Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-11-06
ANIMAL AILMENTS.
DOCTORING THE WILD BEAsT6
IN CAPTIVITY.
They Are More Tenacious OF Life Than
Human Beings-Setting Broken
Leg - Dressing Wounds
Dental Operations

OF them die early OF natural death.
They would require no medicine or
doctoring if they were In their native
forests, but the change in their mode of
life frequently induces diseases that
could easily be cured if they were al
lowed to run about at will. On the
other hand the mortality among the
Gagged animals is not as great as am ong
those loose in the jungles, for accidents
aud injuries from fights aud bullets are
never heard OF in the Gagged life.
Once in a great while one of the wild
animals escapes from his pen to another
aud fight ensues. After such con-
Aict. lacerated limbs, bloody jaws and
injured bodies mutely appeal for some
soothing hand to allay the pain. Broken
leos and claws, and even loosened
teeth increase the list Of injuries. But
they are not submissive to their doctors
and they resent auy intrusion with
crowls and snarls. A broken leg OF an
animal is a most difficult thing to cure,
but it is often done when the animal is
n very valuable one.
Straight jackets or slings are pre-
nsred for the injured ami NAL, and when
this is strapped around him he Is held
a tight prisoner. The broken leg pro
trudes from the cage, while the big ami
NAL is lashed close to the iron bars. In
this position he can do nothing but howl
and growl at his prosecutors. The leg
is set properly and bound up with
splints, and then 80 nicely attached to
the straight jacket that the animal eau
not use it il he would. Lions. tigers,
hears and similar wild animals have their
broken limbs treated in this way. The
sling is so arranged that they can go
to sleep in it without seriously disturb
inc the broken bone. 1t is not very
comfortable bed, but it is better than to
have the broken leg grow together in a
delormed shape.
Wounds are dressed in similar ways.
The animals are tied securely to the iron
bars so that they canno. snap at the sur
econ. and then the wounds are washed
and dressed The bandagcs are tied on
securely, but frequently a very wild
beast will tear them of as soon as put
on. This only aggravtes the sores, aud
if they continue in this perverse mood
they are sometimes tied up in slings,
where they cannot touch the bandages.
Animals frequently have to have their
toes cut, or the nails pulled out. In
their native juugles they wear the strong
claws off so that they never need trim
ming, but in their quiet cage life there
is nothing to keep them short Proba-
bly, once year they need trimming, aud
this operation is often attended with
considerable fun. The lions and tigers
object seriously to having their feet
manipulated WITH and they fight and
growl savagely until the operation is
over with.
The operation is really very simple.
A strong rope is secured to the animals
foot, aud then several men pull the foot
through the side of the cage. The ami
NAL kicks, snaps, howls and exerts all OF
his strength to get his foot back, but he
is helpless in the hands of his keepers.
While two or three hold the foot between
the two iron bars, another one quietly
trims the nails to suit himself. In-
growing toe.nails are cut off, too, or
extracted by means of strong pinchers
When the animals have the tooth ache
thew suffer the same as human beings. In
their greediness to eat their dinner they
NAV snap bone so hard as to loosen one
of their teeth. This gives them ex-
cruciating pain, and the tooth must be
extracted before they can find relief.
Now lion or tiger hates to have a
tooth extracted as much as boy, and
sometimes the operation hurts a great
deal more. Very frequently the tooth
has to be knocked out of the jaw with
hammer or at least loosened so that the
big pincers can pull it out. The animal
has to be tied and the jaw held wide
open with a gag before the tooth can be
taken out. 1t might well seem to his
ordship thst his prosecutors were about
to kill him, but when the troublesome
tooth is finally out he shows his relief by
wagging his tail. His intelligent eyes
seem to say that he understands now
why they made such a fuss, and be is
thankful to them for it, but when it
comes to have another tooth extracted
he is just as sulleu and angry.
The small animals are treated by the
same physician, but they can be hap died
with less trouble. Still the wildcat,
with its strong, 1.-THE body, is as disa-
greeablc a customer as any of the larger
animals, for doctoring. They are never
tanned so that they can be handled with
impunity. When sick they snarl, snap
and scratch even at their keeper. Gen
orally dry-goods box of the right size
is taken, and two Of the top boards are
pulled of, and half a circle cut into each.
When they are nailed down again the
two half circles leave hole In the top
OF the box about the size Of the cats