THE NATURAL DIET. 9 



consequence of the system being clogged with impuri- 

 ties, which are inevitable where the excretory organs are 

 unnecessarily taxed, as they always are when too much 

 animal food has been taken into the stomach. 



Possessing as they do the power of accommodating 

 themselves to changes in diet, quite pronounced indi- 

 vidual peculiarities in relation to tolerance of certain 

 foods must often be encountered in dogs, and these 

 must be considered in estimating the quantity of meat 

 required. 



For instance, toy terriers cannot bear much meat 

 because they are peculiarly susceptible to its stimulat- 

 ing effect and are quickly and seriously disturbed by an 

 excess ; the results of which are an impairment of the 

 integrity of the blood, a feverish condition of the system, 

 skin eruptions and falling off in coat. 



Again, there are physiological drains upon the constitu- 

 tion, such as that felt by the nursing mother or by the dog 

 much used in the stud, and unusual demands upon it, as 

 in sickness, which have to be provided for by an increase 

 of the daily quantity of meat. 



It must be remembered, also, that in many morbid con- 

 ditions this food must be almost wholly relied upon, not 

 alone because there is a decided repugnance for nearly all 

 other foods but because this is the only one that languid 

 digestion can readily dispose of. 



Meat produces a greater feeling of satiety than any 

 other food and forms a greater stay to the stomach because 

 that organ is the seat of digestion and is occupied by it 

 for a longer time. And this fact has a bearing on the 

 question of quantity, for obviously a dog fed once a day 

 only can dispose of and more than likely requires a greater 

 quantity of meat daily than another given two or three 

 meals each day. 



