THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3882, 7 August 1928, Page 33

THE KENNEL.

By

Terror.

Fanciers and breeders of doga are cordially invited to contribute to thia column. “Terror" will endeavour to make th>a department as interesting and up-to-dat-j as possible, but in order to do this he must have the coopsration of his readers, hence ha trusts this invitation will bo cheerfully responded to TO CORRESPONDENTS. “ Black and Tan,” Christchurch, writes: " I am anxious to obtain a Gordon setter, and am writing to you on the chance that you may be able to give me. the name of some fancier who keeps this breed. I understand there was a number of them in Southland a few years ago.” There have been no Gordon setters shown for years in New Zealand. . An advertisement might put you in communication with an owner.

“Poodle,” Napier, writes:-—I have a pet dog which 12 months ago was in the very best of health, but lately has had growing on his right hind foot a large boil or carbuncle. It bursts and discharges, then forms again, each new growth being larger than the one that last burst. This last carbuncle was as big as a large walnut; now it seems as though a ring filled with puss is growing round the old wound, and another small boil is forming in the centre of the old wound. I bathed his foot in “ Kerol,” and that seemed to relieve the pain for a time. He has gone off his food, his coat is a disgrace, and he is altogether a wreck. Will you please advise me? There is no veterinary surgeon in Napier, and the chemists do not understand animals. If you will .help me I shall be so grateful. The trouble is a form of eczema, and is often met with by owners of dogs. The. abscess should be opened up (cupwise), all matter pressed out, and the wound painted with iodine. A bandage over the wound is necessary to keep dirt from getting into it. R. T. H. asks for a good lotion to use in a case of canker of the ear. I understand that a lotion consisting of warin water and boracic acid is considered the best, but the proper way to apply it is another question. Some years back “ Medicus ” (Our Dogs) wrote: “ I have noticed that correspondents are frequently recommended by our veterinary adviser to use a douche to dogs’ ears when they have ear canker. Probably there are a good many people who do not understand what a douche is, so it may be useful for me to describe it and explain its effects. The apparatus itself is merely a tin (pint or quart capacity, as the case may be) with a tap at the bottom. To this tap is attached a long piece of * feeding-bottle ’ tubing, ending yvith a glass or leathern nozzle. You put the lotion in the can, hold it up, put the nozzle just near the dog’s ear. so as to direct the stream into the ear-passage, and turn on the tap. This effects a thorough washing out of the interior of the ear, and is much gentler and less painful than squirting stuff violently into the ear by means of a syringe. The lotion generally used is warm water with about a teaspoonful of boracic acid to the pint. It is a good plan to prepare the way for treatment of

this sort by dropping glycerine into the ear two or three times during the preceding 24 hours. [lncidental*.- I may add that this douche business is by far the best to use for little children who suffer with earache.] It is desirable also to mop out the ear with a little cotton wool or soft linen regularly after using the douche, and then finish up by dropping in a little more oil in anticipation of the next dressing.” Distemper Treatment.—More dogs recover from distemper through capable home nursing than those dosed continually with medicines and so-called “sure remedies.” In constipation, dose with liquid paraffin (this is not a medicine—simply a lubricant) until relieved. Inhalations of steam from boiling water into which a few drops of eucalj-ptus have been dropped will greatly relieve the nasal and bronchial catarrh which usually accompanies distemper.Two members of the Band Box Revue Company have, while touring New Zealand, bought dogs. One purchased a black puppy cocker by Braeval Banker ex Bowler of Braeval from Johnson’s Animal Hospital, Christchurch; and the other bought a young bulldog bitch by Bromley Gray ex Snowflake Lulu from Mr J. Rivett. If you want to be known as the breeder of any breed of dog it is necessary to make use of the press. Use the advertising columns and make use of the kennel scribe. He wants local news—i.e., the kind of news that his readers are looking for. An All-round Fancier!—The' Rev. Rosslyn Bruce, in his “Fox Terrier Facts” (Our Dogs), writes: “Well, this

is to be my last set of ‘ Facts ’ for five or six weeks, as to-morrow 1 set off (with my eldest daughter, who has just left school) to Montreal, for Minneapolis, U.S.A., as a delegate'to the International Conference of Rotarians. We call at Cherbourg and Cobh on the way, and hope to visit the Niagara Falls, and many hives of industry, such as Ford’s works, returning from New York to arrive at Liverpool on July 3. Herstmonceux Rectory will, however, be fully tenanted, as not only has the Rev. A. J. Skinner, who is a member both of th c Kennel Club Committee and the Fox Terrier Club Committee, very kindly undertaken the heavy work on the Sundays, but among the ‘ super-human inhabitants ’ are numerous representatives of the following species and breeds:—Fox terrier, foxhound, Cairn, horse, cat, turkey, duck, tumbler, fantail, Leghorn, Barnevelder, Rhode Island Red, fighting game, pheasant, phantom, dove, cavy, squirrel, parrot, jerboa, tortoise, goldfish, and a mealworm farm! The rest of the usual menagerie have been ‘ parked ’ or ‘ walked,’ but will accumulate again on our return. If nothing of canine interest occurs on our expedition, it is at least hoped that by the middle of July the threads will be taken up .again.”

The dingo is still a menace to sheep or ners in the various States. \ arving bonuses are paid for scalps. In Western Australia .it is £2, in Victoria and Queensland £l, in North and Central Australia. 10s, and in South Australia 7s 6d. Trappers, it is alleged, take advantage of the lack of uniformity and scalps secured in the States which pay only the lower amounts are taken to Western Australia and Queensland. The Queensland dingo boards pay for 50.000 - East year the number was °~,249. Since payment was initiated £1,980,000 has been paid to individual trappers, outside of administrative expenses for the 36 boards which are working to control the pest.

There is a bulldog in England, owned bj a member of the London Vegetarian Society, which during the three vears of its life has never tasted meat. The dog is well developed and weighs 701 b. It is a first-class watch dog, and has a pronounced dislike for postmen, policemen, or anyone in uniform. It has a fine eien temper, and has never been known to attack other dogs. The animal’s ration is as follows:—Morning, crisp toasted whole-meal bread; midday, toasted whole-meal bread, vegetables, olive oil ground nuts, and cheese; supper oatmeal’ biscuits. The dog also likes fruit, and otten steals raspberries out of the garden. Bully is never sick or sorry, and is a good advertisement for vegetarian diet.