6 GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 



profound disturbance of the nutritive functions. On the other hand, ex- 

 periments have been made by Claude Bernard and others, proving that 

 carnivorous animals can be kept for an indefinite time, exclusively on a 

 diet of flesh, and yet the body be maintained in a perfectly healthy 

 condition. 



Dogs have no natural cravings for vegetables. To be fed chiefly on them, 

 or on puddings, bread and starchy food continuously, invites debilitated 

 constitutions and attendant diseases. The writer is Arm in his convic- 

 tion, that eczema is propagated by this abuse more often than by any other. 



Meat, unquestionably, should be the principle article of diet for dogs. 

 An acceptance of this theory is by no means an indorsement of that ex- 

 treme doctrine advanced by some— that starchy foods are detestable to the 

 canine race. On the contrary, saccharine substances in small quantities 

 are essential, and conducive to the health of the animals (see page 96). 



The question arises whether meat should be fed cooked or raw. Both 

 have advantages. Certain constituents are lost in the process of cooking. 

 The muscular fibres are almost always more or less hardened by boiling 

 or roasting, but at the same time, the fibrous tissue by which they are held 

 together is gelatinized and softened, so that the muscular fibres are more 

 easily separated from each other, and more readily attacked by the 

 digestive fluids. The organic substances contained in meat, which are 

 insipid in the raw state, acquire, by the action of heat and cooking, a 

 peculiar and agreeable flavor. This flavor excites the appetite and stim- 

 ulates the flow of the digestive fluids, and renders in this way the process 

 of digestion more easy and expeditious. 



In cooking meat, it is desirable that it be rendered palatable, and the 

 flavor varied from time to time. This may be done by the addition of 

 vegetables, which should be well crushed after boiling. 



The different kinds ot meal, thoroughly cooked in strong broths, consti- 

 tute a diet nutritious and inviting. Puddings so made must not alone be 

 depended upon, but meat should be generously added to them or given 

 after they are eaten. 



• Sheep's heads and the feet of animals may be boiled to a jelly. They are 

 highly nutritious, and dogs are very fond of them. 



Beef flour is a valuable substitute for flesh, is excellent for puppies and 

 matured dogs alike; it can be added to boiling water, a strong broth 

 made, and then thickened with a little bread, crackers or meal. 



Pork scraps, in pressed cakes, keep for an indefinite time, and may be 

 fed once or twice a week; they should be soaked for some hours until 

 soft, and then boiled. 



Milk, sweet or sour, can be given freely, and is valuable for a change. 

 I >og biscuits, so called, have within a few years become very popular in 



