FEEDING KEFORE WEANING, ETC. 191 



home, and in that case a muzzle is often required for :ae safety of 

 the servants watching her as well as for the whelps ; but if she 

 seems quiet and good tempered, it may be dispensed with. 



FEEDING BEFORE WEANING. 



The food of whelps before weaning should be confined at first 

 to cow's milk, or, if this is very rich, reduced with a little water. 

 It is better to boil it, and sweeten it with a little fine sugar, 

 as for the human palate. As much of this as the whelps will 

 take may be given them three times a day, or every four hours, if 

 they are a large litter. In the fourth week get a sheep's head, 

 boil it in a quart of water until the meat comes completely to 

 pieces, then carefully take away every particle of bone, and break 

 up the meat into fragments no larger than a small horse-bean ; 

 mix all with the broth, thicken this to the consistence of cream 

 with fine wheat flour, boil for a quarter of an hour, then cool and 

 give alternately with the milk. At this time the milk may also be 

 thickened with flour ; and as the puppies grow, and the milk of 

 the bitch decreases in quantity, the amount of milk and thickened 

 broth must be increased each day, as well as more frequently 

 given. Some art, founded on experience, is required not to satiate 

 the puppies ; but, by carefully increasing the quantity whenever 

 the pups have finished it greedily the last time or two, they will 

 not be overdone. In no case should the pan containing the food 

 be left in the intervals with the puppies, if they have not cleared it 

 out, as they only become disgusted with it, and the next time refuse 

 to feed. A sheep's head will serve a litter of large-sized puppies 

 two days up to weaning, more or less, according to numbers and age. 



CHOICE OF PLACE FOR WHELPING. 



The whelping-place, up to the third week, may be confined to 

 a square yard or two, floored with board as already described. 



