This is a more dangerous disease than diarrhea, which, when protracted, sometimes causes it, and may be described as diarrhea in its most aggravated form; there is generally feverishness present, considerable pain, and the evacuations are often black in color and very offensive, and followed by discharge of a gelationous-like substance mixed with blood. The loss of strength is very rapid, and the dog must be supported by drenching with beef tea and a little port wine in it, the medicine and general treatment being the same as in diarrhea. In one case of this kind, in a retriever, I gave two doses of twenty drops of chlorodyne with very good effect. The discharges in dysentery are immediately caused by inflammation of the mucous membrane lining in intestines, and are distinguished from diarrhea by containing no fecal matter except occasionally wlien it is voided in lumps; but the ordinary evacuations in dysentery, although they vary in appearance, are generally slimy looking and composed of mucus mixed with blood, and in the advanced stages of the disease pus is discharged and shreds of the mucus membrane, very offensive in character. The disease is very weakening, causes great pain and straining, and is very difficult to manage; it often occurs in protracted cases of distemper, and carries off the patient.

In treating dysentery the "anodyne mixture" given in diarrhea treatment should be tried in the first instance alone, and if ineffectual, one of the following pills for a dog of 60-lb. to 80-lb., every four hours may be tried with good results. For smaller dogs half a pill.

Pills For Dysentery

Take of tannic acid 2 scruples and pure sulphate of copper 1 dram, powdered opium 20 grains, mixed, and divide into twenty pills; or if a liquid medicine should be preferred, the following will answer: Take of pure sulphate of copper 48 grains, dissolve in 2 ounces of cinnamon water; add 1/2 ounce of tincture of catechu, 1/2 ounce of laudanum, 6 drams of aromatic spirits of ammonia, and make up to 12 ounces with cinnamon water. Dose for an 80-lb. dog two tablespoonfuls every four hours; smaller dogs in proportion. Clysters of starch, with one dram of laudanum in each, are often very beneficial, and one may be thrown up every four or five hours.

The patient should have perfect rest, all evacuations should be instantly removed, and the place where the patient is (which should be warm but airy) kept sweet with disinfectants. The food should consist of pearl barley, rice, arrowroot or wheaten flour, boiled in milk, varied with strong beef tea slightly thickened with stale bread or plain biscuit.

I have cured dogs of dysentery of long standing, obstinate cases, with the following prescription, which was found to be very valuable in the treatment of such cases in the human race - of soldiers who contracted this disease in the war of '61. A friend of mine, a noted doctor in human practice, gave it to me and I "tried it on a dog," succeeding in effecting a permanent cure, since which time I have used it in several such cases with success. Take sima ruba bark, two ounces, and put it in a quart of water, boil this down to a pint, then strain and boil this down to half a pint. (Be careful to not burn.) The dose for a dog the size of a pointer would be a teaspoonful three times a. day. Large dogs like a St. Bernard, two teaspoonfuls at a close, while very small toy dogs like a toy terrier, should have half a teaspoonful at a time.

The following prescription was furnished me by Mr. J. A. Rogers, of Ironton, Ohio, after trying it on his pointer that had suffered with chronic dysentery for over a month till the dog was a skeleton and could hardly stand up. This clog had been treated for worms, at first supposed to be the cause of the trouble, and several well-known remedies tried, but no worms and no stoppage of the dysentery. As a last resort he tried this prescription, and cured the dog. From a full history of this extreme case, furnished me by several letters during its duration, I have concluded that this is a very valuable remedy and likely to cure when everything else fails:

Specific aconite.............................. 10 drops.

Specific baptisia........................... 10 drops.

Specific ipecac............................... 15 drops.

Specific ecefolta ......................... 1 dram-.

Glycerine .................................. 4 drams.

Add water (distilled) to make ................. 8 ounces.

Of the first four articles use only Lloyd Bros.' preparations - a Cincinnati wholesale drug firm. If your druggist doesn't have them in stock, he can get them by ordering from Lloyd Bros.', or I can get this prescription filled and send you. The dose would be at first - until you see a change for the better - a teaspoonful every hour until three or four doses are given, then every two hours. Of course, if the patient should be a very young puppy, the dose should be smaller, but such cases of dysentery are seldom found in puppies, except when a very great looseness of the bowels appears, generally due to worms; such cases very likely will be cured by proper worm treatment, which find under heading of Worms. In above prescription the ecefolta is most excellent for the blood, blood-poisoning and as a disinfectant to kill germs, and to reduce fever, which every dog has in a case of dysentery. Dog also has a cold which the aconite will relieve. The baptisia is for fever and the blood, the ipecac for the stomach and mucous membrane of the stomach and bowels. I will add here that this remedy was intended by the regular doctor, who prescribed it for this dog - for humans, but was tried, and successfully, on the dog in this case. Worms may have been the original cause of this case of dysentery. Dry browned toast soaked in meat broths or gravy is very good food to use in such cases of dysentery.

Dent has written especially for this book the following on Dysentery:

"This disease is frequently neglected with the false hope that it will cure itself. It is a serious affection and demands prompt care and treatment. Causes are inflammation of the mucous membrane of the lower bowels or large intestines, accompanied by ulceration, and in many cases bleeding. The action of poisons, eating of putrid food, rapid' changes from heat to cold and. vice versa, also the after-effects of inflammation of the small intestines.

Symptoms

At first there is a loss of appetite, restlessness, painful condition of the bowels, as attested by pressure on the belly. The nose is hot and dry, the animal is feverish, and at first constipated. Afterwards the bowels, after more or less straining, begin to move, the passages are putrid and more disagreeable, become more frequent and tinged with blood as a result of injury to the bowels, or with pus as a result of ulceration.

Treatment

Give a dose to a 40-lb. dog, 1/2oz. each of olive oil and castor oil, to which can be added from 10 to 20 drops of laudanum; smaller and larger dogs a proportonate dose. Give injections of boiled starch water, with 20 to 40 drops of laudanum. If the disease has become chronic it may be necessary to try several different prescriptions before arriving at a cure. Here is one:

Sub-nitrate of bismuth ...................... 2 drams.

Ipecacuana powdered ........................ 30 grains.

Pepsin .................................... 1 dram.

Siastrase- .................................. 4 grains.

Dose

Divide into 12 powders and give one three times a day.

"And here another:

Acid tannic................................. 2 drams.

Opium powdered ............................ 12 grains.

Pepsin..................................... 1 dram.

Dose

Divide into 12 powders and give one three times a day. The foregoing-sized doses are based on a 40-lb. dog. Smaller or larger dogs in proportion. Feed white of egg, gelatin, beef tea, lime water and milk, toast and beef tea. Keep the patient warm and quiet."