Among dogs of mature years there is found an occasional individual that is afflicted with tape worm. It is not, however, in many instances, readily determined when this parasite is present. The symptoms that usually denote its presence are also those which are common from other causes, and the only positive proof that your dog is affected is the finding of detached portions of the parasite in the discharges. When, however, the appetite is good, but the food taken does not appear to be of benefit in improving the condition of your clog, and there is no known ailment to account for it, there is a strong probability that he is suffering from tape worm.

There are many agents in common use for expelling this pest. One of the most effective, and as safe perhaps as any, is freshly prepared areca nut. Procure from the druggist as fresh nuts as possible; grate them fine, but do not pound them in a mortar, as this method appears to destroy their usefulness in a great measure. The proper dose is one-half grain for every pound weight of the dog. Place the powder on an earthen plate or piece of window glass, and with a case knife work into it a piece of butter or lard no larger than a small cranberry. Make into a compact ball, and in most cases the dog will readily swallow it. Should he refuse to do so, open his jaws and place it down his throat as far as you conveniently can; then close his mouth and hold his jaws together until he swallows it. Little force will be necessary if he is held between the knees and his head held well up.

Previous to administering it all food should be withheld for twenty-four hours. Two hours after giving it he should have a dose consisting of two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil and one of syrup of buckthorn mixed, giving him no food whatever for at least an hour after administering the oil. This will nearly always prove effectual. In case, however, that it does not accomplish the purpose at the expiration of two weeks, you may administer, to a fifty-pound dog, twelve drops of extract of male fern well beaten up in a tablespoonful of milk, observing the same precaution as to the giving of food and oil as before noted.

Areca nut does not kill the parasite, but causes it to loosen the hooks or suckers by which it adheres to the intestine, while the oil of fern kills it outright. I have never seen serious results from the proper use of either remedy; but, so far as my observation goes, the disturbance from areca nut is less than is the case with the extract of fern. That death has been caused by the improper use of both of these remedies is no argument in their disfavor, when they are properly administered.

A gentleman once told me that oil of fern was a very dangerous poison, and to prove the statement he said that he had given a tablespoonful to his puppy, and when he next saw him, at the end of an hour, he was dead. As this was apparently a very natural result, I did not gainsay it. I have also heard of other cases where the owner was equally unpardonably ignorant, and, it is hardly necessary to add, the result was the same.

I once prescribed by letter for a three-months-old mastiff that was troubled with worms; and, as he would not touch sour milk, I advised twenty grains of areca nut made into a bolus with lard. The owner wrote me that he gave this as directed, but the puppy at once vomited it up, when he gave him the same amount of the dry powder by pouring it down his throat, upon which the little fellow gave a gasp or two and died. It is perhaps needless to add that he blamed the remedy for the result, instead of his own stupid ignorance.

The moral to be deduced from these illustrations is obvious, and should teach the one who has charge of the patient to implicitly follow the directions, which should accompany every prescription, to the very letter, thus escaping the feeling of poignant regret that must ensue when one realizes that, through ignorance or carelessness he has caused the death or ruined the health of a loved companion.

Sour milk is an excellent diet for does afflicted with worms. When the puppies will eat it readily, they should be given a full meal of it two or three times a week, and very few of them will be troubled with worms. Should, however, the worms obtain a foothold in numbers, do not feed the animal at night. On the morning follow-ing place before him a panful of the thick, loppered milk - if it is a trifle old and stale all the better - and he will soon be rid of the pests.

The above refers to the common round worm (Ascaris marginata), the most troublesome of the family to puppies. In some cases the mawworm. which infests the large intestines, may be present, but the same course of treatment will effectually dislodge it. Puppies that are cleanly kept and properly cared for will seldom be seriously troubled with worms. Should they become afflicted with them, the treatment here advised will carry them through all right.

The symptoms that indicate the presence of worms are many and varied. Among the more prominent are a hot and dry nose, unusual appetite, bloating of the abdomen, dry and staring coat, an offensive breath and a dry, hacking, persistent cough. Any of these symptoms may be due to other causes, and it often requires good judgment and experience to determine with accuracy the true cause of the trouble. Convulsions, paralysis and nervous affections frequently result from a severe attack of worms. The former two will disappear upon the removal of the cause, but the latter will sometimes remain for a long time, and are hard to overcome, even with the best of care.