquillity. The sight of water no longer afflicted him, and he quickly recovered." [2]

Palsy, more or less complete, is sometimes the termination of the distemper in dogs.

It is usually accompanied by chorea, and it is then, in the majority of cases, hopeless. Setons should be inserted in the poll, being then, as nearly as possible, at the commencement of the spinal cord. They should be well stimulated and worn a considerable time. If they fail, a plaster composed of common pitch, with a very small quantity of yellow wax and some powdered cantharides, spread on sheep's-skin, should be placed over the whole of the lumbar and sacral regions, extending half-way down the thigh on either side. The bowels should be kept open by mild aperients, in order that every source of irritation may be removed from the intestinal canal. Some mild and general tonic will likewise be useful, such as gentian and ginger.



[Footnote 1: The following is a very frequent and unexaggerated history of distemper, when calomel has been given in too powerful doses:

'August 30, 1828'.—A spaniel, six months old, has been ailing a fortnight, and three doses of calomel have been given by the owner. He has violent purging, with tenesmus and blood. Half an ounce of caster-oil administered.

'31st.' Astringents, morning, noon, and night.

'Sept. 6.' The astringents have little effect, or, if the purging is restrained one day, it returns with increased violence on the following day. Getting rapidly thin. Begins to husk. Astringents continued.

'10th'. The purging is at last overcome, but the huskiness has rapidly increased, accompanied by laborious and hurried respiration.—Bleed to the extent of three ounces.

'11th'. The breathing relieved, but he obstinately refuses to eat, and is forced several times in the day with arrow-root or strong soup.

'18th'. He had become much thinner and weaker, and died in the evening. No appearance of inflammation on the thoracic viscera, nor in any part of the alimentary canal. The intestines are contracted through the whole extent.

'Veterinarian', ii. 290.]

[Footnote 2: 'Medico-Chirurgical Transitions', 31st March, 1809.]



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CHAPTER XV.

SMALL-POX; MANGE; WARTS; CANCER; FUNGUS HAEMATODES; SORE FEET.

SMALL-POX.

In 1809, there was observed, at the Royal Veterinary School at Lyons, an eruptive malady among the dogs, to which they gave the name of 'small-pox'. It appeared to be propagated from dog to dog by contagion. It was not difficult of cure; and it quickly disappeared when no other remedies were employed than mild aperients and diaphoretics. A sheep was inoculated from one of these dogs. There was a slight eruption of pustules formed on the place of inoculation, but nowhere else; nor was there the least fever.

At another time, also, at the school at Lyons, a sheep died of the regular sheep-pox. A part of the skin was fastened, during four-and-twenty hours, on a healthy sheep, and the other part of it on a dog, both of them being in apparent good health. No effect was produced on the dog, but the sheep died of confluent sheep-pox.

The essential symptoms of small-pox in dogs succeed each other in the following order: the skin of the belly, the groin, and the inside of the fore arm, becomes of a redder colour than in its natural state, and sprinkled with small red spots irregularly rounded. They are sometimes isolated, sometimes clustered together. The near approach of this eruption is announced by an increase of fever.

On the second day the spots are larger, and the integument is slightly tumefied at the centre of each.

On the third day the spots are generally enlarged, and the skin is still more prominent at the centre.

On the fourth day the summit of the tumour is yet more prominent. Towards the end of that day, the redness of the centre begins to assume a somewhat gray colour. On the following days, the pustules take on their peculiar characteristic appearance, and cannot be confounded with any other eruption, On the summit is a white circular point, corresponding with a certain quantity of nearly transparent fluid which it contains, and covered by a thin and transparent pellicle. This fluid becomes less and less transparent, until it acquires the colour and consistence of pus. The pustule, during its serous state, is of a rounded form. It is flattened when the fluid acquires a purulent character, and even slightly depressed towards the close of the period of suppuration, and when that of desiccation is about to commence, which ordinarily happens towards the ninth or tenth day of the eruption. The desiccation and the desquamation occupy an exceedingly variable length of time; and so, indeed, do all the different periods of the disease. What is the least inconstant, is the duration of the serous eruption, which is about four days, if it has been distinctly produced and guarded from all friction. If the general character of the pustules is considered, it will be observed, that, while some of them are in a state of serous secretion, others will only have begun to appear.

The eruption terminates when desiccation commences in the first pustules; and, if some red spots show themselves at that period of the malady, they disappear without being followed by the development of pustules. They are a species of abortive pustules. After the desiccation, the skin remains covered by brown spots, which, by degrees, die away. There remains no trace of the disease, except a few superficial cicatrices on which the hair does not grow.

The causes which produce the greatest variation in the periods of the eruption are, the age of the dog, and the temperature of the situation and of the season. The eruption runs through its different stages with much more rapidity in dogs from one to five months old than in those of greater age. I have never seen it in dogs more than eighteen months old. An elevated temperature singularly favours the eruption, and also renders it confluent and of a serous character. A cold atmosphere is unfavourable to the eruption, or even prevents it altogether. Death is almost constantly the result of the exposure of dogs having small-pox to any considerable degree of cold. A moderate temperature is most favourable to the recovery of the animal. A frequent renewal or change of air, the temperature remaining nearly the same, is highly favourable to the patient; consequently close boxes or kennels should be altogether avoided.

I have often observed, that the perspiration or breath of dogs labouring under variola emits a very unpleasant odour. This smell is particularly observed at the commencement of the desiccation of the pustules, and when the animals are lying upon dry straw; for the friction of the bed against the pustules destroys their pellicles, and permits the purulent matter to escape; and the influence of this purulent matter is most pernicious. The fever is increased, and also the unpleasant smell from the mouth, and that of the faeces. In this state there is a disposition which is rapidly developed in the lungs to assume the character of pneumonia. This last complication is a most serious one, and almost always terminates fatally. It has a peculiar character. It shows itself suddenly, and with all its alarming symptoms. It is almost immediately accompanied by a purulent secretion from the bronchi, and the second day does not pass without the characters of pneumonia being completely developed. The respiration is accompanied by a mucous 'rale' which often becomes sibilant. The nasal cavities are filled with a purulent fluid. The dog that coughs violently at the commencement of the disease, employs himself, probably, on the following day, in ejecting, by a forcible expulsion from the nostrils, the purulent secretion which is soon and plentifully developed. When he is lying quiet, and even when he seems to be asleep, there is a loud, stertorous, guttural breathing.

MANGE.

The existence of certain insects found burrowing under the skin of the human being, and of various tribes of animals, has been acknowledged from the 12th century. In the 17th century, correct engravings of these insects were produced. On the other hand many doubted their existence, because it had not been their lot to see them. In 1812, Gales, a pupil in the hospital of St. Louis, pretended to have found some of them. They were put into the hands of M. Raspail, of Paris, who proved that they were nothing more than the common cheese-mites; and substituted by Gales for those seen by Bonomo.

Professor Hertwig, of Berlin, has given a graphic sketch of these insects (Veterinarian, vol. xi. pp. 373, 489).

Mr. Holthouse states that, "placed on the skin of a healthy individual, they excite a disease in the part to which they were confined, having all the characters of scabies; that insects taken from mangy sheep, horses, and dogs, and transplanted to healthy individuals of the same species, produce in them a disease analogous to that in the animals from which they were taken; and that there are too many well-attested cases on record to permit us to doubt of scabies having been communicated from animals to man."

Mange may in some degree be considered as an hereditary disease. A mangy dog is liable to produce mangy puppies, and the progeny of a mangy bitch will certainly become affected sooner or later. In many cases a propensity to the disease will be speedily produced. If the puppies are numerous, and confined in close situations, the effluvia of their transpiration and faecal discharges will often be productive of mange very difficult to be removed. Close confinement, salted food, and little exercise, are frequent causes of mange.

'The Scabby Mange' is a frequent form which this disease assumes. It assumes a pustular and scabby form in the red mange, particularly in white-haired dogs, when there is much and painful inflammation. A peculiar eruption, termed surfeit, which resembles mange, is sometimes the consequence of exposure to cold after a hot sultry day. Large blotches appear, from which the hair falls and leaves the skin bare and rough. Acute mange sometimes takes on the character of erysipelas; at other times there is considerable inflammation. The animal exhibits heat and restlessness, and ulcerations of different kinds appear in various parts, superficial but extensive. Bleeding, aperient and cooling medicines are indicated, and also applications of the subacetate of lead, or spermaceti ointment. A weak infusion of tobacco may be resorted to when other things fail, but it must be used with much caution. The same may be said of all mercurial preparations. The tanner's pit has little efficacy, except in slight cases. Slight bleedings may be serviceable, and especially in full habits; setons may be resorted to in obstinate cases. A change in the mode of feeding will often be useful. Mild purgatives, and especially Epsom salts, are often beneficial, and also mercurial alternatives, as AEthiop's mineral with cream of tartar and nitre. The external applications require considerable caution. If mercury is used, care must be taken that the dog does not lick it. The diarrhoea produced by mercury often has a fatal effect.

Unguents are useful, but considerable care must be taken in their application. They must be applied to the actual skin, not over the hair. In old and bad cases much time and patience will be requisite. Mr. Blaine had a favourite setter who had virulent mange five years. He was ordered to be dressed every day, or every second day, before the disease was complete conquered.

Cutaneous affections have lately been prevalent to an extent altogether unprecedented on this and on the other side of the channel. In the latter part of 1843 the disease assumed a character which had not been known among us for many years. The common mange, which we used to think we could easily grapple with, was now little seen: even the usual red mange with the fox-coloured stain was not of more frequent occurrence than usual, but an intolerable itchiness with comparatively little redness of skin, and rarely sufficient to account for the torture which the animal seemed to endure, and often with not the slightest discoloration of the integument, came before us almost every day, and under its influence the dog became ill-tempered, dispirited, and emaciated, until he sunk under its influence. All unguents were thrown away here. Lotions of corrosive sublimate, decoction of bark, infusion of digitalis or tobacco, effected some little good; but the persevering use of the iodine of potassium, purgatives, and the abstraction of blood very generally succeeded.

The sudden appearance of redness of the skin, and exudation from it, and actual sores attending the falling off of the hair, and itching, that seemed to be intolerable, have also been prevalent to an unprecedented extent. This mange, however, is to a certain degree manageable. A dose or two of physic should he given, with an application of a calamine powder, and the administration of the iodide of potassium.

Mr. Blaine gives a most valuable account of mange in the dog, part of which I shall quote somewhat at length. Mange exerts a morbid constitutional action on the skin; it is infectious from various miasmata, and it is contagious from personal communication. In some animals it may be produced by momentary contact; it descends to other animals of various descriptions; there is no doubt that it is occasionally hereditary: it is generated by effluvia of many various kinds; almost every kind of rancid or stimulating food is the parent of it. High living with little exercise is a frequent cause of it, and the near approach of starvation is not unfavorable to it. The scabby mange is the common form under which it generally appears. In red mange the whole integument is in a state of acute inflammation; surfeit, or blotches, a kind of cuticular eruption breaks out on particular parts of the body without the slightest notice, and, worse than all, a direct febrile attack, with swelling and ulceration, occurs, under which the dog evidently suffers peculiar heat and pain. Last of all comes local mange. Almost every eruptive disease, whether arising from the eye, the ear, the scrotum, or the feet, is injurious to the quality as well as the health of every sporting dog: the scent invariably becomes diseased, and the general powers are impaired.

There are several accounts of persons who, having handled mangy dogs, have been affected with an eruption very similar to the mange. A gentleman and his wife who had been in the habit of fondling a mangy pug dog, were almost covered with an eruption resembling mange. Several of my servants in the dog-hospital have experienced a similar attack; and the disease was once communicated to a horse by a cat that was accustomed to lie on his back as he stood in the stall.

WARTS.

These are often unpleasant things to have to do with. A Newfoundland dog had the whole of the inside of his mouth lined with warts. I applied the following caustic:—Hyd. suc-corrosivi [Symbol: ounce] j., acidi mur. [Symbol: ounce], alcoholis [Symbol: ounce] iiij., aquae [Symbol: ounce] ij. The warts were touched twice every day, and in less than a fortnight they had all disappeared.

Another dog had its mouth filled with warts, and the above solution was applied. In four days considerable salivation came on, and lasted a week, but at the expiration of that time the warts had vanished. The owner of the dog had applied the solution with the tip of her finger; she experienced some salivation, which she attributed to this cause.

The skin of the dog, from the feebleness of its perspiratory functions, is little sensible to the influence of diaphoretics: therefore we trust so much to external applications for the cure of diseases of the skin of that animal.

CANCER

This is a disease too frequent among females of the dog tribe, and occasionally seen in the male. Its symptoms, local and general, are various. They are usually very obscure in their commencement; they increase without any limit; they are exasperated by irritants of any kind; and in the majority of cases their reproduction is almost constant, and perfectly incurable.

With regard to the female, it is mostly connected with the secretion of milk. Two or three years may pass, and at almost every return of the period of oestrum, there will be some degree of enlargement or inflammation of the teats. Some degree of fever also appears; but, after a few weeks have passed away, and one or two physic balls have been administered, everything goes on well. In process of time, however, the period of oestrum is attended by a greater degree of fever and enlargement of the teats, and at length some diminutive hardened nuclei, not exceeding in size the tip of a finger, are felt within one of the teats. By degrees they increase in size; they become hard, hot, and tender. A considerable degree of redness begins to appear. Some small enlargements are visible. The animal evidently exhibits considerable pain when these enlargements are pressed upon. They rapidly increase, they become more hot and red, various shining protuberances appear about the projection, and at length the tumour ulcerates. A considerable degree of sanious matter flows from the aperture.

The tumours, however, after a while diminish in size; the heat and redness diminish; the ulcer partly or entirely closes, but, after a while, and especially when the next period of oestrum arrives, the tumour again increases, and with far greater rapidity than before, and then comes the necessity of the removal of the tumour, or if not, the destruction of the animal. In the great majority of cases, the removal of the cancer does not destroy the dog, but lessens its torture. The knife and the forceps must usually be resorted to, and in the hands of a skilful surgeon the life of the animal will be saved.

When the cancer is attached to the neighbouring parts by cellular substance alone, no difficulty will be experienced in detaching the whole of it. The operation will be speedily performed, and there will be an end of the matter; but, if the tumour has been neglected, and the muscular, the cellular, or even the superficial parts have been attacked, the utmost caution is requisite that every diseased portion shall be removed. Mr. Blaine adds to this that

"it must also be taken into the account, that, although in the canine cancer ulceration does not often reappear in the intermediate part, when the operation has been judiciously performed, yet, when the constitution has been long affected with this ulcerative action, it is very apt to show itself in some neighbouring part soon after."

FUNGUS HAEMATODES.

In the month of March, 1836, a valuable pointer dog was sent to Mr. Adam of Beaufort, quite emaciated, with total loss of appetite and with a large fungus haematodes about the middle of the right side of his neck. It had begun to appear about five months before, and was not at first larger than a pea. Mr. Adam gave him a purgative of Barbadoes aloes, which caused the discharge of much fetid matter from the intestines. At the expiration of three days he removed the tumour with the knife. There was a full discharge of healthy matter from the wound. During the period of its healing the animal was well fed, and ferruginous tonics were given. In a little more than three weeks the wound had completely filled up with healthy granulations, and the dog was sent home to all appearance quite well.

At the expiration of three months another tumour made its appearance near the situation of the former one, growing fast; it had attained nearly the size of the other. Mr. Adam removed it immediately, ordering a system of nutritive feeding and tonics. It appeared at first to go on favourable; but, five days after the removal of the second one, a third made its appearance.

This was removed at the expiration of another five days; but the animal was totally unable to walk, with very laborious breathing and cold extremities. A cathartic was given and the legs bandaged; but the wounds made no progress towards healing, and at the end of three days he died. On exposing the cavity of the thorax it was almost covered with variously formed tumours, from the size of a pigeon's egg to that of a small pea. The intercostal muscles had many of these adhering to them, and a few small ones were developed on the heart. There were three on the diaphragm, in the centre of which matter was formed. The blood-vessels, kidneys, &c., were free from disease. These tumours were white, or nearly so, rather hard, and of a glandular substance. The external ones were soft, red, and almost destitute of blood-vessels, except the first, which bled considerably. There was dropsy of the abdomen.

SORE FEET

Sore feet constitute a frequent and troublesome complaint. It consists of inflammation of the vascular substance, between the epidermis and the parts beneath. It is the result of numerous slight contusions, produced by long travelling in dry weather, or hunting over a hard and rough country, or one covered with frost and snow. The irritation with which it commences continues to increase and a certain portion of fluid is determined to the feet, and tubercles are formed, hard, hot, and tender, until the whole foot is in a diseased state, considerably enlarged. The animal sadly suffers, and is scarcely able to stand up for a minute. Sometimes the ardour of the chase will make him for a while forget all this; but on his return, and when he endeavours to repose himself, it is with difficulty that he can be got up again. The toes become enlarged, the skin red and tender, and the horny sole becomes detached and drops. Local fever, and that to a considerable extent, becomes established; it reacts on the general economy of the animal, who scarcely moves from his bed, and at length refuses all food. At other times a separation takes place between the dermis and the epidermis, which is a perfect mass of serosity.

Still, however, it is only when all this has much increased, or has been neglected, that any permanently dangerous consequences take place. When violent inflammation has set in, the feet must be carefully attended to, or the dog may be lamed for life. One or two physic-balls may be given; all salted meat should be removed, and the animal supplied with food without being compelled to move from his bed. The feet should be bathed with warm water, and a poultice of linseed meal applied to them twice in the day. If, as is too often the case, he should tear this off, the feet should be often fomented. It is bad practice in any master of dogs to suffer them to be at all neglected when there are any tokens of inflammation of the feet. The neglect of even a few days may render a dog a cripple for life. If there are evident appearances of pus collecting about the claws, or any part of the feet, the abscess should be opened, well bathed with warm water, and friar's balsam applied to the feet.

When the feet have been neglected, the nail is apt to grow very rapidly, and curve round and penetrate into the foot. The forceps should he applied, and the claws reduced to their proper size.

If there are any indications of fever, or if the dog should be continually lying down, or he should hold up his feet, and keep them apart as much as he can, scarifications or poultices, or both, should be resorted to.

When the feet of a dog become sore in travelling, the foolish habit of washing them with brine should never be permitted, although it is very commonly resorted to. Warm fomentations, or warm pot-liquor, or poultices of linseed meal should be applied, or, if matter is apparently forming, the lancet may be resorted to.

Dogs are frequently sent to the hospital with considerable redness between the toes, and ichorous discharge, and the toes thickened round the base of the nails, as if they were inclined to drop off. The common alterative medicine should be given, and a lotion composed of hydrarg. oxym. gr. vi., alcohol [Symbol: ounce] j., et aq. calcis [Symbol: ounce] iiij., should he applied to the feet three times every day. Leathern gloves should be sewn on them. These cases are often very obstinate.

Generally speaking, the dog has five toes on the fore feet, and four on the hind feet, with a mere rudiment of a fifth metatarsal bone in some feet; but, in others, the fifth bone is long and well proportioned, and advances as far as the origin of the first phalanx of the neighbouring toe.

[The editor begs leave to add a more detailed and systematic treatise of the affections generally attacking the feet and limbs of our dogs.

DISEASES OF THE FEET.

SORE FEET.

Inflammation of the feet, a disease somewhat analogous to founder in horses, and often attended with equally bad results, particularly in the English kennels, is comparatively rare with us, although there are few sportsmen but have met with some cases among their dogs. The feet become tender, swollen, and hot, violent inflammatory action sets in, the toes become sore, the claws diseased, and the balls very painful, and often suppurate.

The animal is thus speedily rendered useless; not being able to support his body, owing to the intense pain, he remains in his house, and employs the most of his time in temporarily assuaging his sufferings by constantly licking the diseased members.

'Causes'.—Running long distances over frozen or stony grounds, hunting over a rough and ill-cleaned country, over-feeding, confinement, and lazy habits, are all conducive in some measure to this affection.

This form of disease is not uncommon among those dogs used in toling ducks on the Chesapeake bay, these animals being obliged to run incessantly to and fro over the gravel shores, in their efforts to attract the canvass-back. We have seen many dogs that have been made cripples by this arduous work, and rendered prematurely old while yet in their prime. It would certainly be wise and humane on the part of those who pursue this sport either for pleasure or gain, to provide suitable boots for these sagacious animals, who in return would repay such kindness by increased ardour and length of service. These articles might be made of leather, or some other durable substance, in such a manner that they could be laced on every morning before commencing their labours.

The claws should be allowed to project through openings in the boot, as this arrangement will give much more freedom to the feet, and the boot itself will not be destroyed so soon by the penetration of the toes through its substance. Boots thus neatly made will neither interfere with his locomotive nor swimming powers, but add greatly to the comfort of the animal, and secure his services for many years.

'Treatment'.—No stimulating applications to the feet are to be used, such as salt water, ley, fish brine, or urine, but rather emollient poultices and cooling washes. These last-mentioned remedies should be carefully applied, and the dog confined to his house as much as possible: in fact, there is little difficulty in restraining him in this respect, as he has but little inclination or ability to move about.

Purging balls should be administered every night, and blood abstracted if there be much fever, as indicated in the heat, swelling, and pain of the limbs.

If the balls continue to swell, and there is a collection of pus within them, they may be opened by the lancet, and the contents evacuated, after which apply a linseed poultice. When the inflammation has subsided, simple dressings of melted butter or fresh lard will generally effect a cure.

PUSTULAR AFFECTION OF THE FEET.

Dogs frequently have a pustular eruption between the toes, either accompanying mange or some other skin disease, or entirely independent of any other affection.

'Causes'.—Want of cleanliness, bad housing, improper food, vermin, and depraved constitution.

'Treatment'.—Frequent washing with castile soap and water will correct this disease; the feet and legs after washing should be rubbed dry, particularly between the toes. When the pustules are large, they may be opened with the lancet and a poultice applied. If the disease appears complicated with mange, or dependent upon other general causes, the primary affection must be removed by the proper remedies, which generally carries off with the secondary disease.

SPRAINS

It is not an uncommon occurrence for dogs, while running, climbing fences, or jumping ditches, to sprain themselves very severely in the knee, or more frequently in the shoulder-joint; and if not properly attended to, will remain cripples for life, owing to enlargement of the tendon and deposition of matter.

We once had a fine, large, powerful bull-dog, that sprained himself in the shoulder while running very violently in the street after another dog, and in some way, owing to the great eagerness to overtake the other, tripped up when at the top of his speed, fell on his chest, and when he arose commenced limping, and evidently suffered from considerable pain. On taking him home, we examined his feet, limbs, and chest very particularly, expecting to find a luxation or fracture of some of the bones of the leg or feet, or perhaps the presence of a piece of glass or other article deeply imbedded in the ball. None of the above accidents, however, being brought to light by our examination, or that of a medical friend who expressed a wish to see our patient, we concluded that a simple sprain of some of the tendons had taken place.

On the following day there was slight swelling and tenderness of the shoulder-joint, accompanied by great unwillingness to put the foot to the ground, owing to the pain that seemed to be produced by the extension of the leg. The limb was fomented, and the dog confined for several days, till the swelling and tenderness disappeared; but, greatly to our astonishment and that of others, he still remained lame as before.

This lameness continued for several months, when we parted with him, sending him to a relative in the country, who informed us that he never recovered the use of his limb, but that it became shrivelled and deformed for want of use.

The cause of lameness in this dog is as unaccountable as some cases of lameness we see in horses. We are convinced that there was neither fracture nor luxation, nor any other unnatural displacement of the parts, and can attribute it to nothing but enlargement of one of the tendons of the shoulder-joint resulting from inflammation. If it had been in our power, we should have liked to have examined this animal after death.

'Treatment'.—Hot fomentations to the part affected, together with purging balls and bleeding, if there be great tenderness and swelling of the limb. When the inflammation and tumefaction have disappeared, rub the parts with opodeldoc, or other stimulating mixtures.

WOUNDS OF THE FEET.

Dogs are apt to cut their feet by stepping upon sharp tools, bits of oyster-shell, old iron, &c., or by the introduction of thorns, burrs, nails, bits of glass, and other articles, into their balls.

'Treatment'.—If the cut be very deep, or divides the ball, the foot must be washed in tepid water, and the edges of the wound drawn together and retained in their position by a couple of sutures or a strap or two of adhesive plaster, and the animal confined.

Where thorns or sand-burrs have pierced the foot, diligent search should be made to extract them, or the wound will suppurate, and the dog continue lame for a long time. This caution is particularly necessary when minute particles of glass have entered the foot. A poultice in such cases should be applied, after removing every particle within our reach, and the, foot be wrapped up, or, what is better, enclosed in a boot of some kind, sufficiently strong to protect it from the dirt or other small particles which otherwise would enter the wound and prevent its healing. In a case of great emergency, one of our friends hunted a setter dog three successive days in a leather boot, which we instructed a country cobbler to put on him to protect his foot from a recent and deep cut, that he had received from treading upon some farming utensils. The boot was taken off every night, the foot nicely cleaned, the leather oiled and replaced ready for the following day. The wound afterwards healed up, and no trace of the incision now remains. The boot should be made of stout, flexible leather, and extend beyond the first joint; the seam must be in front, so as not to interfere with the dog's tread. There should be openings for the claws, and the sole large enough to allow the expansion of the ball pads when in motion: a small layer of tow had better be laid on the bottom of the foot before putting on the boot.

It is often very difficult to tell the exact spot where a briar or thorn has entered the foot, owing to its penetrating so far into the substance of the ball as to be entirely concealed under the skin, or by the swelling of the parts surrounding it. In all such cases the bottom of the foot should he gently pressed by the thumb, and the point where the dog exhibits symptoms of must pain should be, particularly examined, and, if necessary, cut down upon to extract the extraneous substance, no matter what it may be.

LONG NAILS OR CLAWS.

The nails of some dogs require occasional cutting, otherwise they grow so long and fast that they turn in and penetrate the ball of the foot. If we cut them, a strong, sharp knife is necessary for the purpose; filing them off we consider far preferable.

LAMENESS

Dogs, as well as horses, become lame from stiff joints, splints, and sprains. Stiff joints are occasioned by anchylosis, or the deposit of calcareous or osseous matter within the ligament or around the head of the bone, which latter defect is known as ring-bone in the horse.

'Treatment'.—Stimulating friction to the parts, such as spirits of camphor, or camphorated liniment, mercurial ointment, tincture of iodine, opodeldoc, blistering, c.—L.]



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CHAPTER XVI.

FRACTURES

These are of not unfrequent occurrence in the dog; and I once had five cases in my hospital at the same time.

In the human subject, fractures are more frequent in adults, and, perhaps, in old men, than in infants; but this is not the case with the smaller animals generally, and particularly with dogs. Five-sixths of the fractures occur between the time of weaning and the animal being six months old; not, perhaps, because of their chemical composition, that the bones are more fragile at this age; but because young dogs are more exposed to fall from the hands of the persons who carry them, and from the places to which they climb; and the extremities of the bones, then being in the state of epiphysis, are easily separated from the body of the bone. When the fracture takes place in the body of the bone, it is transverse or somewhat oblique, but there is scarcely any displacement.

A simple bandage will be sufficient for the reduction of these fractures, which may be removed in ten or twelve days, when the preparatory callus has acquired some consistence. One only out of twenty dogs that were brought to me with fractures of the extremities, in the year 1834, died. Two dogs had their jaws fractured by kicks from horses, and lost several of their teeth. In one of them the anterior part of the jaw was fractured perpendicularly; in the other, both branches were fractured. Plenty of good soup was injected into their mouths. Ten or twelve days afterwards, they were suffered to lap it; and in a little while they were dismissed cured.

It will be desirable, perhaps, to describe our usual method of reducing the greater part of the fractures which come under our notice.

I.—The 'humerus' was fractured just above the elbow and close to the joint. The limb was enclosed in adhesive plaster, and supported by a firm bandage. The bones were beginning to unite, when, by some means concerning which I could never satisfy myself, the 'tibia' was broken a little above the hock. Nothing could well be done with this second fracture; but great care was taken with regard to the former. The lower head of the humerus remained somewhat enlarged; but the lameness became very slight, and in three weeks had nearly or quite disappeared. Nothing was done to the second fracture; in fact, nothing more than a slight, annular enlargement, surrounding the part, remained—a proof of the renovating power of nature.

II.—A spaniel was run over by a light carriage. It was unable to put the left hind leg to the ground, and at the upper tuberosity of the ileum some crepitus could be distinguished. I subtracted six ounces of blood, administered a physic-ball, and ordered the patient to be well fomented with warm water several times during the night. On the following day no wound could be discovered, but there was great tenderness. I continued the fomentation. Two or three days afterwards she was evidently easier. I then had the hair cut close, and covered the loins and back with a pitch-plaster. At the expiration of six days the plaster was getting somewhat loose, and was replaced by another with which a very small quantity of powdered cantharides was mingled. At the expiration of the fifth week she was quite well.

III.—The 'thigh-bone' had been broken a fortnight. It was a compound fracture: the divided edges of the bone protruded through the integuments, and there was no disposition to unite. It is not in one case in a hundred that an animal thus situated can be saved. We failed in our efforts, and the dog was ultimately destroyed.

IV.—The 'femur' was broken near the hip. I saw it on the third day, when much heat and swelling had taken place. I ordered the parts to be frequently bathed with warm water. The heat and tenderness to a considerable degree subsided, and the pitch-plaster was carefully applied. At the expiration of a week the plaster began to be loosened. A second one was applied, and when a fortnight longer had passed, a slight degree of tenderness alone remained.

V.—The following account is characteristic of the bull terrier. The 'radius' had been broken, and was set, and the bones were decidedly united, when the dog, in a moment of frantic rage, seized his own leg and crushed some of the bones. They were once more united, but his wrist bent under him in the form of a concave semicircle, as if some of the ligaments of the joint had been ruptured in the moment of rage. It was evident on the following day that it was impossible to control him, and he was destroyed.

VI.—A spaniel, three months old, became fractured half-way between the wrist and the 'elbow'. A surgeon bound it up, and it became swollen to an enormous size, from the adhesive plaster that had been applied and the manner of placing the splints. I removed the splints. On the following morning I had the arm frequently fomented: a very indistinct crepitus could be perceived at the point of the humerus: I applied another plaster higher up, and including the elbow. The hair not having been cut sufficiently close, the plaster was removed, applied much more neatly and closely, and the original fracture was firmly bound together. No crepitus was now to be perceived.

I saw no more of our patient for four days, when I found that he had fallen, and that the elbow on the other side was fractured within the capsular ligament. A very distinct crepitus could be felt, and the dog cried sadly when the joint was moved. I would have destroyed him, but he was a favourite with his master, and we tried what a few days more would produce. I enclosed the whole of the limb in a plaster of pitch, and bound it up without splints. Both the bandages remained on nearly a fortnight, when the fractures were found to be perfectly united, and the lameness in both legs gradually disappeared.

VII.—July 22, 1843. A spaniel was frightened with something on the bed, and fell from it, and cried very much. The instep, or wrist, of the right leg, before was evidently bowed, and there was considerable heat and tenderness. It was well fomented on the two following days, and then set, and adhesive plaster was tightly applied, and a splint bound over that.

24th. The foot began to swell, and was evidently painful. The outer bandage was loosened a little, but the inner bandage was not touched.

Aug. 4. The bandage, that had not been meddled with for eleven days, now appeared to give him some pain. For the last two days he has been gently licking and gnawing it. The splints were removed; but the adhesive plaster appearing even and firm, was suffered to remain.

26th. Everything appeared to be going on well, when he again leaped from his bed. The wrist was much more bowed, and was tender and hot. Simple lint and a firm calico bandage were had recourse to.

27th. He is unable to put his foot to the ground, and the joint is certainly enlarging. An adhesive plaster, made by a Frenchman, was applied at the owners request, over which was placed a splint. The dog soon began to gnaw the plaster, which formed a sticky but not very adhesive mass. Before night the pain appeared to be very great, and the dog cried excessively. I was sent for. We well fomented the leg, and then returned to our former treatment. There was evidently a great deal of pain, but it gradually passed over, and a slight degree of lameness alone remained.

I have great pleasure in adding the following accounts of the successful treatment of fractures in dogs by Mr. Percivall:

"Hopeless as cases of fracture in horses generally are, from the difficulty experienced in managing the patient, they are by no means to be so regarded in dogs. I have in several instances seen dogs recover, and with very good use of the parts, if not perfect restoration of them, when the accidents have been considered, at the time they took place, of a nature so irremediable as to render it advisable to destroy the animals.

"May 4, 1839. A valuable Irish spaniel fell from a high wall, and fractured his 'off shoulder'. On examination, I found the 'os humeri' fractured about an inch above its radial extremity, causing the limb to drop pendulously from the side, and depriving the animal of all use of it. The arm, by which I mean the fore arm, was movable in any direction upon the shoulder, and there was distinct crepitus: in a word, the nature of the accident was too plain to admit of doubt; nor was there any splinter or loose piece of bone discoverable. I directed that the animal might be laid flat upon his sound side in a hamper, or covered basket or box, of sufficient dimensions, but not large enough to admit of his moving about; to have his hind legs fettered, his mouth muzzled, and his injured parts covered with a linen cloth wetted with a spirit lotion.

'May' 5. The parts are tumefied, but not more, nor even so much as one night have expected. Continue the lotion.

'6th'. At my request, Mr. Youatt was called in to give his opinion as to the probability of effecting a cure. He thought from the inconvenient situation of the fracture, that the chances of success were doubtful; and recommended that a plaster, composed of thick sheep-skin and pitch, cut to the shape of the parts, should be applied, extending from the upper part of the shoulder down upon the arm, and reaching to the knee; and that the whole should be enveloped in well-applied bandages, one of them being carried over the shoulders and brought round between the fore legs, to support the limb, and aid in retaining the fractured ends in apposition. Prior to the application of the pitch plaster the hair was closely shorn off. Thus bound up, the dog was replaced in his hamper, and had some aperient medicine given to him.

'8th'. The medicine has operated; and he appears going on well, his appetite continuing unimpaired.

'10th'. He growls when I open the basket to look at him. On examining him (while his keeper had hold of him), I found the plaster loosening from its adhesion; I took it off altogether, and applied a fresh one, composed of the stopping composition I use for horses' feet.

June 7. Up to this time everything appears to have been going on properly. The fracture feels as if it were completely united, and, as the plaster continues to adhere firmly, I thought the bandages enveloping it, as they were often getting loose, might now he dispensed with, and that the dog might with benefit be chained to a kennel, instead of being so closely confined as he has been. In moving, he does not attempt to use the fractured limb, but hops along upon the three other legs.

July. He has acquired pretty good use of the limb. Being now at liberty, he runs about a good deal; halting, from there being some shortness of the limb, but not so much as to prevent him being serviceable, as a 'slow' hunter, in the sporting-field.

"About a twelvemonth ago," continues Mr. Percivall, "I was consulted concerning a blood-hound of great size and beauty, and of the cost of L50, that had been a cripple in one of his hind limbs for some considerable time past, owing, it was said or thought, to having received some injury. After a very careful handling, and examination of the parts about the hips, the places where he expressed pain, I came to the conclusion that there had been, and still existed, some fracture of 'the ischial portion of the pelvis', but precisely where, or of what nature, I could not determine; and all the treatment I could recommend was, that the animal should be shut up within a basket or box of some, sort, of dimensions only sufficient to enable him to lie at ease, and that he be kept there for at least six months, without being taken out, save for the purpose of having his bed cleansed or renewed. His owner had previously made up his mind to have him destroyed; understanding, however, from me, that there still remained a chance of his recovery, he ordered his groom to procure a proper basket, and see that the dog's confinement was such as I had prescribed. The man asked me to allow him to have his kennel, which, being no larger than was requisite for him, I did not object to; and to this he had an iron lattice-door made, converting it into a sort of wild beast cage. After two months' confinement, I had him let out for a short run, and perceived evident amendment. I believe altogether that he was imprisoned five months, and then was found so much improved that I had him chained to his kennel for the remaining month, and this, I believe, was continued for another month. The issue was the complete recovery of the animal, very much to the gratification and joy of his master, by whom he is regarded as a kind of unique or unobtainable production.

"The fractures of dogs and other animals must, of course, be treated in accordance with all the circumstances of their cases; but I have always considered it a most essential part of their treatment that such portable patients as dogs and cats, &c., should be placed and kept in a state of confinement, where they either could not, or were not likely to, use or move the fractured parts; and, moreover, I have thought that failure, where it has resulted after such treatment, has arisen from its not having been sufficiently long persisted in."

In the opinion of Professor Simonds, when there is fracture of the bones of the extremities, a starch bandage is the best that can be employed. If applied wet, it adapts itself to the irregularities of the limbs; and if allowed to remain on twelve hours undisturbed, it forms a complete case for the part, and affords more equal support than anything else that can possibly be used.

The following case was one of considerable interest. It came under the care of Professor Simonds. Two gentlemen were playing at quoits, and the dog of one of them was struck on the head by a quoit, and supposed to be killed. His owner took him up, and found that he was not dead, although dreadfully injured. It being near the Thames, his owner took him to the edge of the river, and dashed some water over him, and he rallied a little. Professor Simonds detected a fracture of the skull, with pressure on the brain, arising from a portion of depressed bone. The dog was perfectly unconscious, frequently moaning, quite incapable of standing, and continually turning round upon his belly, his straw, or his bed. It was a case of coma; he took no food, and the pulsation at the heart was very indistinct.

"I told the proprietor that there was no chance of recovery except by an operation; and, even then, I thought it exceedingly doubtful. I was desired to operate, and I took him home.

"The head was now almost twice as large as when the accident occurred, proceeding from a quantity of coagulated blood that had been effused under the skin covering the skull. I gave him a dose of aperient medicine, and on the following morning commenced my operation.

"The hair was clipped from the head, and an incision carried immediately from between the eye-brows to the back part of the skull, in the direction of the sagittal suture. Another incision was made from this towards the root of the ear. This triangular flap was then turned back, in order to remove the coagulated blood and make a thorough exposure of the skull. I was provided with a trephine, thinking that only a portion of the bone had been depressed on the brain, and it would be necessary, with that instrument, to separate it from its attachment, and then with an elevator remove it; but I found that the greater part of the parietal bone was depressed, and that the fracture extended along the sagittal suture from the coronal and lamdoidal sutures. At three-fourths of the width of the bone, the fracture ran parallel with the sagittal suture, and this large portion was depressed upon the tunics of the brain, the dura mater being considerably lacerated. The depressed bone was raised with an elevator, and I found, from its lacerated edges and the extent of the mischief done, that it was far wiser to remove it entirely, than to allow it to remain and take the chance of its uniting.

"In a few days, the dog began to experience relief from the operation, and to be somewhat conscious of what was taking place around him. He still requires care and attention, and proper medicinal agents to be administered from time to time; but with the exception of occasionally turning round when on the floor, he takes his food well, and obeys his master's call."[1]



[Footnote 1: Trans. Vet. Med. Assoc., i. 51.]



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CHAPTER XVII.

MEDICINES USED IN THE TREATMENT OF THE DISEASES OF THE DOG.

These are far more numerous and complicated than would, on the first consideration of them, be imagined. The Veterinary Surgeon has a long list of them, suited to the wants and dangers, imaginary or real, of his patients; and he who is not scientifically acquainted with them, will occasionally blunder in the choice of remedies, or the application of the means of cure which he adopts. Little attention may, perhaps, be paid to the medical treatment of the dog; yet it requires not a little study and experience. I will endeavour to give a short account of the drugs, and mode of using them, generally employed.

The administering of medicines to dogs is, generally speaking, simple and safe, if a little care is taken about the matter, and especially if two persons are employed in the operation. The one should be sitting with the dog between his knees, and the hinder part of the animal resting on the floor. The mouth is forced open by the pressure of the fore-finger and thumb upon the lips of the upper jaw, and the medicine can be conveniently introduced with the other hand, and passed sufficiently far into the throat to insure its not being returned. The mouth should be closed and kept so, until the bolus has been seen to pass down. Mr. Blaine thus describes the difference between the administration of liquid and solid medicines:

"A little attention will prevent all danger. A ball or bolus should be passed completely over the root of the tongue, and pushed some way backward and forward. When a liquid is given, if the quantity is more than can be swallowed at one effort, it should be removed from the mouth at each deglutition, or the dog may be strangled. Balls of a soft consistence, and those composed of nauseous ingredients, should be wrapped in thin paper, or they may disgust the dog and produce sickness."

Dogs labouring under disease should be carefully nursed: more depends on this than many persons seem to be aware. A warm and comfortable bed is of a great deal more consequence than many persons who are fond of their dogs imagine. Cleanliness is also an essential point. Harshness of manner and unkind treatment will evidently aggravate many of their complaints. I have sometimes witnessed an angry word spoken to a healthy dog produce instant convulsions in a distempered one that happened to be near; and the fits that come on spontaneously in distemper, almost instantly leave the dog by soothing notice of him.

'Acidum Acetum (Vinegar)'.—This is useful for sprains, bruises, and fomentations.

'Acidum Nitricum (Nitric Acid; Aqua Fortis)'.—This may be used with advantage to destroy warts or fungous excrescences. A little of the acid should be dropped on the part and bound tightly down. The protuberance will slough off and healthy granulations will spring up. A surer application, however, is the nitrate of silver.

'Acidum Hydrocyanicum (Prussic Acid)'.—This is an excellent application for the purpose of allaying irritation of the skin in dogs; but it must be very carefully watched. I have seen a drachm of it diluted with a pint of distilled water, rapidly allay cuticular inflammation. The dreadful degree of itching which had been observed during the last two or three years yielded to this application alone; and to that it has almost invariably yielded, a little patience being used.

'Acupuncturation' is a practice lately introduced into veterinary surgery. It denotes the insertion of a needle into the skin or flesh of a person or animal suffering severely from some neuralgic affection. The needle is small and sharp: it is introduced by a slight pressure and semi-rotating motion between the thumb and forefinger, and afterwards withdrawn with the same motion. This should always employ a quarter of an hour at least, and in cases of very great pain it should continue two hours; but when the object is to afford an exit to the fluid collected, mere puncture is sufficient. It is attended with very little pain; and therefore it may be employed at least with safety if not with advantage. The operation was known and practised in Japan, many years ago; but it was only in the seventeenth century that its singular value was ascertained. In 1810 some trials of it were made in Paris, and M. Chenel look the lead. He had a young dog that he had cured of distemper, except that a spasmodic affection of the left hind leg remained. He applied a needle, and with fair success. He failed with another dog; but M. Prevost, of Geneva, relieved two mares from rheumatism, and an entire horse that had been lame sixteen months. In the Veterinary School at Lyons acupuncturation was tried on two dogs. One had chorea, and the other chronic paralysis of the muscles of the neck. The operation had no effect on the first; the other came out of the hospital completely cured. In the following year acupuncturation was tried without success in the same school. Four horses and two dogs were operated upon in vain.

'Adeps (Hog's Lard)' forms the basis of all our ointments. It is tasteless, inodorous and free from every stimulating quality.

'Alcohol (Rectified Spirit)'.—This is principally used in tinctures, and seldom or never administered to the dog in a pure state.

'Aloes, Barbadoes'.—From these are formed the safest and best aperients for the dog—consisting of powdered aloes, eight parts; antimonial powder, one part; ginger, one part; and palm oil, five parts; beaten well together, and the size of the ball varying from half a drachm to two drachms, and a ball administered every fourth or fifth hour. Mr. Blaine considers it to be the safest general purgative. He says that such is the peculiarity of the bowels of the dog, that while a man can take with impunity as much calomel as would kill two large dogs, a moderate-sized dog will take a quantity of aloes sufficient to destroy two stout men. The smallest dog can take 15 or 20 grains; half a drachm is seldom too much; but the smaller dose had better be tried first, for hundreds of dogs are every year destroyed by temerity in this particular. Medium-sized dogs usually require a drachm; and some large dogs have taken two or even three drachms.

'Alteratives' are medicines that effect some slow change in the diseased action of certain parts, without interfering with the food or work. The most useful consist of five parts of sublimed sulphur, one of nitre, one of linseed meal, and two of lard or palm oil.

'Alum' is a powerful astringent, whether employed externally or internally. It is occasionally administered in doses of from 10 to 15 grains in obstinate diarrhoea. In some obstinate cases, alum whey has been employed in the form of a clyster.

'Oxide of Antimony', in the form of a compound powder, and under the name of James's powder, is employed as a sudorific, or to cause a determination to the skin.

The 'Antimonii Potassio Tartras (Tartar Emetic)', besides its effect on the skin, is a useful nauseant, and invaluable in inflammation of the lungs and catarrhal affections of every kind. The 'Black Sesquisulphuret of Antimony' is a compound of sulphur and antimony, and an excellent alterative.

'Argenti Nitras—Nitrate of Silver (Lunar Caustic)'.—I have already strongly advocated the employment of this caustic for empoisoned wounds and bites of rabid animals. In my opinion it supersedes the use of every other caustic, and generally of the knife. I have also given it internally as a tonic to the dog, in cases of chorea, in doses from an eighth to a quarter of a grain. A dilute solution may be employed as an excitant to wounds, in which the healing process has become sluggish. For this purpose, ten grains or more may be dissolved in a fluid ounce of distilled water. A few fibres of tow dipped in this solution, being drawn through the channel which is left on the removal of a seton, quickly excite the healing action. Occasionally one or two drops of this solution may be introduced into the eye for the purpose of removing opalescence of the cornea. In cases of fungoid matter being thrown out on the cornea, the fungus may be touched with a rod of nitrate of silver, and little pain will follow.