FEEDING THE DOG 



12 



If the dogr's pulse is low, heart weak, 

 and death is threatened, srive whiskey and 

 milk in equal parts as emersrency aid. 



Vomiting Aids Sick Dog 



Vomiting: is not to be despised either in 

 dog or humans. A greater practice of it 

 would be advisable for ourselves. The 

 strong muscular coating of the dog's 

 stomach makes it easy for him to vomit. 

 Also the nerve center in the brain con- 

 trolling the act of vomiting is highly 

 developed in the dog. The soft palate also 

 is short. 



Let your dog vomit to his stomach's 

 content; he is a greedy eater and the 

 vomiting relieves a bad condition or frees 

 his stomach of injurious substances. If 

 he eats grass, he does so chiefly for the 

 sensation and the resulting vomiting. 



The eating of his own vomit by the dog 

 is not undesirable. Let him do so. This 

 food already acted upon by the gastric 

 juice, is easily digested. Mothers at times 

 vomit their food for the young to eat. 



To check vomiting, give bismuth sub- 

 gallate. 



Dogs eat grass chiefly as a cure for too 

 much bile. The fibrous parts of the grass 

 irritate the mucous membranes, and then 

 are vomited, having particles of bile 

 clinging to them. Let the dog eat as 

 much grass as he pleases, esipecially tough, 

 rough wide stalks. 



Gulping the Food 



When a dog is eating, even tho he is a 

 one-man dog and you are the one man, 

 do not place your hand or face near his 

 face. At eating time, keep away from 

 your dog. If you do not and he growls 

 at you, do not punish him. His ancestors 

 and not he are grrowling at you. For 

 countless centuries his ancestors were 

 half-starved most of the time and when 

 they did come upon some game or other 

 food in the woods, the one who had it 

 fought to keep it as a matter of life or 

 death by starvation. 



This condition explains why almost all 

 dogs gulp their food. When game was 

 come upon, the dog was required to de- 

 vour his portion quickly lest the others 

 take it from him. The gulping habit he 

 has brot with him into man's civilization. 



We have set forth the very short time 

 food remains in the dog's stomach. Saliva 

 in the mouth gives little aid to the gastric 

 juice in the stomach. Hence, it is not 

 important in the dog's diet. The dog mas- 

 ticates or chews little. Food is separated 

 mostly in the back of the mouth by the 



scissor-like molar teeth and bolted or 

 gulped as soon as the pieces are small 

 enough to be swallowed. 



Value of Chewing 



Large pieces of food which mast be 

 nibbled or chewed are desirable because the 

 chewing cleans the teeth and removes 

 from the gums the matter that harbors 

 pyorrhea and other germs. Chewing as 

 an aid to digestion matters little. Dry 

 food requiring chewing cleans the dog's 

 teeth and gums. Bones aid in "splintering 

 off" the flinty film of tartar. 



The Dog Without Appetite 



As long as your dog eats heartily, he 

 can not be seriously ill ; when he does 

 not eat, he cannot be well. In case of 

 doubt regarding a dog's stomach condition, 

 feed him little or not at all for some time. 

 A short hunger period will prove a tonic. 



If the dog is off-feed, has no appetite, 

 and is listless, do not feed him for twenty- 

 four hours. Tou will not be inflicting a 

 hardship but a favor. In truth, a full 

 day's fast about every two weeks for a 

 grown dog is the finest kind of medicine. : 



To coax the off-feed dog to eat, offer 

 malted milk tablets or any like sweet food. 

 A little sirup mixed with the food is a 

 temptation. Canned fish may whet the 

 appetite. 



It is difficult to starve a dog; dogs have 

 gone for a week without food and have 

 not suffered ; in a few instances they have 

 been known to be without food or water 

 for four weeks, and in one extreme case, 

 fifty-seven days, and have been brot back 

 to normal condition. 



You will regret your kindness if you 

 feed your dog from the table as you are 

 eating or if you permit him in the dining 

 room while you are eating; he will pester 

 you until he becomes a nuisance and you 

 will yield to his begging. 



Diet for Pregnant Bitches 



An extensive use of vegetables in the 

 ration of the pregnant bitch may tend to 

 overload the intestines. Plenty of meat, 

 usually lean raw meat, is recommended. 



During the last few days of pregnancy, 

 bones should not be fed. 



Milk of magnesia should be given to the 

 pregnant bitch twice each week during the 

 entire period of pregnancy. Also calcium 

 phosphate, calcium lactate, calcium glu- 

 conate (tablets or injections), or any good 

 mineral conditioning powder can be given 

 during pregnancy. 



These recommendations well can be 

 applied to the nursing bitch also. 



F— DIET FOR PUPPIES 



Weaning and Feeding 



The puppy at its mother's breast suckles 

 when it pleases. Puppies are weaned at 

 about the age of six weeks ; the mother 

 attends to this inasmuch as at this age 

 the puppies' teeth begin to bite hard and 

 the mother feels the pain. 



Weaning may begin as early as the age 

 of four weeks, or it may be prolonged 

 to seven and eight weeks of age. 



Shortly before the age of five weeks, 

 some soaked toast, or crust, some beef 



broth, and some softboiled eggs should be 

 given in small quantity to the puppies so 

 that the weaning will not be too sudden 

 change. A very small quantity of cooked 

 chopped meat can be fed. 



The bitch's milk is richer in food value 

 for the puppies than is cow's milk; there- 

 fore, the change should be made gradually. 

 To each pint of cow's milk add a level 

 teaspoonful of sugar of milk and the yel- 

 low of one esg' A teaspoonful of lime 

 water added, lessens the tendency of cow's 

 milk to "belch" in the puppy's stomach. 



