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The male dog has certain peculiar structural characteristics that are related to copulation. There is a bone in the penis of male dogs that assists the animal in achieving and maintaining an erection. There is a socalled “bulb” in the male penis, which after entrance into the female swells enormously and causes these animals to be “locked” together after emission occurs. There is no pain or danger associated with this “locking.” Usually it lasts from a few minutes to a few hours, with the average time being about twenty minutes. The owner should not interfere at this point, but allow nature to take its course. Veterinary intervention is rarely necessary.
The temperature of dogs may be taken with an ordinary human rectal thermometer. The thermometer should be shaken down until the reading is no more than about 96 degrees, the mercury tip is covered with vaseline, the thermometer is inserted into the rectum and allowed to remain in this position for about one or two minutes, then removed and read.
At one year the teeth are fresh, white, and whole. At fifteen months the cusps of the lower pincers start to show some wear.
general dog care
The symptoms of eclampsia appear suddenly. The animal shows signs of extreme restlessness and the eyes bear an anxious expression. The animal pants heavily and there may be some salivation from the mouth. There usually occur intermittent muscular spasms characterized by stiffening of the legs and falling on the side. In severe cases there may be convulsions characterized by falling on the side, shaking violently over the whole body, champing of the teeth, and copious frothing at the mouth.
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Tumors are classified as malignant, in which case they are diseaseproducing, and benign, in which case they are not diseaseproducing. Malignant tumors are often accompanied by a gradual wasting away of the body. Portions of them may become disconnected from the tumor, be transported by the circulatory system to other parts of the body, and form new centers of development. Malignant tumors commonly terminate in death. The term “cancer” is applied to malignant tumors. Benign tumors are purely local in character, are not transported to other parts of the body, and generally do not affect the animal’s health. Though benign tumors are not diseaseproducing in themselves, they may contribute to the development of disease conditions because of the locations in which they may appear. Thus a benign tumor of the throat may give rise to symptoms of suffocation. In the abdominal cavity they may pave the way for digestive disorders and other pathological processes. In the limbs they may give rise to lameness.
general dog care
Lameness can also be caused by the rupture of ligaments or tendons. It is sufficient to state that these must be given immediate treatment, otherwise treatment is of no avail and the animal stands a chance of becoming permanently lame because the owner was too lethargic to get around to submitting the animal to proper treatment on time.
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