PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT 3*5 



but in winter weather straw gives added warmth, and for 

 short-haired dogs something soft, if it is only a piece of carpet 

 or a sack, is needed as a bed to protect the hocks from abrasion. 

 With regard to feeding, this requires to be studied in rela- 

 tion to the particular breed. One good meal a day, served by 

 preference in the evening, is sufficient for the adult if a dry 

 dog-cake or a handful of rodnim be given for breakfast, and 

 perhaps a large bone to gnaw at. Clean cold water must al- 

 ways be at hand in all weathers, and a drink of milk coloured 

 with tea is nourishing. Goat's milk is particularly suitable 

 for the dog: many owners keep goats on their premises to 

 give a constant supply. It is a mistake to suppose, as many 

 persons do, that meat diet provokes eczema and other skin 

 troubles ; the contrary is the case. The dog is by nature a 

 carnivorous animal, and wholesome flesh, either cooked or 

 raw, should be his staple food. Horseflesh, which is frequently 

 used in large establishments, is not so fully to be relied upon 

 as ordinary butcher meat. There is no serious objection to 

 bullocks' heads, sheeps' heads, bullocks' tripes and paunches 

 and a little liver given occasionally is an aperient food which 

 most dogs enjoy. But when it can be afforded, wholesome 

 butcher's meat is without question the proper food. Oatmeal 

 porridge, rice, barley, linseed meal, and bone meal ought 

 only to be regarded as occasional additions to the usual meat 

 diet, and are not necessary when dog cakes are regularly 

 supplied. Well-boiled green vegetables, such as cabbage, 

 turnip-tops, and nettle-tops, are good mixed with the meat ; 

 potatoes are questionable. Of the various advertised dog 

 foods, many of which are excellent, the choice may be left to 

 those who are fond of experiment, or who seek for convenient 

 substitutes for the old-fashioned and wholesome diet of the 

 household. Sickly dogs require invalid's treatment ; but the 

 best course is usually the simplest, and, given a sound consti- 

 tution to begin with, any dog ought to thrive if he is only 

 properly housed, carefully fed, and gets abundant exercise. 



