Caring For Your Dog
Much will depend on the time of year whether the dog is allowed out to relieve himself or not. If possible, house-trained dogs should always be taken out for this purpose (if necessary wearing a coat and on a lead to prevent undue excitement or exertion) as a very clean dog will suffer if forced to "misbehave" indoors.
In hot summer weather the dog is probably better outdoors for part of the time provided he is not allowed to run about much (he could be kept in a small run) and is protected from strong sunlight. Ask your veterinary surgeon and be guided by what he says.
If the dog is not allowed out the floor of the room must be protected. If possible, carpets should be removed but if this is impracticable two thick layers of newspaper with a thin sprinkling of sawdust in between is usually sufficient.
Of course a kennel is much more practical, but it should be a large one of the shed type, in which there is room for a table, a good light, and ample space for handling. A cramped kennel in which it is impossible to stand upright is obviously not a suitable sick-room! House dogs will usually be nursed in a spare room, to which reference has already been made.
Whichever is used, good ventilation without a draught must be ensured. Stuffy sick-rooms are an abomination. In winter the temperature should be kept to about 60°F. A room thermometer is useful. Whatever form of heating is arranged, it must be absolutely safe. If it is impossible to arrange this, the dog can be kept perfectly warm with light rugs and hot water-bottles and, if necessary, he can wear a woolly coat. The hot water-bottle should be regularly refilled. If the dog is well enough to be out of his bed most of the time artificial heating will be necessary only in cold weather. Fresh air is essential and provided.
If the dog is warm, and in lung cases wears a pneumonia jacket, he will come to no harm.
Cleanliness of both the patient and his surroundings is essential. The room itself should be kept spotless and any excreta removed immediately. The dog should be groomed daily if well enough, and even if he cannot be moved from his bed it is usually possible to brush him gently with a soft brush or massage his skin with your fingers. If the dog is very ill he must not be disturbed for anything but essentials, but in the ordinary way the average well-cared-for dog, especially in the long-coated breeds, will appreciate this gentle grooming, just as a human patient will feel better for the refreshing daily wash.
The bed should be sufficiently roomy for the dog to turn and stretch in comfort. For small dogs, a tea-chest on its side with a three- to four-inch board nailed.
Across the bottom of the opening will be found very useful. It keeps out draughts and the dog will feel cosy and private. The front can have a wired door if the patient is a restless puppy, running a high temperature, and determined to commit suicide by leaving his box and lying in an icy draught from the room door.
The bedding can be straw, pine-shavings or blankets. The latter should be used only for clean cases, and it is a useful idea to have the blankets covered by a small linen sheet or light flannelette cot blanket which can be easily washed and frequently renewed.
The tea-chest plan is useful when the dog is suffering from a nervous disease, as it is possible to arrange a sack or blanket to shade the front opening and keep the patient inside sleeping in the dark without having the whole room darkened.
Whatever bedding is used, it must be kept clean and often renewed. If straw is used, shake it up frequently as it can become packed into a hard lump. When changing the bedding of a very sick dog have another box beside you lined with a thick blanket and place him gently in this while you see to his bed.
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Nasal Discharge The nose, in health, is always moist, and by a discharge we mean one which is clearly perceptible, ...
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Misalliance Misalliance, or accidental mating of the in-season bitch, is a frequent mishap and is often regarded by the owner ...
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How To Take Your Dog`s Temperature A half minute short bulbed clinical thermometer is necessary. See that the mercury is ...
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Paralysis This condition, a symptom or result rather than a disease in itself, is tedious to nurse and alarming to ...
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Dealing With Poisons Poisoning in dogs is not very common but when it does occur prompt action is required. The ...
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Pyometra This is an important and serious condition (pus in the womb) in which the uterus is infected. Although it ...
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Snake Bites Fortunately, only occasionally are dogs bitten by a snake in this country. Whilst a bite is unlikely to ...
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Thorns In Pads This minor mishap occurs frequently with dogs whose lives are not bounded by an asphalt road or ...
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Deaths In New Born Puppies Sometimes puppies within the first few days of birth begin to whimper continually, lose interest ...
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After Care For Nasal Operations The care of post-operation cases will depend to a large extent on the nature and ...
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Inflamation of The Brain Under this general heading can be grouped encephalitis, meningitis, the involvement of the brain during uraemia ...
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Preventing Diarrhea Diet for puppies is a big subject . Sudden change to a different kind of food can cause ...
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Dislocations Dislocations occur occasionally in dogs, usually as a result of a car accident. The commonest joint to become dislocated ...
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Dealing With Abdominal Pain The causes of pain in the abdomen are many and varied. They may be serious or ...
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Abortion Abortion, or miscarriage, is the expulsion of puppies before they have reached their full stage of development in the ...
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Dealing With Accidents Street accidents can be divided into two main groups: 1. Superficial injuries (varying degrees of bruising, skin ...
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Dealing With Bites Dogs are most commonly bitten by another dog, a cat or a rat. 1. Dog bites There ...
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Dealing With Burns And Scalds A burn is an injury produced by dry heat and a scald by moist heat, ...
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Dealing With Collapse This serious condition resembles shock but is very much more severe and often has a fatal outcome. ...
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Certain rarer conditions may produce abdominal pain, e.g., intussusception, where the symptoms are similar to those of an intestinal foreign ...
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When a dog is incontinent (this often happens in paralysis) several newspapers arranged under his hindquarters will help to keep ...
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Caring For Your Dog Much will depend on the time of year whether the dog is allowed out to relieve ...
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How to Handle your Dog in an Emergency THE handling of a dog should start when he is a puppy, ...
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Dealing With Heat Stroke This is most frequent in short-nosed dogs, especially bulldogs. Immediate action is important as collapse and ...
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Using Inhalation These can be exceedingly unpopular with canine patients but are nevertheless prescribed quite frequently for catarrhal infections, such ...
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Looking After Your Dog`s Eyes 1. Scratches of the eye. 2. Foreign bodies. 3. Extrusion of the eye-ball. Eyes are ...
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Dealing With Acute Mastitis. Mastitis, or inflammation of a milk gland, is usually seen in bitches in milk. Therefore this ...
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Ear Problems Mishaps to these parts of the dog's anatomy are fairly frequent. The three main causes of trouble are: ...
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Eclampsia Eclampsia is a condition seen in the bitch and it generally occurs about the time of whelping, or it ...
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Dealing With Feeding and Fevers "Feeding" is a misnomer in this connection as one of the most important points to ...
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Dealing With Foreign Bodies Objects which become lodged in various parts of an animal's digestive tract are referred to collectively ...
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Dealing With Fracture General. Fractures are the result of injury to the normally firm skeletal tissue—bone. Fractures may be of ...
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Dealing With Hemorrhage Bleeding, when it is from the skin, is a natural process to wash bacteria and dirt from ...
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This site is a common sense guide to Caring For Your Dog . In practical advice websites, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made. Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their individual circumstances to act accordingly.
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