240 KENNEL SECRETS. 



for like purposes before she is returned to them, and with 

 precipitated sulphur, the same being freely rubbed into 

 her coat, over her breasts, and in fact every part from the 

 tip of her nose to the end of her tail. 



For bedding, perfectly clean, dry straw is the best 

 where a platform of smooth boards is used. And, by the 

 way, there should always be two or three platforms pro- 

 vided, for then frequent change will be possible, and each 

 one when removed can be washed off, disinfected and 

 thoroughly dried in the sun before it is again required. 



On the subject of bed and bedding for whelping bitches 

 much has been written which seems invested with unwar- 

 rantable prejudice. Probably the kind of bedding most 

 often used is a piece of carpeting, blanket or bagging, 

 yet bitches rarely take kindly to such and almost always 

 tear it up when they can do so, or scratch holes in it 

 unless the material is unusually strong. And where this 

 has been done puppies have been many times caught in 

 the folds and crushed by the mother. 



Some breeders use the untanned skins of beasts for 

 bedding, while others prefer to have the whelping occur 

 on dry, clean earth, because as they say it acts as a disin- 

 fectant ; and these latter maintain that puppies do far 

 better on a bed of this sort than on any other. But such 

 claims are extravagant. If soil is dry it must get into the 

 nose, eyes and ears of puppies and cause them much 

 annoyance if not real harm, while if damp it means death 

 to them — that is, if they are of the nature of well-bred 

 dogs of to-day. Again, cleanliness, the best of such 

 agents, is all in the way of disinfectants that is required 

 at this time, and certainly under no other condition is it 

 easier to maintain it than when the bed is a platform, 

 which can be removed at once after whelping, and each 

 day following if necessary, and the bedding is straw. 



