CARE OP THE BROOD BITCH. 137 



certain bitch, or that a dog seems to be unable to effectu- 

 ally copulate even if inclined, as they now and then are 

 not. It is impossible to lay down any definite rule to 

 meet such cases. A consultation with some experienced 

 breeder, or practitioner of canine medicine, will be best for 

 the novice. It means, of course, that there is something 

 wrong either in the health or the formation of the genitals 

 of the dog or bitch, most likely the former. Such cases 

 are rare, and often a little common sense solves the prob- 

 lem. An unwilling or forced service on the part of the 

 bitch may not prove unfruitful, especially if the first one. 

 The treatment of the hitch after conception is of much 

 importance. 



It must constantly be borne in mind that several young 

 are being developed entirely at the expense of one or- 

 ganism, that of the dam. In wild animals their natural 

 conditions and their unerring instincts suffice. But when 

 man takes matters into his own hands, as with our do- 

 mestic animals, all this is changed in large measure. 



In most bitches some little alteration in demeanor may 

 be detected by the experienced eye which suggests that 

 the mating has been successful. 



It is seldom that change in size, shape, or weight is 

 appreciable before the fourth or fifth week of gestation. 

 Sometimes at this period there is only the slightest 

 modification in shape. But often when the bitch is laid 

 on her side or back the young may be felt through the 

 walls of the abdomen in the horns of the uterus. If the 

 bitch is not somewhat enlarged at the sixth week, the case 

 is not hopeful, though not hopeless. 



The whole period of gestation extends over nine 



