Or Acute Rheumatism, is a very common disease in the dog, though not very generally attended to or described by writers on their complaints. It arises from exposure to cold, when the dog has been overfed, and rendered unfit to bear its attacks upon a system full of inflammatory matter. The pampered pet is the most liable; but greyhounds and pointers which are highly fed, and sometimes not sufficiently exercised, are also very liable to its approaches. In the dog rheumatism is either confined to the muscular system or to the coverings of the spinal marrow, which sometimes take on the rheumatic inflammation to such an extent as to cause paralysis of the hind-legs. General rheumatic fever, or acute rheumatism, is characterised by intense soreness of the surface, so that the dog shrinks on the approach of the hand from fear of being touched. He will almost always retire to some corner, and refuse to leave it on being called by his owner; and if brought out by force, he will stand and snarl at every hand ; and this is one of the best methods of diagnosis with which we are acquainted. The treatment should be as follows; First give a smart purge (1) or (2) in the list of aperients.

After this has acted give the following pill, or half of it, according to the size of the dog, three times a day until the pain has abated; Calomel and powdered opium, of each 1 grain; colchicum powder, 2 grains; syrup to form a pill. When the pain is gone, if the bowels are not very relaxed, give a dose of castor oil; and during the whole continuance of the pain use a warm anodyne embrocation, composed of laudanum, spirit of camphor, and liq. ammoniae in equal proportions. This will act still better if the dog is first put into a hot bath at 100 degrees of Fahrenheit, then dried well by a good fire, and afterwards the liniment rubbed into the parts which are most full of pain. For the more chronic forms, called kennel-lameness and paralysis of the hind-quarter the warm bath and liniment may be used with the aperients, as above; but instead of the calomel and opium, give one or two tablespoonfuls of the following mixture twice a day; Iodide of potassium, 1 drachm; sweet spirits of nitre, 3 drachms ; nitre, 1 1/2 drachm; camphor mixture, 6 ounces. Mix. The diet in each case should be low, all animal food should be taken away, and the dog fed upon meal or rice according to the state of the bowels.

It is a disease in great measure the result of too stimulating a food, and a withdrawal of meat will go far towards a cure, which, however, is seldom of long continuance when the disease has become chronic.