FEEDING \ 225 



have had sugar frequently without suffering in this way, hut the last lump 

 is the 'straw that breaks the camel's back; and no surprise need be felt if 

 persistence in the kindly-meant but objectionable practices induces repeated 

 attacks of colic, ending in inflammation and death. 



I have been called in many a time to see a sick dog that was in misery 

 due solely to improper and over-feeding, but could do it no good, for it 

 was so fat, asthmatical and wheezy that it could hardly walk or get its 

 breath; no medical skill could avail and the pet had to die — not its fault, 

 but its owner's. Take my advice and warning — don't feed your pet these 

 poisons every time it begs you, perhaps by "sitting up" or "speaking," but 

 treat it with true kindness by feeding as I have advised, and never oftener 

 than twice a day. Always keep clean, fresh water handy, and in summer 

 see that it is never exposed to the sun. Eggs are good for dogs, but I have 

 found that in cases of a sick dog with a weak stomach very few of them 

 can hold it down. Chicken gravy, or the gravy with a little flour in it, as 

 the wife makes it in stewing chicken giblets, is often accepted by a sick dog 

 after refusing everything else that has been offered it. 



A sick dog will sometimes eat a stewed beef kidney. 



If you feed potatoes, feed mashed potatoes, as these the dog can digest 

 easier. If you have only one dog, get him used to eating dog cakes dry, 

 for his breakfast, and for his supper, you may have enough left from your 

 lunch and dinner for the one dog, and that bone from the porterhouse steak, 

 or from the roast, will be appreciated by him. 



Quite a valuable article is the following, taken from American Fancier 

 and Stock-keeper, as to feeding of Toy Dogs. In it are good ideas, especially 

 applicable to dogs at bench shows, but good to adopt even for dogs at home. 



"The proper way to feed toy dogs is an everlasting subject of debate 

 where two or three are gathered together in show corners. There is no 

 proper way per se. The question of suitable feed all depends, both upon 

 the breed and the individual. Sloppy food, for toys as well as in the inter- 

 ests of bigger dogs, must be avoided, and food that is solid and somewhat 

 concentrated is indicated. In the case of Pomeranians and other long coated 

 dogs stronger food is more desirable than for smooths. That is, the drain 

 of the coat on the dog's system must be met. Likewise the nervous energy 

 of these small dogs must be taken into consideration. The Pomeranian, for 

 instance, will wear himself to a shadow much sooner than the easy going 

 pug or toy spaniel. In the former's case a diet varied, digestible and nutri- 

 tious, much in a little, is the proper thing, and nothing is better than under- 

 done (rare), roast beef and chicken, which to vary the diet may be alternated 

 with fresh tripe and white fish, from which all bones must be taken out. 



Pet dogs, whose vigorous constitutions and active appetites call for a 

 greater bulk of food, should be fed on boiled rice or crumbled stale bread 

 in conjunction with the meat, the meat being fed last. It is not good to 

 fill these little gluttons out with milk or as much meat as they will eat. 

 Plain rice is not heating and does not fatten like meals. Should a toy dog 

 take to the dog biscuit these may also be given chopped dry. 



"A great many toy dogs suffer more or less from cankered teeth brought 

 on by fermentation in the stomach, in most cases due entirely to an indiscreet 

 diet of sloppy, sweet foods. Eschew all these and bring the little chaps 

 down to a dry, hard diet if possible, or a diet which will make them chew 

 and not lap or bolt their foods. Nature provided the dog in its natural 

 state with a stomach that would digest nails, as the saying goes, but civili- 

 zation has altered all this for the pet dog, as well as his owner, and modern 

 excesses work their ills on both. So the different conditions must be met." 



The following written by Dent, is especially intended to apply as to 

 Feeding of Hunting Dogs: 



"The dog is a carniverous animal, and although domestication and 

 association with man have, in some respects, altered or affected his organs 

 of digestion, he thrives best upon a mixed diet or one containing both meat, 

 grain and vegetables. The proportions of these depend altogether upon the 

 individual's constitution, peculiar existing state of health, and the work he 

 is called upon to do. These matters can only be determined by experiment 



