HEALTHY PARTURITION, ETC. 185 



days, unless it is in the bight of summer, when these precautions 

 are unnecessary, as the ordinary temperature is generally between 

 60 and 70 of Fahrenheit. If milk is not easily had, broth will 

 do nearly as well, thickening it with oatmeal, which should be 

 well boiled in it. This food is continued until the secretion of 

 milk is fully established, when a more generous diet is gradually 

 to be allowed, consisting of sloppy food, together with an allow- 

 ance of meat somewhat greater than that to which she has been 

 accustomed. This last is the best rule, for it will be found that no 

 other useful on j can be given ; taose bitches which have been pre- 

 viously accustomed to a flesh diet sinking away if they do not 

 have it at tuis tune, when the demands of the puppies for milk 

 dram the system considerably ; and those which have not been 

 used to it being rendered feverish and dyspeptic if they have an 

 inordinate allowance of it. A bitch in good health, and neither 

 over-reduced by starvation nor made too fat by excessive feeding, 

 will rarely give any trouble at this time ; but, in either of these 

 conditions, it may happen that the secretion fails to be established. 

 (For the proper remedies see Parturition, in Book III.) From the 

 first day the bitch should be encouraged to leave her puppies twice 

 or thrice daily to empty herself, which some, in their excessive 

 fondness for their new charge, are apt to neglect. When the milk 

 is thoroughly established, they should be regularly exercised for 

 an hour a day, which increases the secretion of milk, and indeed 

 will often bring it on. After the second week, bitches will always 

 be delighted to leave their puppies for an hour or two at a time, 

 and will exercise themselves if allowed to escape from them. The 

 best food for a suckling bitch is strong broth, with a fair pro- 

 portion of bread and flesh, or bread and milk, according to their 

 habits. 



DESTRUCTION OR CHOICE OF WHELPS AT BIRTH. 



Sometimes it is desirable to destroy all the whelps as soon as 

 possible after birth, but this ought very seldom to be done, as La 



