INTRODUCTION 



Half a dog's pleasure in life is in eating 

 and half his health lies in his eating. 

 More cases of canine sickness arise out 

 of abnormal conditions in the stomach and 

 intestines, which conditions are caused by 

 innproper feeding, than from any other 

 cause. A veterinarian gives a correct or 

 nearly correct diagnosis two of three times 

 when he mentions digestive trouble. 



Improper feeding may consist of too 

 much food, the wrong kinds of food, too 

 many feedings, or food not prepared 

 properly. 



So much has been said and written con- 

 cerning the feeding of the dog, whether 

 puppy or grown, that in the midst of this 

 profusion and confusion, the dog owner is 

 nonplussed. Not a little of all the much 

 advice is contradictory. One person pre- 

 sented as an authority, states that the dog 

 should not eat potatoes ; another present- 

 ed as an equally reliable authority, says 

 that the dog should eat potatoes. 



Also, the subjects of vegetables and 

 vitamins have been overdone in the dis- 

 cussions of canine diet. 



It is well for the breeder, handler, ken- 

 nelman and pet dog owner to bear in mind 



that regardless of all the advice, contra- 

 dictory and otherwise, a happy ending 

 will ensue if the dog has plenty of exer- 

 cise, is kept in dry, ventilated quarters, 

 has the proper training and human con- 

 tacts, is fed regularly and not too often, 

 and if all situations are met and handled 

 by a generous application of ordinary 

 common sense. Dogs fortunately have a 

 habit of surviving much of man's neglect, 

 mistreatment and wrong feeding. 



For whom is this booklet written? Basic- 

 ally it is written for the dog, for man's 

 best friend, in order that he may obtain 

 more enjoyment out of life thru proper 

 feeding and the consequent better health. 



It is written for all classes of readers — 

 all dog owners, from the professional 

 kennelman down to the one-dog or pet- 

 dog owner — the layman dog owner, for 

 expert and novice, oldtimer and beginner 

 alike. 



Therefore, it must be correct scien- 

 tifically above all other things. Second- 

 ly, it must be complete for every impor- 

 tant phase of the feeding of the dog. 

 Thirdly, it must be written plainly, be 

 conveniently arranged, and embody the 

 latest findings in the field of canine 

 dietary research. 



A— ANATOMY OF DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 



The following is extracted from the 

 author's Anatomy of the Dog. The ma- 

 terial may seem to the reader to be exten- 

 sive and involved for inclusion in a booklet 

 on canine feeding. Yet a clear _ under- 

 standing of the anatomy of the digestive 

 system is essential for a scientific ap- 

 proach to the subject of feeding the dog. 

 The author's aim in this booklet is to 

 present the subject in a method that is 

 accurate and helpful. 



It is urged upon the reader that he 

 study carefully this section inasmuch as 

 the time and effort given will be well 

 repaid in a knowledge of his dog useful 

 not only on the subject of feeding but on 

 almost all other canine subjects of health 

 and sickness. 



The digestive system is concerned with 

 taking in, preiparing and disposing of 

 food for the body. Chemical and mechani- 

 cal changes must take place before the 

 food which is taken into the mouth be- 

 comes a part of the living tissues of the 

 body. This process is known as diges- 

 tion ; and the transfer of the digested 

 food into energy and tissue thru the 

 blood stream is known as assimilation. 



The route of the digestive system is the 

 alimentary tract ; it may be said to extend 

 from opening to opening, from the mouth 

 to the anus of the rectum. 



It is divided into — 1. mouth. 2. esophagus. 

 3. stomach. 4. small intestine, 5. large in- 

 testine. Along with these we must consider 

 the digestive glands, the liver, spleen and 

 pancreas. 



SAW-TOOTHED LOWER LIP 



The start of the journey is at the opening 

 gate, the mouth, which cuts, grinds and 

 breaks up the food for digestion. In the 

 dog the lips being thin and mobile, do not 

 play an important part in the seizing of 

 food as is true with herbivorous animals 

 such as the horse and cow. 



It is interesting to note that the upper 

 lip has a central groove while the edges of 

 the flaccid lower lip are highly dented or 

 saw-toothed in outline. 



DOGS "THROW" A DRINK 



Water is taken into the mouth by lap- 

 ping, a throwing-back of the tip of the 

 tongue toward the roof of the mouth. 

 GULPING NOT A VICE 



The dog chews very little at all except 

 when crushing bones and eating hard food 

 such as dry biscuit. Gulping is the cus- 

 tomary, natural act of the dog. 



As saliva is not a particularly im^portant 

 juice in the digestion of the food in a dog, 

 as it is in the human, it is not necessary 

 that the dog chew food thoroly. The shape 

 of the teeth indicates that their function is 

 to tear rather than to grind. 



The muscles of the teeth and jaws are 

 strong because the dog does with his jaws 

 most of the things we do with our hands. 



The salivary glands secrete and pour 

 saliva into the mouth for the purpose of 

 softening the food. These glands are 

 named parotid, submaxilliary, sublingual, 

 and orbital. 



A SUPERSTITION ABOUT DOGS 



The tongue is thin, long and mobile. 

 The size and shape vary with the breed. 

 The u<pper surface is marked by a central 

 groove and is coated thickly with short, 

 thin hair or papillae, of rough touch to 

 the human skin. The under surface has a 

 cord composed of muscular tissue. It was 

 presumed in old times and by some today 

 that to remove the "worms" or cord from 

 the tongue cured many ills, including 

 running fits. 



EASY TO BREATHE AND VOMIT 



The soft palate, which hangs from the 

 roof of the mouth and the pharjmx, is 

 short in the dog ; hence the dog can 

 breathe easily through the mouth and can 

 vomit easily. 



TEETH A "SYSTEM" OF OWN 



The teeth can be considered under the 

 separate heading dentition, but as they are 

 a practical ipart of the digestive system, 

 we discuss them here. See illustration on 

 page 5. 



