The Presence of Worms in the intestinal canal is one of the greatest annoyances to the proprietors of dogs of all classes. In the greyhound they are a constant source of mischief, and in the other varieties of sporting dogs they are equally common. In the puppy they are particularly injurious, cutting off his supplies of food, and also irritating his nervous system, to a degree which can scarcely be credited without actual experience. Whenever a puppy is seen to look rough and unhealthy in his coat (mere roughness is no indication), and when he is also thinner than he ought to be, with a ravenous appetite, and the constant passing of small quantities of faeces, the first part of which is solid, while the latter part is loose and frothy; when he also is more dull than natural, with a hot dry nose, and offensive breath, it may generally be concluded that he has some kind of intestinal worm, and the only thing is to find out which species is present, and then to exhibit the appropriate remedy, For this purpose the areca nut is a very useful medicine, given in proportion to the age and size, from a whole nut powdered, which is the dose for a full grown dog of 401b. or 501b., down to a quarter of a nut for a little dog of 101b. weight.

This should be given, and followed in a few hours by a mild dose of castor oil, when some of the worms present will most likely make their appearance, and according to their nature must the remedy be.

The Varieties of Worms are as follows :

1. The Common Maw-Worm

This is a short white worm, about an inch long, with a pointed head, and a flat broad tail, the intervening part being nearly oval. These worms exist chiefly in the large intestines, where they are often in great numbers, and they are generally supposed not to interfere much with the health of the dog; but as it appears, according to Dr. Cobbold, that they are joints of the tape worm, it may, I suppose, be considered that this idea is not correct.

2. The Long Bound-Worm (Ascaris Lumbricoides)

A pink or red worm, resembling the garden worm in appearance, but somewhat less in size,and not so red in colour. They chiefly inhabit the small intestines, and are very injurious to the health, interfering with the digestion in every way, since they take up the chyle for their own use, and also irritate the mucous membrane by their presence.

8. The Tape-Worm (Tcenia Solium And Tcenia Lata)

This worm is found in two or three species, but for our purpose it is sufficient to describe its general appearance, which is that of a long flat worm, divided into joints, and often coming away in portions, but leaving the head behind. It is, when suffered to remain long enough, from six to eight feet long, and the dog may often be seen running about with a foot or two hanging from his anus, or curled round his tail, to his great annoyance and disgust. The tape-worm inhabits the small intestines, and is much worse even than the round worm in its effects upon the health of the animal. Its expulsion should therefore be effected with great care, and its head, which is larger considerably than the diameter of the rest of the body, should be diligently sought for, for until this is found it cannot be asserted with positive certainty that the vermifuge has been successful.

The General Principles of treatment consist in starving the dog for from twelve to twenty-four hours, and then administering the appropriate vermifuge followed by a mild dose of aperient medicine, to carry off the worms from the intestines. The following is a complete list of vermifuges suited to the various conditions and kinds of worms; but it will be necessary to repeat here what are the best for each kind, and their respective advantages and disadvantages, for, unfortunately, all are more or less injurious to the dog, and their use is only to be encouraged as a less evil than the continued existence of worms.

The Remedies fob Bound-Worm are as follows: -

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium).

Garlic (Allium sativum).

Cowhage (Macuna pruriens).

Santonine, or the active principle of worm-seed (Artemisia contra).

Indian Pink (Spigelia Marylandica).

Areca nut (Nux areca).

Stinking hellebore (Helleborus fcetidvs).

Powdered tin and glass.

Calomel (Hydrargyri chloridum).

For Tape-Worm or Maw-Worm the following may be used with advantage:

Areca nut (Nux areca). Kousso (Brayera anthelmintica). Barbadoes tar (Petroleum Barbadense). Pomegranate bark (Punica granatum). Male fern (Felix mas). Spirit of turpentine (Spiritus terebinthince).

Of these wormwood, garlic, and cowhage are nearly inert: santonine is useful for round worms, as also are Indian pink and hellebore; calomel is unsafe in the highest degree, and powdered tin and glass nearly useless. With the exception of Barbadoes tar, all the remedies enumerated for tapeworm are efficacious, but more or less injurious when the constitution is at all weakly.

Areca nut is the remedy upon which reliance is now chiefly placed, its careful and repeated exhibition being almost always sufficient to procure the expulsion of the worms; the dose of the freshly grated nut is 2 grains for each pound the dog weighs, and this should be given freshly mixed in broth, or, if the dog refuses it, mixed into a pill with a little jam or treacle; it should be repeated every four or five days for about four or five doses, when it may reasonably be hoped that a cure is effected, but, if not, a second course will almost always succeed. For round worm santonine is the most efficacious remedy, the full dose being 3grs.