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LEPTOSPIROSIS, a bacterial disease which attacks the kidneys and the liver; vaccines are due on the twelfth to fifteenth week of your dog;
Prolonging the life of the old dog depends directly on our knowledge of the diseases of old age. The study of the diseases of old age is called geriatrics, and it is only in recent years that it has been subjected to systematic and critical consideration. It was not so long ago that the treatment of the diseases of old age consisted essentially in an effort to keep the patient comfortable, the casual administration of drugs that would relieve pain, and the application of halfhearted medical measures, given with a kind of benign hopelessness. The outlook was generally a dismal one. Veterinary medicine had little faith in its ability to combat nature in this regard. The diseases of old age were accepted as somehow inevitable and research was therefore not sufficiently stimulated to undertake the quest of solving the problems involved. The result was that if a dog did live to a ripe old age, it was due more to extraordinary vigor or to meticulous care than to any exceptional medical efforts on the part of the veterinary surgeon. The fact is that most dogs did not often get the opportunity to become old. Potent diseases readily decimated their numbers while they were still in the prime of life. There simply were not many old dogs around.
Treatment consists in the feeding of fresh foods, maintaining bowel regularity, and control of parasites and other conditions which might add to discomfort and thus possibly aggravate the fit attacks. Supplementary quantities of vitamins A and B should be incorporated into the diet. The ultimate outcome will depend upon the general resistance of the animal and the severity of the fit manifestations. Treatment should be undertaken only under veterinary supervision.
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While there are no essential personality differences between the sexes, there is no doubt that some personality variations exist among the various breeds. Though rather minor, they are significant enough so that they should be inquired into in order that the particular breed can meet individual needs. This fact may be of special importance where there are children in the household. The disposition of an animal certainly must be compatible with the personality of the child. Some breeds have a tendency to be peppy, alert, excitable, or noisy, while others are generally quiet, lazy, or phlegmatic.
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VITAMIN B6, PYRIDOXINE: Not much is known about this vitamin. Deficiencies of it result in certain forms of anemia. It is not common in the ordinary house dog since it is present in sufficient quantities in the fresh or commercial foods commonly fed to dogs. The main sources of pyridoxine are wheat germ, yeast, egg yolk, fish, liver, green vegetables, and whole wheat.
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In addition to the regular food, dogs, during the first year of life, should be fed some vitamin supplement to assist in the proper development of the bones and the eyes. This can be done by giving about half a teaspoon of codliver oil a day to animals weighing less than twenty pounds, and a full teaspoon to animals over twenty pounds. The very large breeds may be fed as much as two teaspoons a day. If tablets are preferred, the ordinary “oneaday” vitamin preparations that can be bought at any pharmacy will usually serve admirably when given to the dog weighing twenty pounds or more in the same dosage as is given to man. Smaller dogs are given proportionately smaller doses.
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