The Sick Room  
Equipment and Utensils  
Progress Chart  
Daily Temperature  
Giving the Dog His Medicine  
Cleaning the Sick Dog  
Giving the Dog an Enema  
Feeding the Sick Dog  
Dressing and Bandages  

DRESSINGS AND BANDAGES

Don't fool around with dressings or bandages unless the veterinarian asks you to or they come off. In most cases, the veterinarian will attend to the dressings and bandages. He may ask you to put a protective device on the dog to prevent the dog from tearing off bandages or biting sores. This device is known as an Elizabethan collar.

The Elizabethan collar is simple to make. Cut a semicircle out of heavy cardboard, with the inner or smaller circumference fitted snugly to the dog's neck. Make the outer circumference wide enough so that when the collar is in place, the outer arc extends beyond the dog's nose-tip. This will prevent him from reaching wounds or sores. Punch holes in the straight sides of the collar, insert laces, and lace the collar around the dog's neck, just below the jawline. When the collar is in place, it will resemble a rat guard on a ship's dock line.

To sum up: nursing your dog through a serious illness or injury requires time and devotion. But just think how devoted the dog is to you. He's willing to lay down his life to save yours. You ought to be willing to help save his.