232 BREEDING- \ 



diet a little meal may be used instead of bread; oatmeal, wheat middlings 

 and cornmeal, mixed, is good; and in case of looseness of the bowels a 

 little rice should be substituted. At this period it is also well to add a 

 little lime water to the milk or give fish scraps, for this supplies phos- 

 phorous necessary for bone forming. If fish is given be careful and sure 

 that all bones are first removed. Pups thus fed rarely get rickets, or the 

 giving way of the pasterns or lower leg joints, because the bone is not 

 strong enough to carry the weight of the body. This should never occur 

 in any well-regulated kennel where the pups are properly nourished, but if 

 it does, two-thirds of lime water with the milk, a teaspoonful of cod liver 

 oil twice daily, or more if the breed is a large one, will soon remedy it. 

 After awhile soups and a little vegetable matter may be substituted. 



I give puppies when weaning them boiled milk in which some bread 

 has been well mixed and soaked, gravy with bread mixed in it — chicken 

 gravy they eat with a relish — and a little later on, add to the milk and 

 bread, or gravy and bread, just a little cooked, and cut up fine, beef or mut- 

 ton. Remember, however, that after a pup once gets a taste of meat tbat 

 it is very liable to want meat and refuse anything else. See article on 

 Feeding. 



In case of the mother dying a few days after birth of her puppies, 

 always use condensed milk thinned with warm water and add lime water 

 at the. rate of a teaspoonful for each puppy. Lime water is one of the best 

 worm destroyers for young puppies. 



"""" Should a mother dog lose her milk or not have enough at any time 

 after a puppy has its eyes open, make a gruel of corn starch, putting a 

 little sugar in it; teach the little fellows to eat it, which can be readily done 

 by putting their noses in it and allowing them to lick their lips, and you 

 will find them to soon learn to like it and thrive on it. Or, feed them with 

 Spratt's Orphan Puppy Food, as mentioned previously. 



When I have a litter of puppies that are weak in bone, their legs not 

 strong enough to sustain the body, I give the mother three times a day until 

 pups are weaned, some precipitated phosphate of lime which creates bone. 

 Dose for toy dogs, a pug for instance, would be an even teaspoonful. For 

 dogs the size of a pointer, one and a half teaspoonful, and for large breeds 

 like a St. Bernard or mastiff, two teaspoonfuls. Mix the lime up In a little 

 milk and all bitches will readily drink it down, as it is of a pleasant taste. 

 Better, however, do the mixing where they do not see you, for if they got 

 the idea that it was medicine they might not take it. Many a dog will run 

 and hide at the sight of a spoon, so great being their aversion to taking 

 medicine. 



Other troubles sometimes arise at this time, which are often caused by 

 worms, but still more frequently result from unsuitable food or foods of 

 innocent nature that have undergone noxious changes, and still oftener by 

 overloading the stomach, until indigestion sets in and then the food, Instead 

 of supplying nutriment, becomes an irritant; pains arise, swelling of the 

 organs occur, and unless quickly relieved the pups quickly succumb. These 

 symptoms are usually attributed to worms, which frequently cause similar 

 troubles. Another difficulty with like symptoms is a slight chill, sending the 

 blood from the surface to the internal organs, producing congestion therein, 

 and it is sometimes that serious disorders, not easily distinguished from 

 any of these, are caused by worm remedies being given, without knowledge 

 of their effects, or due preparation on the part of the patient. All these 

 troubles may be classed as gastro-enteritis, and the same treatment applied. 

 There should be an immediate cleaning out of the bowels with castor or 

 sweet oil, and the use of opiates afterward generally give best results, 

 either paregoric or laudanum, the former preferred, because of the camphor 

 in it. 



The opiate should be given every hour, until the pain is relieved, and 

 then nourishment in the form of warm milk should follow, with the appli- 

 cation of artificial heat, or stimulation, in case of any tendency to chill. 



Raw milk should never be given to any puppies, always boil or scald 



