Part 36

Internal canker is an inflammation of the lining membrane of the passage to the ear, accompanied sometimes with suppuration, and when of long standing has a most offensive-smelling discharge. A mangy affection of the ear is often confounded with, or supposed to be, an external canker.

SYMPTOMS.—The ear is very red, inflamed, and heated. The dog continually scratches it, shaking the head as if to remove something from it. After syringing the ear well with warm water and Castile soap, use the following remedy twice daily, holding the dog’s head sidewise on the lap and gently pouring a little into the ear.

Goulard’s extract of lead ½ oz. Glycerin and carbolic acid ⅛ ” Olive-oil 2¼ ”

Shake the bottle well before using. Relief should follow almost immediately.

COLDS.

SYMPTOMS.—Chilliness, shivering, languor, dry, hot nose, accompanied by a thin discharge from the nose.

If the patient is not attended to at once the complaint may lead to distemper and fevers.

Use Fever Mixture, and keep patient warm.

COLIC AND INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS.

To discover the difference between colic and inflammation of the bowels, press the hand along the belly, and if the movement gives relief, the probable trouble is colic. If pain attends the pressure, it is probably inflammation. In these two cases, my advice is to consult a veterinarian at once. The symptoms of both affections are evidenced by the dog standing with arched back and feet drawn toward one another, or crouching with belly on the ground. Inflammation is generally of slower development than colic.

When a dog is affected with colic it is often shown when it is apparently in the best of health and eating well; it is seized with spasms, causing it to moan and howl. The causes are about identical with inflammation of the bowels.

As soon as convinced that colic is the cause of the trouble, give at once, to a dog of, say, 25 pounds, not quite a teaspoonful of the following in three tablespoonfuls of milk or gruel: compound spirits of sulphuric ether (Hoffman’s anodyne) and tincture of opium, equal parts. If relief does not immediately ensue, repeat the dose in half an hour.

After permanent relief, give Purgative Mixture, once a day for three days. (See Inflammation of the Bowels.)

COUGHS.

Cough is a symptom of disease rather than a disease in itself, and arises from different causes, differing in character as do the diseases which it precedes, viz.: in the common cold the cough is slight and humid; in bronchitis, hard, dry, and frequent; in inflammation of the lungs and pleurisy, short and suppressed, accompanied with great pain; in asthma, hard and wheezy, followed by vomiting; in distemper, husky and hollow.

For the common cold or cough use either Cough Remedy No. 1 or No. 2. The first is especially good for affections of the respiratory organs.

COUGH REMEDY NO. 1.

Powdered ipecacuanha 6 grains ” opium 6 ” Compound squill pill 24 ” Powdered gum ammoniacum 24 ” ” licorice 24 ” ” rhubarb 12 ”

Make into 24 pills. Dose for 25-pound dog, one pill night and morning.

COUGH REMEDY NO. 2.

Elixir paregoric ½ oz. Syrup of squills 1½ ”

Give 1 teaspoonful for dog of 25 pounds every six hours.

CUTS, WOUNDS, ETC.

As soon as the cut stops bleeding, which is accomplished either by holding the parts together with the fingers or by use of a lint bandage, wash the wound thoroughly with warm water so as to remove all foreign substances. Then apply with a soft brush a dressing of friars’ balsam, which will form a sort of crust over the wound, keeping out dust, dirt, etc., and allowing the wound to heal quickly.

The sewing up of a wound is a very easy affair. Pass the needle through the skin on one side of the wound from the outside inward, and through the corresponding part on the opposite side from the inside outward. Draw the lips of the wound together gently, and tying the silk thread in a strong knot, cut off ends close, so that the dog cannot bite them. Each stitch must be tied separately, and should be about half an inch apart. If possible the dog should be muzzled, not only during the operation, but for several days afterward. The wound should be constantly washed with the following:

Carbolic acid ½ oz. Glycerin 2 ” Water 32 ”

In bandaging a wound, saturate the cloth with a mixture of equal parts of camphorated oil and friars’ balsam.

DIARRHEA MIXTURE.