Doggie Details

Heat Stroke and Hysteria

This is most frequent in short-nosed dogs, especially bulldogs. Immediate action is important as collapse and heart failure may occur quite rapidly. Remove the dog to as cool a spot as possible. The animal should be carried and not allowed to exert itself in any way. A room with a stone floor is ideal, and the animal should be laid on its right side with the left side uppermost. A current of air helps greatly, and fanning the dog will increase the intake of fresh air.

The head and back of the neck should be doused with cold water or if ice is available, an ice pack or compress applied. The mouth should be sponged out with cotton wool or a handkerchief wrung out in cold water, and saliva wiped away so far as is possible. If the animal has collapsed, smelling-salts or ammonia solution held within an inch or two of the nose will often help. A few drops of brandy on the tongue, then a thorough swabbing of the throat to remove the mass of saliva which accumulates and which the collapsed animal is unable to get rid of himself. The patient must be kept absolutely quiet for about half an hour after his recovery, or until he has been examined by a veterinary surgeon, as exertion might result in damage to the strained and fatigued heart.

Hysteria is a temporary mental disturbance seen mainly in puppies and young dogs. Though the symptoms are distressing to the observer the animal itself does not experience any pain and usually emerges from the fit none the worse. Symptoms vary considerably. The animal may run about barking and violently crashing into objects in its path, or it may merely wander, twitch spasmodically, froth at the mouth, and then appear quite normal.

The causes of hysteria and "fits" are as varied as the forms in which a dog is affected. The usual causes in young dogs are the teething process, indigestion (usually associated with worms, or a dietary indiscretion) or a sudden severe fright. Distemper and/or hard-pad are diseases characterised by mental disturbances of one sort or another, but in such cases other symptoms will almost invariably have preceded the mental stage of the illness. Such symptoms as a cough, discharge from eyes and nose, and diarrhoea, are typical of distemper or hard-pad and animals with these symptoms are usually seen by a veterinary surgeon before any brain complications occur.

It should be remembered that until the cause is removed or remedied the hysteria is likely to recur. As this is essentially a first-aid book it is not intended to discuss the differential diagnosis of the many causes of hysteria. That is the expert's field. Important first measures can, however, be taken by the owner of a dog suddenly showing hysteria, and these should be taken promptly. Remove the animal to a darkened, quiet room where it can do no harm to itself. Fires are dangerous. A dog in its semi-demented state may fall on to one and suffer serious injury.

Unusual Abdominal Pain

Certain rarer conditions may produce abdominal pain, e.g. intussusception, where the symptoms are similar to those of an intestinal foreign body. This is where a portion of the bowel becomes inverted upon itself. It is commonest in the young dog or puppy. Vomiting is a constant feature, with a temperature rise of 102° - 104°F, and intermittent straining. Diarrhoea is a frequent forerunner of this condition and such a chain of symptoms in a young dog should be regarded as probably indicative of this state, and your veterinary surgeon informed promptly as the only treatment is surgical.

This condition appears to be commonest in the long-backed breeds (e.g. Dachshunds).

Renal pain (i.e. kidney pain) is also a cause of abdominal pain. This may be due to acute nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys) or to renal calculi. Acute nephritis is often due to an infection in young dogs, caused by leptospira canicola.

The symptoms of leptospira canicola infection are those of a severe lumbar pain, with the back arched, a fever of about 104°F, vomiting, increased thirst, and refusal to eat. It is essential that treatment is applied immediately. Whilst the infection is present damage is being done to the kidneys, and though delayed treatment will kill the organism, irremediable damage will have been done to the kidneys. Therefore in all cases of this nature your veterinary surgeon must be informed. Incidentally, this particular organism can be quite effectively vaccinated against, in the healthy dog, and if this is done the animal should be immune for the rest of its life. The vaccination consists of two small injections given at a week to ten days interval and produces no reaction in the dog. In view of the seriousness of this disease, a policy of prevention is particularly wise where two or more dogs are kept together.

Renal calculi (stones in the kidney), a condition of older dogs, is comparatively rare, and an X-ray examination necessary to diagnose this. Pain is acute at times and the dog is sometimes unable to move until the spasm passes.

A condition known as Rubarth's disease or viral hepatitis is symptomised in its acute form by severe abdominal pain, vomiting, depression and a temperature of anything up to 106°F In this condition, which is due to a minute virus which attacks the liver, it is important to call in your veterinary surgeon immediately. It is mainly an infection affecting young dogs and it is sometimes noticed within a day or two of a dog having been given a worm dose. A little glucose water is the only medicament that should be given until he has been examined by a veterinary surgeon.

Ear Problems with Dogs

Mishaps to these parts of the dog's anatomy are fairly frequent. The three main causes of trouble are; torn ears (from fighting or by barbed wire). Haematoma (a haemorrhage under the skin of the ear flap) or foreign bodies in the outer ear canal (e.g. grass seeds).

Dogs do not, however, bleed to death from bitten ears, and the bleeding will cease within a few minutes if pieces of cotton wool soaked in cold water are held firmly over the wounded area, one each side of the injured flap. If the wound is extensive, i.e. more than 2" long, it is advisable to have the injury attended by a veterinary surgeon, but before taking him to the surgery bandage the ear upwards over the head, the bandage going right round the neck and thus enveloping the whole ear and neck region. This will stop the dog shaking his head during the journey and so starting a fresh flow of blood. If the wound is small, clean it with a little cold water containing a suitable antiseptic and with a pad of cotton wool or gauze each side of the ear flap, bandage the ear over the head as described. This may be removed one or two days later, and the wound kept clean until it has healed. In spaniels, and long-coated dogs, it will be necessary to clip some of the hair away to ensure a clean wound.

A dog's ear consists in section of a layer of skin, then a thin layer of cartilage, then a further layer of skin.

Occasionally, especially in large-eared dogs, a violent shaking of the head causes a rupture of one of the many small blood vessels supplying the skin and the tissues below. This results in the ear flap becoming suddenly hard and balloon-like. The condition is not serious but may need surgical measures to return the ear to normal size. This, of course, will have to be carried out by a veterinary surgeon. As this condition is usually the result of violent head shaking or ear scratching it is as well to have the ears examined to make sure there is nothing producing an irritation in the ear canal itself. Such an irritation can result from a local infection, or can be produced by:

Grass seeds occasionally work their way down the ear, into the external canal of this organ, resulting in an acute irritation. The animal holds its head on one side, whimpers, and is in obvious discomfort. It should be promptly seen by a veterinary surgeon who, by means of a special instrument, will be able to see the seed, and with special forceps remove it. Some cases will require an anaesthetic. The earlier this is attended to the better, as presence of the grass seed will result in a sore ear, and maybe a secondary infection.

Do not pour oil or any other liquid into the ear. This will make the veterinary surgeon's job more difficult, by obscuring his range of vision when he examines the ear with the auroscope.

Do not probe or poke about in the ear with forceps or pieces of cotton wool. This will push the grass seed further down.

Dealing with Acute Canine Mastitis

Canine mastitis, or inflammation of a milk gland, is usually seen in bitches in milk. Therefore this condition arises in bitches which have recently whelped or, less commonly, in those which have had a false or "phantom" pregnancy (i.e., all the changes of pregnancy have occurred but no puppies have been produced). In cases of mastitis the milk gland or glands affected are hot, hard and tense, being painful to the touch, and the milk secretion is discoloured. The condition may mature quite rapidly - in 12 or 24 hours - so it is important that expert attention be given as soon as possible. The temperature of the animal usually reaches 103 - 105°F, and the bitch shows signs of pain, refuses food and develops an excessive thirst. There may or may not be vomiting, and pain sometimes causes the bitch to snap at her young if they attempt to feed from the affected gland.

Before skilled help arrives steps can be taken to prevent the condition becoming worse. The gland should be well fomented with warm water or warm olive oil, and any secretions gently milked out by a gentle squeezing with finger and thumb towards the teat. This can be repeated every hour. The procedure greatly helps to relieve the local congestion and prevent any further absorption of poisons from the gland.

This condition should not be confused with that of mammary tumour, which shows itself as a swelling in one or more of the milk glands, usually in the bitch when not in milk. The swelling is usually painless, hard, and localised to a portion of a gland. The temperature remains normal and the bitch's general health is unchanged. Professional advice should be sought in such cases but great urgency is not present.

The prevention of mastitis. This inflammation of the mammary glands in the bitch, which arises from various causes, is sometimes avoidable. The most important cause is injury from the puppies or from some other source, or an accumulation of milk in one gland due to it having been neglected for some reason by the offspring.

It is a good plan to cut the points of the puppies' nails from ten days of age onwards about once a week; these grow at astonishing speed and can lacerate the glands.

Pekinese and other low-to-the-ground bitches should have the top of the whelping box very smooth otherwise injuries can be caused when getting in and out.

An accumulation of milk can be prevented by feeling all the glands regularly, making sure they are soft and pliable, and encouraging the puppies to suck from all the teats. If a gland begins to feel full and hard the milk must be drawn off by hand several times a day until the gland is soft. Vaseline or olive oil will help to keep it in a supple condition. Any hardness or fullness is often the preliminary to mastitis which, like all local inflammatory conditions, shows the classic signs of heat, pain and swelling. Canine mastitis is usually preventable and should not occur if a bitch is properly cared for by an observant owner.

Dealing with Foreign Bodies

Objects which become lodged in various parts of an animal's digestive tract are referred to collectively as foreign bodies. The subject is complex as the object may become arrested at any one of a number of sites. Not only will the symptoms vary but also the seriousness of the situation, therefore the subject will be discussed from beginning to end, dividing the various types of foreign body cases into anatomical areas. Namely the Mouth, Gullet (oesophagus), Stomach, Intestines and Rectum.

A common form of this mishap is a bit of bone or wood becoming firmly lodged across the roof of the mouth, between the back molars on each side of the upper jaw. Such an object may become tightly fixed. In most instances these can be successfully dislodged by opening the dog's mouth and levering the wedged object out with a finger or the handle end of a spoon.

Care should be taken not to allow the dog to close his mouth until the object is well outside the mouth, otherwise he may swallow it. In some cases, however, the object becomes so firmly fixed that dental forceps may be required to dislodge it.

The signs of a foreign body in the mouth are usually obvious. The animal claws and paws frantically at his mouth, salivates profusely, and is, of course, unable to eat food. Whilst such cases are not really dangerous to the animal's life, the sooner the offending object is removed, the better. Needles are a different matter; they may break in the mouth, leaving the point firmly embedded in the palate or tongue. Anaesthesia and an X-ray examination are essential in most of these cases, firstly in order to facilitate the removal of the embedded portion, and secondly to find out whether the broken-off portion has been expelled, or swallowed to cause further trouble lower down.

It is usually medium-sized portions of bone that become lodged in the oesophagus, the channel which connects the mouth with the stomach. A simple way to identify this condition is to give the animal one or two small pieces of meat. If the foreign body is present in the oesophagus the dog will vomit the meat, almost at once. The oesophagus is divided into two main regions-the head or front end situated in the neck region, and the stomach or lower end situated within the chest cavity or thorax. The latter position is a more serious site of obstruction as injury to the gullet in this region endangers many vital organs and nerves. In any case, or suspected case, of oesophageal obstruction X-ray or surgical measures are essential as rapidly as possible, in order to locate and remove the object. Objects in the oesophagus are often spiky or pointed, or have sharp protrusions, and massage of the dog's neck in an endeavour to move the obstruction should be avoided; it might result in laceration of the lining of the gullet.

Large, smooth foreign bodies such as golf balls, stones, marbles and bones are the commonest foreign bodies to become arrested in the stomach.

Accidents and Artificial Respiration

Street accidents can be divided into two main groups:

1. Superficial injuries (varying degrees of bruising, skin lacerations and possibly minor bone fracture.

2. Severe injury (fractures, profuse haemorrhages, possibility of damage to internal organs).

The patient is usually more frightened than hurt and is generally more difficult to handle than the badly injured dog. Restraint is the most important factor; a semihysterical dog in a crowd is not only distressing but also dangerous. If possible, handling should be left to the owner, whom the dog will usually trust. A lead slipped over the dog's head as a noose is a useful method of catching an hysterical animal. A few minutes spent soothing the animal before endeavouring to see the extent of the injuries are not wasted; he will be given a chance to get over the initial shock and surprise of the accident.

Remove him to a quiet spot as soon as possible and, if he can walk or be carried, take him indoors. If the injuries seem to be confined to the extremities, and there is no sign of bleeding from nose or mouth, a sedative should be given if the dog is still excited. Attention may then be paid to his injuries. A dog capable of getting up and running off after an accident is usually only slightly injured. Any wounds should be gently bathed and a clean handkerchief or bandage applied to wounds on extremities.

The animal may be unconscious or unable to rise. Do not try to lift him as this may cause pain and he may snap or bite unintentionally. In addition, further damage may be done. Get a sack, blanket or coat, lay-it on the ground and gently and gradually slide it under him. Then, using this as a stretcher, carry him into a quiet spot or room, or place him on the back seat of a car. Profuse haemorrhage should be stopped or stemmed. This can best be done in an emergency by wedging a handkerchief, the cleaner the better, into the wound. If on a limb, a handkerchief tied round the wound will help. If there is no external sign of injury, but haemorrhage is seen from the nose or mouth, keep the animal as quiet as possible until help arrives, or until he is taken to the veterinary surgeon. Keep the animal as still and as warm as circumstances permit. Cover him with a blanket, rug or coat and, if possible, place a hot water-bottle along his spine

If there is any suspicion of internal injury, or if there is any blood round the mouth or nose, or if the animal is unconscious, do not give any stimulant or sedative. With a severely injured dog the best action is to check local haemorrhages and keep the patient warm and quiet until skilled help is obtained.

The object of artificial respiration is to provide the animal with sufficient air (oxygen) when respiratory failure (i.e., stoppage of natural breathing) has occurred. Respiratory collapse, or failure, is found mainly during surgery, when an animal is anaesthetised, but poisoning by narcotics, coal gas or smoke may produce this state.

Preventing Diarrhoea

Diet for puppies is a big subject. Sudden change to a different kind of food can cause diarrhoea and this often happens at weaning time, when the change from the mother's milk to other foods is made too quickly. Worms are another cause, particularly when the puppy looks emaciated in spite of plenty of food. The diarrhoea is usually frothy when these internal parasites are responsible.

Puppy kennels should be kept scrupulously clean and excreta removed at once if possible. Overcrowding, stuffy conditions, lack of exercise and fresh air can predispose to diarrhoea.

Leaving on one side disease and harmful bacteria as possible reasons, the owner should ask himself just why his dogs or puppies have diarrhoea, and not regard it as a perfectly normal happening.

Although referring mainly to puppies, these remarks are equally applicable to adults.

Diarrhoea occasionally results from mental upsets - for instance, when a dog has been on a long journey for the first time - but these cases are very transitory.

Sometimes diarrhoea assumes an epidemic character and all or most of a kennel may be affected. This may be due to outside causes - for example, bad meat eaten by all the dogs - but in other cases it is a matter for the veterinary surgeon, who should always be consulted when the diarrhoea is not due to any ascertainable cause. It is advisable to take the temperature of an affected dog or puppy, particularly when there is also depression or other signs of malaise. There is usually a slight rise when an infection is the cause.

Prevention of this troublesome condition is, as we have seen, of prime importance and 75 per cent of the cases seen in kennels would be unnecessary with proper care and feeding and good management and hygiene.

Treatment will, of course, depend on the cause. When it is tainted food, a dose of castor oil is a safe preliminary and this may be sufficient to cure a mild case. Otherwise, a careful diet should be started, consisting mainly of milk thickened with arrowroot or corn flour and rice with milk. Do not give meat, fish, eggs, biscuits or glucose. Do not experiment with invalid foods which might aggravate the trouble, and remember that brown bread and wholemeal generally, is relaxing, so better avoided. When the animal is definitely ill, and there is weakness and prostration, Brand's Essence is excellent.

Drugs are not usually necessary in mild, uncomplicated cases, but kaolin and charcoal (Grookes) is a useful standby, and Ghlorodyne is often successful in obstinate cases, but as this drug can be very dangerous in amateur hands it should be given only with veterinary approval. As previously mentioned, when the diarrhoea is bacterial in origin there are specific drugs obtainable from the veterinary surgeon, or on prescription, which act directly in the intestines. Do not be persuaded by a chemist into giving patent medicines or proprietary diarrhoea powders of any kind.

Dealing with Collapse

This serious condition resembles shock but is much more severe and often has a fatal outcome. It may come as the result of a bad accident, in heart conditions or as a disquieting phenomenon in a serious disease, and recovery will depend on cause.

The dog should be treated for shock in addition, the hindquarters should be raised and the head kept low. The dog should be on its right side. Brandy by mouth (a few drops on the back of the tongue) should be given if the animal is able to swallow-nothing should ever be given by mouth to an unconscious patient. If the dog is unconscious the tongue should be pulled forward and out; if it falls to the back of the throat it will impede respiration. Coramine and other stimulants may be given subcutaneously, but this is for the veterinary surgeon to decide, and in all cases of collapse he should be called at once.

This is due to accidents, blows on the head and similar causes. The dog is usually unconscious for most of the time, and the veterinary surgeon should be called at once. In the meantime, place the animal, well covered with blankets, in a warm, dark room. Hot water-bottles are advisable but they must be properly covered as an unconscious and possibly restless patient is easily burnt. If possible, ice (wrapped in a flannel) should be applied to the head, or cloths wrung out in very cold water and changed repeatedly. Nothing should be given by mouth, and the dog should be kept as quiet as possible pending arrival of professional assistance.

Diarrhoea, the frequent passage of watery motions, is a symptom and not a disease in itself, and, if possible, the cause should be tackled first. In certain illnesses (such as hard-pad) diarrhoea is simply part of the pattern of disease and, as such, is treated specifically but it is often due to other causes-food, worms, indifferent hygiene, for example. Although dogs can eat putrid meat with apparent equanimity, and surfer no obvious harm, its ingestion will often cause diarrhoea. This applies equally to cheap and inferior biscuit meals, some brands of dried meat, stale biscuit, bad fish and poor and tainted food generally.

Diarrhoea in puppies is, unfortunately, a common occurrence in many kennels, but any owner who regards it as normal and of no significance is wrong. A properly reared puppy may have occasional looseness but it should not have diarrhoea. When it exists, in spite of first-class conditions and care, the cause may be bacterial and can be remedied by giving certain drugs acting in the intestines. Food for puppies should always be fresh and of excellent quality- no contaminated meat, for instance. The youngsters should not be fed on or near sawdust or straw as if these substances get into food they are frequent causes of diarrhoea. Do not give large, sloppy meals.

Eclampsia in Dogs

Eclampsia is a condition seen in the bitch and it generally occurs about the time of whelping, or it may occur during the suckling period. This condition is caused by a lowering of the blood calcium which in turn is due to the heavy demands made by various detoxication processes which go on about the time of parturition, and also to the heavy draw on the bitch's reserves by having to produce large amounts of milk. The bitch with a first litter is not commonly affected, it being a condition more usual with the mature mother. Eclampsia is commonest in the bitch with the large litter, especially when she has "done the puppies well".

The first symptom is an alteration in temperament. The bitch appears distressed and fussed for apparently no reason. Some bitches become very excited and may even have hysteria. They then become lethargic, have a sub-normal temperature, may show epileptiform convulsions and, in very advanced cases, become cold, comatose and moribund. Any panting, shivering, or unusual distress in an in-milk or lactating bitch should be regarded as possible eclampsia.

The only specific treatment for this deficiency condition is the replacement of the lacking blood calcium. This can be done adequately only by the administration of calcium by injection, and if the condition is suspected your veterinary surgeon should be informed immediately. There is a degree of urgency in these cases as some bitches rapidly become comatose. There are several steps which, if taken promptly, will greatly retard the onset of the advanced symptoms of the condition. Firstly, remove the puppies, or allow them to remain in the bitch's presence but do not allow them to feed from her. This will prevent any further immediate drain on her calcium reserves. If the bitch has symptoms of hysteria or over-excitability give a small dose of sedative (2-5 gr. pot. bromide). In any case, keep her absolutely still and quiet and as warm as possible. If available, one or two 5 gr. calcium lactate tablets crushed in a little milk may be given by mouth. These should be continued daily after she has received her calcium injection and until the puppies have been weaned. An adequate supply of Vitamin D should also be given during convalescence.

As this condition is due to a deficiency of calcium in the bloodstream of the nursing bitch much can be done to make its onset less likely by the inclusion of calcium, phosphorous, and so on, in the diet. Bitches should be given both milk and bone meal (this is specially prepared for animal feeding and is not the kind sold for gardens) from the sixth week of pregnancy until the puppies are weaned. Milk is a rich natural source of calcium, and bone meal supplies the essential minerals in an easily assimilated form. A rich source of Vitamin D should always be given as this aids the utilisation of calcium and phosphorus-halibut oil or Vivomin (Crookes) are good examples.

Haemorrhage and Heart Attacks

Bleeding, when it is from the skin, is a natural process to wash bacteria and dirt from a damaged area. However, it can be dangerous if it is coming from a cut artery or vein, if it comes from the lungs or an internal organ, or from a highly vascular area (i.e., one well supplied with blood vessels). Examples of the latter are the tongue and, in the male dog, the penis.

When blood is noticed from the nose, mouth or anus give nothing by mouth. Keep the patient warm and quiet until attended to by a veterinary surgeon. For ordinary wounds on limbs a clean bandage, tied over the injury firmly but not too tightly, will soon stop local bleeding. Bathing with cold water will also steady or stop local haemorrhage. Cold water is certainly of value in cases of injury to the penis. Ice packs or cold water swabs laid on the sheath will soon ease the flow of blood, which can be dangerous if no action is taken.

Arterial haemorrhage. When an artery is severed haemorrhage is profuse. The blood comes in regular gushing spouts, bright red in colour, and in such cases prompt action is necessary to prevent a severe and possibly dangerous loss of blood. A bandage or handkerchief should be tied tightly above the point of haemorrhage; severed arteries are usually on a limb and therefore bandaging can be managed quiteadequately. When this has been done, tie another bandage or handkerchief firmly over the wound itself.

These measures will control or stop the bleeding until the animal is properly attended to by a veterinary surgeon.

Venous haemorrhage, or bleeding from a severed vein, is not so severe as with arterial bleeding. Blood will well out often quite rapidly but not in spurts. The haemorrhage is darkish in colour, and not the bright red of arterial bleeding. The limb should be firmly bandaged over the bleeding area and if this does not stem the flow of blood within a few minutes a second bandage should be tied tightly immediately below the injury. This latter bandage should be slowly loosened after 10-15 minutes if help has not come by then. If the bleeding re-starts, apply this bandage again. The bandage over the actual wound should be touched only by the veterinary surgeon, unless it should slip before he arrives. All cases of arterial or venous haemorrhage should be kept still, warm and quiet.

Heart attacks are not as common in dogs as in humans, but they occasionally occur, mostly in very old dogs. Heat-stroke is one main cause of this type of collapse but in susceptible animals a variety of minor states might predispose or cause an attack. Generally speaking, over-fat dogs are most subject to heart conditions. Animals which have suffered previous heart, lung, liver or kidney disease or injury, are also potential cases of heart failure, or embarrassment.