THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3103, 3 September 1913, Page 33

THE KENNEL.

Bt Terbob.

Faaoien and breeders of dogs are cordially Incited to contribute to this column. " Terror ” will andearour to make this department a* interesting and up-to date as possible, but in order to do this he must hare the co-operation of his readers, hence be trust* t>/.j invitation will be cheerfully responded to. -

“C. R.” asks whether dogs can suffer from indigestion? He fancies his dog s that way, but, considering the wonderful digertive powers dogs possess, ho thinks it a matter of doubt. 1 answer yes; certainly they can, and, what is more, they very often do. I believe that even an ostrich or a crocodile would get indigestion if fed on the lines that some dogs are —i.e., on innumerable snacks throughout the day as well as regular full meals. The dog is provided with special machinery for digesting even hard bones, and his system secretes digestive juices far beyond what are required for the l food he often actually gets. These juices, however, require time to act. and will act thoroughly if he is only fed once or twice daily. “C. R.” should be able from the foregoing to gather how to cure bis elog. i: B,” Greymouth.—Goitre is considered to be hereditary, and manifests itself in some puppies as a result of colei, sometimes after mange, and at times it is the outcome of neglect. It will often disappear without treatment, but may recur periodically. Give simple iodine in yells igr to the pill, mixed with gum and syrup, or, otherwise as the chemist cares to mix it. Give one pill daily till the goitre is reduced. Loss of appetite may result; if so, suspend medicine for a few days. No permanent ill effect has ever, according to Youatt, followed the taking of iodine. The South Island Bulldog Club are to be congratulated on the success of their recent puppy competition. The attendance of the ladies was very encouraging, and augurs well for the future of the fancy. I bear that five applications have been made to become members of the above club. Mr and Mrs Johnstone, of the Bluff, have been passing through Dunedin, and have been making calls on local bulldog fanciers. Mr Johnstone informs me that lie was well received in Christchurch, and inspected the kennels of Messrs Oates and Hickenbottom and Mrs Whiteman. He reports that the latter has a very fine litter of four dogs and one bitch by Amlmrst Barron, ex a Glenledi Rector dam. I understand that one of these is hocked for a Dunedin fancier. Mr A. E. Nioholls. of Christchurch, the well-known owner of Bromley Swasher, is in Dunedin just now. and acted as judge at the recent puppy competition. Mr Nicbolls has an experience extending over 20 years of bulldogs, and is one of the pioneers of the breed in the South Island. Among bis earlier bitches was the Queen of Sheba. Like most fanciers, Mr Ni oh oils has had a run of extremely bad look at various times. Ho wont to some considerable expense a short time ago in importing a "very fine type of bitch from Mr Claude Bridgeland's well-known kennels, but soon after her arrival she died owing to whelping troubles. This was a severe blow to Mr Nicbolls, and was enough to take the heart out of any man; but Mr Nicbolls is as keen as ever, and was very enthusiastic at the puppy competition about the prospects of the bull dog fancy. The committee of the South Island Bulldog Club are considering the advisability of arranging a free-and-easy social gathering after the business has been disposed of at their annual meeting next month. Mr Menzies has kindly consented to bring down his recently-imported bulldog British Beaming. Beaming has created quite a reputation for himself in England, both as a stud dog and a winner at highclass shows. As this is a fancy blood in England just now, his arrival in New Zealand should be the means of considerable improvement in the standard generally.

A simple and effective ointment for skin irritation and other kennel troubles is said to be oarbolised vaseline. First, wash the parts with some antiseptic lotion, such as solution of permanganate, and then after wiping dry apply a little' vaseline to keep the'parts soft and moist. Carholised vaselino may be made in the following manner, which represents the official British Pharmacopoeia preparation in so far as regards strength: —Take of crystalline carbolic acid { o7 glycerine |oz ; mix these two intimately together in a mortar, and then add them to vaseline—-the latter process being best conducted on a stone or earthenware slab. It is one of those universally useful ointments that may be applied to almost anything in the way of sores or wounds or skin irritation duo to either an impure state of the blood or to parasites. It will be noticed that the percentage of carbolic acid in the recipe is only about 4 ; this acid is very dangerous if applied carelessly to dogs, many valuable animals having been poisoned at times by its external use in baths when it has not been properly dissolved in the water. This is a warning that cannot too often bo repeated, especially to novices. A very common trouble, and one which might be, and ought to ho. prevented in the majority of instances, is that of milk tumours Bitches which are not allowed to have puppies are often victims to this most painful (judging by human experience) trouble. It is a cruel practice to keep a bitch year after year, as many thoughtless persons do (who might bo thought to have more sense), and never to permit the poor animal to follow her natural maternal instincts. But it is not only maiden hitches that aro afflicted this way; many cases which come under notice are due to loss of puppies. To suddenly deprive an animal of all her young is an unforgivable act; yet it is unfortunately a practice all too common. If it is not intended to keep a litter of puppies they should be disposed of within 24 hours of their birth, but one at least should bo loft for the mother to rear. There will then be no danger whatever of milk trouble. If, on the other hand, all the wholps ho destroyed, the most likely thing to occur will he abscess—following inflammation of the udder. This is indicated by swelling and great tenderness—not necessarily in each udder, hut usually so—the teat?" being stopped up and the milk gradually solidifying in tjio glands. The way to deal with a case of this kind is to act speedily before this solidification

has ensued; drew off the milk -regularly, and try to find a foster puppy to replace the lest family. Failing such a discovery, use hot fomentations, nut the animal on starvation diet (to stop the milk from forming’, and give strong aperient medicine. An ointment composed of equal parts of green ointment and lanoline may also prove beneficial. If an abscess forms there is nothing for it but to poultice and foment until it is broken and discharged.

The abscesses which form as a result of milk-accumulation must be distinguished from the mammary tumours which occur vn bitches at all ages, and are really nothing more than swellings of one or other of the milk glands. These sometimes grow very large and unsightly, and the aid of a veterinary surgeon is always rcciuirod if they are to bo dealt with effectively—since only a surgical operation will achieve this. They are naturally more likely to appear in maiden bitches which are not allowed to breed, and ladies who insist (as so many of (hern do) upon keeping female pots ought to make it a duty to part company with their treasures now and again in order to allow of attention to family matters, which will obviate these difficulties in 19 eases out of 20, and will, moreover, tend to prolong the life and good health of their pots beyond what they can expect under unnatural circumstances.

- A French writer makes the swooping assertion that, next to women, there is nothing so agreeable, so fascinating, or so necessary to the comfort of man as the dog. He is the companion of his walks, the participator in his joys and amusements, a silent, but tender, sympathiser in his sorrows. Ho converses with him by means of tho eyes, and no woman ever spoke move eloquently or bewitchingly by those sparkling and thrilling orbs than does he. The movement of his caudal appendage, which can express joy, sorrow, and anger, is another means of holding conversation with liis master or mistress, and which he uses frcolv.

Goughs and colds in canines should on no account be neglected, because they may give rise to lung trouble of a more serious character. The cough may precede an attack of bronchitis, it may herald in inflammation of the lungs, it may give rise to a sore throat, or it may ultimately turn to asthma, which is a particularly distressing form of lung complaint. To prevent any of these more serious troubles, it is desirable that a cough should be taken in band as soon as it begins to affect a dog. Keep the animal warm; but not in a stuffy atmosphere (where the irritation will become greater), and give him several times a day a mixture composed of two parts syrup of squills, one part glycerine, and one part compound tincture of camphor, commonly known as paregoric. Tjie dose of this is about SO drops (that is, half a teaspoonful) for every 101 b the dog weighs, and it should be given at least three times a day. This treatment will soon cure any ordinary cough.

ECZEMA IN DOGS—HOW TO TREAT IT.

Dogs are the most frequent and obstinate subjects of eczema that the veterinarian has to deal with. much confusion exists as to the skin eruptions of these animals, and the most virulent form of mange is often termed eczema. One of the chief difficulties in eczema is the tendency to scratch. If the dog itches he will scratch, and no moral suasion will deter him. Although dressings afford considerable relief to all classes of animals suffering from this disorder, yet a remedy that will prove beneficial in one case will be found almost useless in another. It is therefore advisable to use unguents sometimes and lotions at others.

As an ointment, oxide of zinc with vaseline can be recommended, or boracic acid and lanoline; while as an oily application the solution of diacetatc of load (Goulard’s extract) is calculated to allay pain and irritation.

Lead acetate with glycerine and water is also a soothing lotion, but should not be employed for dogs or cats, as they will lick it off, and if they are not made to vomit they may suffer from lead poisoning. These objections do not apply to other animals. Jf the extreme irritative stage can be got over with dogs 'by the frequent application of a weak solution of cocaine, they will gen - rally let a simple scab alone and allow it to heal. The cause of eczema is often difficult to be accounted for, but no doubt one of the common causes with dogs is the cooking and heating of therr food in the same vessel time after time without its being cleansed. After food has been heated up a dozen rimes and crop after crop of microbes has been killed, it is finally given to the dogs to cat. and (if they escape ptomaine poisoning) it is apt to cause an eruption which, for want of more detailed knowledge, is called eczema.

Dogs that roam at large are also apt to eat offal, or the flesh of animals that have died from disease, which may produce a disorder resembling eczema A complete change from whatever diet they may have been kept, on will often prove a euro without resort to medication, except of the simplest kind.