258 KENNEL SECRETS. . 



long as his stomach can digest it no other food will give 

 him such solid support as meat, or as quickly restore the 

 vitality he has lost. Nor is there any other food which 

 he can digest with greater ease at such times. Beyond 

 this, puerperal fever is extremely rare among bitches, and 

 scarcely ever occurs except in consequence of a dead 

 puppy being retained in utero, severe mechanical injury 

 or exposure to intense cold. 



All nursing mothers should be at liberty to go and 

 come as they please, unless, of course, they are wanting 

 in solicitude for the puppies. But they rarely are so, and 

 in fact the majority must be urged to take gentle exer- 

 cise at least during the first week. And such being the 

 case, after her puppies are two or three days old the 

 mother should be taken out and walked about near the 

 house every morning and afternoon when the weather is 

 mild and the ground dry. These outings should be made 

 as enjoyable as possible that she may not be uneasy about 

 her little ones ; and after the first week should she still 

 apply herself too closely the amount of exercise should be 

 gradually increased from day to day. 



A word further in regard to the after-birth, which, as 

 already stated, is eaten by the mothers. Nature prompts 

 them to dispose of it in this way ; but she seemingly 

 ignores the changes in condition wrought by domes- 

 tication. It is easy to understand why the untamed 

 mother should have had this propensity, for in gratifying 

 it she provided herself with nourishment sufficient to 

 sustain her until the immediate effect of her painful ex- 

 periences had passed off and she had recovered strength 

 and was again able to hunt for food. But with ample 

 nourishment at hand the tendency in question seems a 

 perversion of the appetite, and it is safe to say that it can 

 properly be obstructed if one cares to interfere. To the 



