And carry the contagion with them

And carry the contagion with them

And carry the contagion with them

The one quarrel we all have with shows is that they certainly offer opportunities of spreading distemper to people who do not consider its existence in their kennels a sufficient reason for withholding entries, and carry the contagion with them, although the dogs they exhibit may be in themselves unaffected. An old-fashioned piece of advice in distemper, and one always given, was that at the outset of the disease a dose of castor oil, or some other aperient, should be administered. I have no hesitation at all in saying that whereas castor oil to the dog a violent irritant purgative has carried off many and many a puppy and delicate adult that, if not so weakened just when all the reserve forces of strength were most needed, might have pulled through, this practice is a most mistaken one, to say the least of it. If there is any probability of there being any collection in the intestine which needs clearing away, pure olive oil will do all, and more than castor oil, and will neither cause the pain at the time nor the subsequent constipation, which will be the inevitable results, if there are no worse ones, of the stronger, and, I must call it, vile, drug. Another fallacy is the supposed desirability of constantly washing the eyes and nose with warm water. This is often not properly dried off, and chill results, while all the fuss and worry is quite needless and does no good. A little bit of old linen rag may be torn up and the fragments used to clean off the discharges and at once burnt. Once, or even twice, a day a sponge damped with boracic lotion can be used, but very sparingly.