THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3594, 30 January 1923, Page 43

THE KENNEL.

By

Terror.

Fancier* and breeders of dogs ore cordially I®, rlted to contribute to this column. “Terror” will •ndeavour to make this department as interesting •nd up-to-date as possible, but in order to do till* be must have the co-operation of bia readers, bence he 'trust* this invitation will be oheeriuU* •tepanded to. —W. F., re Piles.—You will find the information you ask for in this week’s notes. —"Bishop.”—I think the paragraph you refer to was as follows:—“During summer,, fleas cause much annoyance to dogs. A method which is said to have proved successful is to sprinkle the coat of the dog with the following mixture: —Spirit of camphor, loz; pure carbolic acid, one drachm; warm water, one pint. Mix the whole well, ana use with a fine spray so as to apply it evenly and thoroughly.” —Many dogs suffer martyrdom from hemorrhoid or piles, and not only do the animals themselves suffer intense discomfort which cannot speedily be relieved, but obviously they become a great nuisance, especially as is generally the case, if they are kept as pets in the home. Piles are nothing more than enlarged veins, which, being surcharged with blood, look like bladders that will burst (which, indeed, is what otten happens). They are brought about by constipation induced most frequently and intensified by want of sufficient exercise, and by that most evil habit of kindly disposed people--the giving of sweets and pastry and similar dainties, which cause derangement of the liver and all its atten dant troubles. The most important thing of all, then, in treating a dog suffering in this way, is to keep his bowels properly opened. He must not be purged—for anything in the way of straining is highly undesirable but the bowels must be kept gently and regularly relaxed. No gentle laxative exists for dogs better than cascara sagracla (which can be given most conveniently in gelatine capsules as it is a bitter, nauseous drug when given in the crude form). It does not act the same with every dog, natonally, but it suits nine dogs out of ten, and its action is just what is wanted in a case of piles. In some eases a pill of rhubarb and colocynth (which all chemists keep in stock) will answer the same purpose very well. But apart from medicines the diet is of great importance as it is of great importance to keep the animal regular without medicine at all, or with as little medicine as possible than to have to give physic continually. There are two foods that will help to this end very much ; one is coarse brown bread, which should be given in soup and suchlike, and the other is bullock’s liver boiled, a feed of which now and again will work wonders. By way of giving local relief to pile-suffering dogs, an ointment prepared by mixing parts of green elder ointment and the compound nutgall ointment (both of which are official preparations in the pharmacopoeia) will give relief, but sometimes a lotion becomes necessary, as when there is bleeding. In that event the best application in the way of lotion is goulard water, soz; and aqueous tincture of opium, 2oz. Sponge the parts with this frequently, and after each sponging apply a small dressing of the ointment. A dog suffering in this way also requires a tonic, as the constant irritation and pain are likely to reduce his condition and make him out of sorts generally. By way of tonic give him a daily dose of Parrishs’ Food, or some pills of quinine, orai and gentian such as every practical pharmacist will supply for a trifling sum at a few minutes’ notice. Sylvan Moving Picture, a black cocker spaniel owned by Mr A. Kidd, Invercargill, is rearing a brace of each sex by her kennel mate Sylvan Smiler. These pups and their dam are reported to be doing extremely well. The editorial columns of the Kennel Gazette (England) give the following interesting particulars concerning the jubilee of the Kennel Club: —“In April, 1923, the Kennel Club will complete its fiftieth year of existence, having been founded by the late Mr S. E. Shirley at a meeting held on April 4, 1873. The office of secretary has, so far, been held by eight individuals, though two of these—Mr Aspinall and the late ivir E. W. Jacquet—account for 35 years out of the total, as shown below: Mr G. Lowe, 18731330; Mr F. W. Wilson, 1880-1881; Mr H. St. J. Stephen, 1881-1885; Mr W. W. Aspinall, 1885-1930; Captain Hunt, 1900; Mr J. M. de Vine, 1990-1901; Mr E. W. Jacquet, 1901-1921. But of all the occupants of the secretary’s chair one name stands out preeminently—that of the late E. W. Jacquet, whose 20 years’ tenure of office saw T the development of the club into what it is to-day, and whose death in November last year was a personal and deeply-felt loss to the thousands who knew him and respected him.” —Mrs Pat Campbell, writing to the Humorist, says: “I once asked a kind veterinary surgeon why dogs were so much nicer than people. His answer was : ‘ Nearly all bad dogs are drowned; all mad dogs are shot.’ ” Mr R. T. Baines, the well-known Manchester “all-rounder,” gives the following advice and prescriptions. He says: “In the treatment of distemper it can not be too strongly urged that one of the greatest aids to success is a system of careful and constant nursing. Immediately the patient becomes listless and mopy and feverish symptom® exhibit themselves, he should be completely isolated from other inmates of the kennel and placed in a box in warm, comfortable quarters. Whatever form of bedding is used the bed should be changed at

least once per day, the box disinfected, and the old bedding burnt.. He should be fed on such foods as toiled milk, raw eggs whisked, rice pudding, and a little wellcooked meat, or rabbit, and the broth from same, only a little being given at a time, as often during the day and night as the patient will take it. In cases of extreme weakness the liquids should be administered to the patient by means of a spoon. Ihe discharge from eyes and nose should be regularly wiped away with a soft cloth which has been steeped in warm vinegar and water. A rug or body cloth should be kept continually on the patient until complete recovery has been established, and when this has been secured the dog should by easy stages be brought back to his usual diet. All cloths used in removing the discharge from eyes and nose must be burnt immediately after use (the same piece never being used twice), and the box in which the dog has slept should be destroyed and the quarters thoroughly fumigated, and not be used again for at least a fortnight. The following mixture should bo given:—Solution amnion, acetatis concen 2oz, tincture of aconite quarter of a teaspoonful. spirit of chloroform ioz, ipecac, wine acz, sweet spirit of nitre joz; w’ater to lOoz; mix. Dose: Two tablespoonfuls three times a day for Airedale terriers and larger dogs, onehalf the dose for fox terriers and clogs of like size, and one-third of the dose for dogs of the toy varieties. Tape worm: Several kinds of worms trouble the dog, but t'he one most difficult to deal with is the tape worm, whose presence is readily detected by the thin, emacinated appearance of the animal, his vitiated and at all times abnormal appetite, his staring coat, and general woebegone look. It should be borne in mind that it is of little use treating a dog for tape worm whilst any portion of food matter remains in the stomach or intestines; hence it is absolutely necessary that for at least 24 hours before treatment he should be fasted and allowed to take nothing but a little cold water. Half an hour before the mixture is given to him he should be given a teaspoonful of warm castor oil, and then a ca.psule made up as follows should be administered. Burn all the evacuations, and if one administration is not effectual in removing the whole of mischief the dose may he repeated again in 10 days or a fortnight’s time. Mixture for tape worms: Kamala (as an alternative to the kamala loci' of freshly ground areca nut or 10 drops of etheral extract of male fern may be used) 15gr, arecolin 5 drops, spirit of turpentine 15 drops, aloes 20gr. Administer in one gelatine capsule. ’lhe above is a dose for a very large dog. For a fox terrier (201 b) give one-tliird and for a toy one-fourth to one-sixth. SHEEP DOG TRIALS. Mossbum.— March 15-16. Kyeburn District. — March 22 and 23. Mackenzie.—March 27-29.