Breeding. 459 



this time, and will not miss a chance to steal away and seek mates for 

 themselves. If not intended to breed it is absolutely necessary she should 

 have cooling medicine a dose of ordinary black draught answers well, 

 and may be given twice a week ; the food, too, should now be light, and 

 the proportion of vegetables increased and flesh meat decreased. This 

 course will often prevent fits, which, in those predisposed to them are 

 apt to appear at this time. 



When the bitch has been kept up there will, in all probability, at 

 the end of the usual period of gestation nine weeks be a secre- 

 tion of milk. This should be drawn off, or the accumulation in the 

 teats and other lactiferous glands will produce indurations ending in 

 tumours. The mammae should in such cases be bathed with warm water, 

 and afterwards rubbed with camphorated oil, or, if there is much 

 heat and swelling, add to the camphorated oil one-third part of brandy 

 and the same proportion of spirit of hartshorn. At the same time 

 recourse should be had to doses of black draught twice a week and a light 

 diet. 



It is a practice too general to keep bitches year after year and prevent 

 them from breeding. This is strongly to be condemned. It appears to 

 me an unjustifiable interference with nature, and it is certain that the 

 consequences to the animal are seriously detrimental. Not only are they 

 from this cause liable to suffer from scirrhous tumours, but it begets a 

 plethoric state of body and partial deposits of fat around the ovaries and 

 elsewhere that interferes with the healthy functional operations of im- 

 portant parts, and leads often to acute disease, and, where life is pro- 

 longed, it is as a burden to the dog and a nuisance to her owner. 



Breeding is a natural, healthy, and necessary thing. It is specially 

 required by highly fed dogs living luxuriously, as a means of using up 

 their excess stock of material, and, therefore, all bitches should be 

 allowed to breed at least occasionally. 



Selection of Sire. This must be made after consideration of the 

 various phases of the subject of breeding and the several influences at 

 work affecting the character of the future progeny. 



In the present day the rage with inexperienced breeders is for dogs 

 that have taken prizes. Except for the purpose of giving a fictitious 

 value to the puppies, prize winnings have no value in a stud dog. On 

 the contrary, a dog that has been much shown, and, in consequence, con- 



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