BREEDING AND WHELPING. 



583 



condition when mated. A winter whelping 

 is not advisable. It is best for puppies to 

 be born in the spring or early summer, thus 

 escaping the rigours of inclement weather. 



During the period of gestation the breed- 

 ing bitch should have ample but not 

 violent exercise, with varied and wholesome 

 food, including some preparation of bone 

 meal ; and at about the third week, whether 

 she seems to require it or not, she should 

 be treated for worms. At about the sixtieth 

 day she will begin to be uneasy and rest- 

 less. A mild purgative should be given ; 

 usually salad oil is enough, but if con- 

 stipation is apparent castor oil may be' 

 necessary. On the sixty-second dav the 

 whelps may be expected, and evervthing 

 ought to be in readiness for the event. 



A coarsely constituted bitch may be 

 trusted to look after herself on these occa- 

 sions ; no help is necessary, and one may 

 come down in the morning to find her with 

 her litter comfortably nestling at her side. 

 But with the Toy breeds, and the breeds 

 that have been reared in artificial condi- 

 tions, difficult or protracted parturition is 

 frequent, and human assistance ought to be 

 at hand in case of need. The owner of a 

 valuable Bull bitch, for example, would 

 never think of leaving her to her own un- 

 aided devices. All undue interference, 

 however, should be avoided, and it is abso- 

 lutely necessary that the person attending 

 her should be one with whom she is fondlv 

 familiar. 



In anticipation of a possibly numerous 

 litter, a foster mother should be arranged 

 for beforehand. Comfortable quarters 

 should be prepared in a quiet part of the 

 house or kennels, warm, and free from 

 draughts. Clean bedding of wheaten straw 

 should be provided, but she should be 

 allowed to make her own nest in her own 

 instinctive fashion. Let her have easy 

 access to drinking water. She will prob- 

 ably refuse food for a few hours before her 

 time, but a little concentrated nourishment, 

 such as Brand's Essence or a drink of 

 warm milk, -should be offered to her. In 

 further preparation for the confinement a 

 basin of water containing antiseptic for 

 washing in, towels, warm milk, a flask of 

 brandy, a bottle of crgotine, and a pair of 

 scissors are commodities which may all be 



required in emergency. The ergot, which 

 must be used with extreme caution and only 

 when the labour pains have commenced, is 

 invaluable when parturition is protracted, 

 and there is difficult straining without re- 

 sult. Its effect is to contract the womb and 

 expel the contents. But when the puppies 

 are expelled with ease it is superfluous. For 

 a bitch of 10 lb. in weight ten drops of the 

 extract of ergot in a teaspoonful of water 

 should be ample, given by the mouth. The 

 scissors are for severing the umbilical cord 

 if the mother should fail to do it in her 

 own natural way. Sometimes a puppy 

 may be enclosed within a membrane which 

 the dam cannot readily open with tongue 

 and teeth. If help is necessary it should 

 be given tenderly and with clean fingers. 

 Occasionally a puppy may seem to be in- 

 ert and lifeless, and after repeatedly licking 

 it the bitch may relinquish all effort at 

 restoration and turn her attention to another 

 that is being born. In such a circumstance 

 the rejected little one may be discreetly 

 removed, and a drop of brandy on the point 

 of the finger smeared upon its tongue may 

 revive animation, or it mav be plunged up 

 to the neck in warm water. The object 

 should be to keep it warm and to make it 

 breathe. When the puppies are all born, 

 their dam may be given a drink of warm 

 milk and then left alone to attend to their 

 toilet and suckle them. If any should be 

 dead, these ought to be disposed of. 

 Curiosity in regard to the others should 

 be temporarily repressed, and inspection 

 of them delaved until a mt)re fitting oppor- 

 tunity. If any are then seen to be mal- 

 formed or to have cleft palates, these had 

 better be removed and mercifully destroyed. 

 It is the experience of many observers 

 that the first whelps born in a litter are the 

 strongest, largest, and healthiest. If the 

 litter is a large one, the last born may be 

 noticeably puny, and this disparity in size 

 may continue to maturity. The wise 

 breeder will decide for himself how many 

 whelps should be left to the care of their 

 dam. Their number should be relative to 

 her health and constitution, and in any case 

 it is well not to give her so manv that they 

 will be a drain upon her. Those breeds 

 of dogs that have been most highly de- 

 veloped by man and that appear to have 



