526 THE BOOK OF THE DOG. 



linseed, or sweet oil must be given. The first-named remedy is sometimes too powerful an 

 aperient for a bitch in such a condition, as, in the more delicate breeds especially, it is apt to 

 cause severe straining, which would injure the puppies. Before resorting, therefore, to castor- 

 oil, an experimental dose of either linseed or sweet oil might be administered, which, if it succeed 

 in acting on the bowels, will have satisfactorily accomplished the owner's object ; and as the 

 lubricating power of all three oils is essentially the same, the internal organs will be equally 

 benefited by either medicine. 



Two or three days before the puppies are due a good bed of straw should be provided, 

 and this should not be changed till the whelps are at least a week old ; for unnecessary attention 

 will certainly worry the mother, and may cause her to destroy her offspring. The bed of straw 

 should be placed on boards raised not higher than two or three inches from the ground ; in fact, 

 the bitch during the last few weeks of going in whelp should not be allowed the opportunity of 

 leaping up and down on and off a high bench. On no account should the bed be placed on 

 a cold stone or brick flooring ; and even a carpet is objectionable, for the mother, in making her 

 bed for the reception of her young, invariably removes all the bedding from underneath her, and 

 piles it up at the sides in the shape of a nest. Her object in acting thus is to facilitate the 

 operation of licking the puppies ; as she will within a few hours of parturition have all her 

 whelps thoroughly cleansed and freed from any offensive adherent matter, being during their earlier 

 puppyhood most attentive to the personal cleanliness of her offspring. This would be impossible 

 if she allowed them to lie on the straw, as the wet would soak into it and cause the bed to 

 become foul. 



The different temperaments and dispositions of various bitches become specially apparent 

 as parturition approaches. Some will be impatient at the slightest intrusion on the solitude they 

 evidently prefer, whilst others eagerly welcome the familiar voice of master or attendant, and 

 seem to beg him to remain beside them in the time of suffering. A great deal must therefore 

 be left to the judgment of those in charge of the bitch ; but it should be borne in mind that, 

 though an occasional visit is necessary even in the case of a most unsociably-disposcd bitch, 

 in order to see that nothing has gone wrong-, still too much interference and fidgeting even 

 with a quiet one is apt to render her feverish, and increase the difficulties of her situation. 

 Under any circumstances a plentiful amount of cold water should always be placed near her, 

 and beyond this she will, in the majority of instances, want nothing until the pups are born. 

 Should she however become exhausted during labour, a little port wine may be given now and 

 then. When safely delivered, some gruel should be given her, and she should be kept on this 

 diet for the space of two or three days ; it is strengthening and soothing to the internal organs, 

 and can be made either with milk or water ; the addition of a little gravy or beef tea is an 

 excellent practice after the first two or three basins of gruel. The quantity of gruel should be 

 unlimited, and very often she will devour a basinful every two or three hours for the first day ; 

 care, however, must be taken not to let it remain by her too long, so as to turn sour and 

 disarrange the stomach, which it is very easy to do when a bitch has just whelped. It is 

 always desirable to try and count the puppies when the mother is off the bed feeding, as it lets 

 an owner know whether she eats her whelps or not ; and if he misses puppies he must try and 

 devise some way to stop the proceeding. 



In event of a puppy dying, it must of course be removed at the first opportunity offering 

 itself, and if this can be managed without the knowledge of the mother, so much the better ; for 

 we have known instances where a whole litter has been destroyed by a dam on the removal of 

 one dead whelp from their midst ; and, besides this, there is the danger of a bite from a bad- 



