THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2501, 19 February 1902, Page 49

THE KENNEL.

Br Tkbbor.

tribute items to ihLrcolumn. -Terror ' irHl>»ttnn)artoniaJ.o-r Ma rfesmrtmeuc a' interestinc and b\,-m date a j piMMhlc. hut fo , •rderrado thisho lunn have the co-oiwrnlicm »f lii»Tcad« w hence he trust* iHs mi Uatlon n 111 h,. af.ecr: iTIv rvs-poudcil tr »

.—. — rW. .Hamilton's New Zealand-brest^ fox terrier bitch Xeidpath Divers (one^-of-Mr Young's, Morningfon. importations) "has presented Dancing JBucJo (an importation^ an Australian fancier) \ritk a brace of vuve r white puppies. " " • ','

— The final meeting of the Mackenzie Collie Club prior to receiving entries (March 15) was held in M'Millan's Hotel, Burkes Pa-ss, on the evening of the Bth inst., wheu it was reported by the committee that never before were prospects brighter for a successful year, and with very complete arrangements for carrying through the annual competitions, excellent trials should result on March 20 and 21 if the club is blesseil with its usual fine weather. Large entries are anticipated in response to eho attractive programme the club is enabled to issue, owing to the liberal bupporfc being accorded by the public as well as those more closely interested in the projects of the club. - This enables the officials to offer no less than £66 10s cash, several gold medals, and numerous specials, giving substantial worth for competition*. The pito again kindly placed at "disposal of the club leaves nothing to be desired, and all other arrangements are already very complete.

— My attention has been called to a not© in an Isle of Wight paper, and as it ma>be of interest to my readers in showing the curiouj friendships that are sometimes formed j».mong3i animals I reprint it. Doubtless sompi of my readers could supply accounts of parallel instances. "I met two curious chum* in the street on Monday — adog and a ferret. The dog was carrying the ferret proudly and tenderly in his mouth, «-nd there was no doubting the fact that the ferret was perfectly hapoy and comfortablr. I could not help thinking (says the writer) when I passed this happy couple what a ta!o they could probably unfold if they were able to speak."

— We are frequently questioned about the regulation of doses of various medicine? for different sizes and breeds of dogs, 'and although we havo upon one or two occasions wreviously dealt with that subject in, this column, vet, considering the fact that one's circle of reader^ is constantly increapine; in number, it might bg/'worth while to go over the same ground once more for the benefit of those who have not the previous information before them. The vtajto arrange doses is, first of all, to classify the different breeds of dogs according to weijjht ; rfirre really iz no other standard that we can go upou, unless we accept the standard of weight. Undoubtedly, it Is most confusing for fancier* to be told thai; n pertain thing is good for dog*, and thai th« dose ct it is. for example, a tearpoonful. How on earth i-s a fancier v to know whether the tpaspoonful is to be understood afe- 'a do3C for a toy terrier or a mastiff? So' that, if we go upon the principle of co much weight of the animal, so many, 'drops or so many grains of medicine, we cannot get far from the standpoint of absolute accuracy. At all events, it is a system which has the mervt of simplicity, and that is sayin-' a great deal.

t Tlio smallest varieties of dogs, whie.'i are classified under the title of toys, do not. a=s a rule, exceed 10lb in weight, but we must bear in mind that we are dealing now with. doGts of adult ages, and a toy do? weighing JOlb is really capable of taking a stronger dose of medicine than a younv nuppy o.! one of the larprer \arietif>s wri^hin? lOlb-, so that r-vpn when wo adoot tlie f-iandarcl of nhvsickinj; arcordine to the v^pi^ht of ihri patient we mu»t make rome al'ou-ance fov as?e. Ai a rule, in doridinc upon the do?n for n ru'ipv. iho safes' nlnrt ro work upon w to < initiate first of all what wouM be the rlo-f for pn adult do? of tin? particular va-ri<-tv to v'nii'h the ouopy belong?, nnrl.then. ha'-iug decided -, what that rrould be, set" asi.-ls thp. nuestion, of weight, ahd if thel

Puppy is itota six to nine months give it • naff as much, as you would give to the adult animal of its breed; and again, if it be three month* old, a quarter as much, and for other apes it will be easy to calculate in proportion. • The simplest scale for calculating the idosea of medicine for adult dogs is to regulate them to a standard of 201b weight. That 1» to «»y, suppose a- teaspoonful of liquid 'medicine is the proper dose for a 201b dog, hbr *n apothecary's drachm be the dose Tof any particular powder for a 201b dog, 'it ■irill be very easy to calculate what would jbe the dose of the same liquid or powder for 'an adult doy of any other weight. We have only to bear in mind that the medicinal contains 60 dropg, or, to be p%raccurate, 60 minima, arid that an b apott»c*ry'* drachm contains 60 grains, and •W»Tsee -'at once that «hat it equivalent to three 'minima, or tfiree grains, for every 'pound a dog weigns, co that it is only necessary to multiply the number of pountis which the dog "weighs by three to get the 'proper number of minims, or of grainai, which will be necessary, sp long as we adtoere to that particular standard. Of course „we can do the same thing for any other standard. We may decide, for example, that ten. minims; or tag grains, oC«, liquid or powder, respectiv^lv, would be the dose *or a 20H> dog, and that in the same way is Equivalent to half a minim, or half a gram, to -a pound, and. sommj. _ Deafness in dogs may £c due to one « other of several causes. Jn a great many cases there is undoubted^ a predisposition to- ear trouble, which usually *°™ -an an accumulation o? wax, and this, ot 'S is-&ble to «* up inanimation, and discharge, and when once a dog has had a trouble Uke fflis he will always be liable to a recurrence of it. The cruel practice of lifting dogs up by their ears is a prolific source of deafness, and the man whodoej *hat sort of tiling Reserves to be li ftedup by his own ears in order that he may real se what the senj.ation is. like. The olci-Shioned-hab.t of clipping dogs' ears, as TH*ctised upon bull-terriers in part.cular, SS to cause a great deal of trouble, beSe* of course, apart from the operation S; the removal of so large a PF*} 0 "^ *h* ears simply opens the way for all sorts S foreign matters to obtain a lodgment, «enUal weakness. Spaniels and other field LT.«btrw g oi^LX a* bot y • questions about the' UabilHr of dogs to contract distemper -afexWbSs, andl fe* r words^ th» sub--iect may perhaps be useful. 1 here ST of^courfe, a greater liability to ♦Mita: -on An. open show ground. What 4og Wntrs require P toknow is whether they can bo doubt but that it is a. good plan to jriTo a dog a dose of quinine when he arrives at -the show, because if he has contracted aWhing in the nature of a chill Satwill tend to prevent further develop"cfuinine is an excellent thing for a - feverish odd or a •hivexing, and so w sahovlatc of soda. A combination of the two Skaloids has recently come into favour in the form of salicylate of quinine. The Bimplest way to administer either of those remedies h in the form of a pill, which can be obtained from any chemist; if onegrain pills be asked for, one of these will be f .sufficient dose for a dog up to 201b, and it will be- easy to give an extra one or more in proportipn to larger dogs. Of course, the most important matter is to prevent distemper being brought home by a dog returnintr from a show. To obviate this, the safest course » to see that every dog on returning from a show has a good bath and a dose of phyoic, and do not allow him to mix with the other dogs until he has been - kept apart for a space of three or four days Attention to these details win often ■ Eave' a great deal of trouble and anxiety, and loes as well, for there is no doubt whatever that many and many a case .ms occurred in which a whole kennel of dogs • have been infected through neglect of ordinary precaution after one of them has returned from an exhibition.