DIETARY FOR PUPPIES. 6 1 



three or four months old. But this is a grave mistake, 

 and were it not enough that at least two feedings of thick 

 concentrated foods are absolutely demanded for support, 

 structure-building, etc., there is still another important 

 reason for feeding puppies on them instead of always on 

 milk and thin broths. No one needs to be told that these 

 little ones are extremely liable to be infested with worms 

 soon after birth, and that if the pests are once lodged in 

 their intestines, unless quickly expelled there are many 

 chances of their proving fatal. 



Now, sloppy foods greatly favor worms, but solid foods 

 are hostile to them, because they force them, mechanic- 

 ally, to break their hold on the mucous lining of the 

 intestines to which they cling, and gradually sweep them 

 down the canal out of the body. Consequently for this 

 reason, if for no other, it is advisable that thick foods be 

 given at as early an age as possible. 



En passant, it is well to allude briefly to that ancient 

 theory that " raw cow's milk " is conducive to worms. It 

 certainly cannot cause worms, but there is ample reason 

 for the belief that it favors their growth or at least is not 

 unfriendly to them. It furnishes ample nourishment for 

 their support, and at the same time they are in no way 

 unpleasantly affected by it. Beyond this, raw cow's milk 

 is really not kindly received by a puppy's stomach, in the 

 lining of which it causes more or less irritation, which in 

 turn results in an increased secretion of mucus, and this 

 mucus is supposed to be the repository of the ova or eggs 

 from which the worms are propagated. 



In using vegetables the fact must be kept in sight that 

 they deteriorate with keeping, and while some become hard 

 and stringy and therefore much less digestible, others are 

 soon absolutely unfit for man or dogs. The so-called 

 greens should be as fresh as possible ; the potatoes must 



