^t BREEDING 235 



much purging it is a good plan to give a small dose of castor oil to carry 

 it off and if after this has worked off, very loose motions continue and 

 are frequently passed, some carbonate of bismuth, from five to fifteen 

 grains shaken dry on the tongue, may be given three or four times a day. 

 In these cases the milk, or broth, should be thickened with arrowroot in- 

 stead of oatmeal so long as the bowels continue troublesome. 



After pupping, a bitch naturally has a great deal of discharge from 

 the womb, which continues, as a rule, for about a fortnight, sometimes a 

 good deal longer. I find it a good plan when the last puppy is born to 

 syringe the uterus out with a tepid solution of permanganate of potash. 

 When the discharge is very copious and offensive, it is a good plan to repeat 

 the syringing every day for the first week; and the coat surrounding the 

 passage, when the bitch does not keep herself clean, should be washed oc- 

 casionally with warm water and carbolic soap and afterwards carefully 

 dried. — *««« 



When the discharge from the passage continues after three weeks, 

 astringent injections are necessary, as a teaspoonful of powdered burnt alum 

 dissolved in a pint of tepid water and repeated morning and evening. 



Occasionally, after the usual discharge has ceased, a bitch will have 

 a blood-like discharge, the same as is seen in bitches when in oestrum, and 

 this may continue for weeks. It is due to a relaxed condition of the parts, 

 and when very profuse the bitch becomes much emaciated and weakened. 

 The alum injection should be given and from two to five drops of witch 

 hazel bark, administered three times a day in a little water. When this 

 does not stop the discharge, ergotine, from cne-half to two grains, made 

 into a pill, may be given twice a day. 



The mammary or milk glands often require attention, more especially 

 if all, or nearly ail, the puppies die. Then the milk, which often accumu- 

 lates in quantities, becomes, as it were, caseated, the glands are swollen, 

 inflamed and very tender and abscesses may form. The same thing some- 

 times occurs when the bitch has a large litter, in one or more glands, the 

 puppies seeming to take a dislike to the milk in these parts; or perhaps the 

 parts are tender and the bitch refuses to let the puppies suck there. Many 

 bitches who have never been in pup, or even served by a dog, often have 

 a large accumulation of milk about nine weeks after being in heat, and 

 unless the parts are carefully watched to see the glands do not become 

 swollen and hard, a good deal of trouble may follow, and subsequently 

 gradular tumors form, necessitating an operation. 



When the glands become swollen and inflamed, hot water fomentations 

 should be applied three or four times a day, and after each fomentation 

 the glands, especially the hard lumps, should be rubbed with warm cam- 

 phorated oil, and the milk drawn off. Castor oil should be given also 

 every three or four days. When the bitch affected is rearing uppies, it is 

 necessary to wash the camphorated oil off with warm water and soap before 

 she is allowed to return to the little ones. 



. While some bitches have too much milk, others have none at all; 

 the latter conditions may only continue for a day or two, but sometimes 

 it i& permanent, and though the mother may be anxious to nurse the pup- 

 pies, she is unable to do so. In such cases treatment is of little use; a 

 diet of oatmeal gruel and boiled fish may be tried, and is occasionally 

 successful. In other instances when this has failed, I have found a stim- 

 ulating diet of lean raw meat of some use. 



Bitches of a nervous disposition, especially those of the smaller breeds 

 of dogs, are occasionally subject to convulsions when nursing puppies. 

 It is generally put down to weeakness, but I do not think this is the cause, 

 for I have seen these attacks occur when the mother has been in good 

 condition and when only rearing two or three puppies. 



The complaint is called parturient eclampsia, and though the symptoms 

 are very distressing, it is very seldom that death occurs as a result. The 

 only signs are restlessness and excitement, the bitch keeps leaving her 

 puppies and walks about panting. Presently she falls over on her side, 

 the whole body being convulsed, looking very much like an animal which 



