More than half a century has passed since I gave the first dose of medicine to my dog. Since that time, I regret to say, deep under the sod lies many a victim of mistake - not willful, nor repeated when the truth was learned, but still mistake that cost me dear, as I ever deeply loved my pets. In the course of time I learned by sad experience that many of the books that I looked to for light were but ignis fatuus that led me on to the destruction of my pets and the ruin of my hopes.

After discovering that something was radically wrong, I earnestly set out to learn the why and the wherefore, meantime refraining from administering any powerful drug or medicine of any kind to my dogs. During this period, although I may not have learned much from lectures or, books, I did learn from my dogs that nature was so far superior to me in bringing them through their ailments all right, that it was better for me, and very much better for them, to follow in her footsteps. This little work, however, makes no pretensions to anything of a scientific nature, but simply - as its title indicates - shows the unscientific reader just how to take care of his dog by a humane and rational method of treatment that will very often keep him free from the ills that are common to dogf life. No claim is to be found in these pages that there is an infallible panacea for all or any of the diseases to which dogs are subject; but the claim is made that a careful study of Nursing vs. Dosing, and an intelligent application of the principles and rules laid down, will prove to be of inestimable value to the dog owner by assisting him to preserve the health of his pet. Since the time when my dogs taught me my lesson, whenever they have been ailing I go very slowly toward the medicine chest, and when I do open it I am very chary about using its contents.

Careful nursing, with simple, harmless remedies, for the ordinary ailments that dogs are subject to, is all that is required to bring them safely through in a very large majority of cases. I have always believed in and practiced careful nursing for my dogs when they were ailing. Knowledge of the simple remedies used, for the greater part at least, has been gleaned from others throughout the length and breadth of the land, together with lots of knowledge of what not to do; indeed, the latter I believe to have been of greater benefit to my dogs than the former. How often have I been assured that a certain medicine or course of treatment was an infallible specific in certain cases, when I knew, or soon learned, that it was the very worst thing or treatment that could possibly be resorted to. Occasionally, however, I have stumbled upon something that has proven to be of great value - simple perhaps, but efficacious.

The results of more than fifty years of experience are here given, and I assure the reader that no course of conduct is advised, no treatment recommended, no remedy prescribed, that has not been thoroughly tried and tested by the writer, and is believed to be entirely trustworthy in every respect.

I sincerely trust that a perusal of these pages will induce a trial of the methods described, and that the result will be lessened pain and added comfort and happiness for man's best friend.