264 MANAGEMENT OF THE BROOD BITCH. 



ally, the food should be nutritious and sloppy, but not so 

 heating as to produce fever. In making this change, regard 

 should be had to the previous diet of the bitch. If she has 

 been fed upon much flesh, it will not do to take it away 

 entirely and substitute milk and flour; but whatever the food 

 has been, let your change be somewhat to a lighter, a more 

 nutritious and a more liquid kind. For instance, if much 

 flesh has previously been given, then substitute good meat 

 broth for a part of it, taking care to thicken the broth with 

 the same kind of meal she has been accustomed to. It is 

 astonishing how often the health of greyhounds is upset by 

 a thoughtless change of food, as, for instance, at the beginning 

 of training, dogs, which had previously been living upon barley- 

 meal and greaves, are often at once put upon a pound of 

 flesh a day. Instead of improving in condition, and ' training 

 on ' no wonder that they ' train off,' and the same will apply to 

 the time of whelping. 



There is seldom much necessity for interference with the 

 process of parturition. The greyhound puppy is generally so 

 small in proportion to the mother that the passage into the 

 world is 'as easy as a glove,' and as soon as they take the 

 nipple the whelps may be considered safe if there is plenty 

 of milk, a warm bed, good food, and a good mother. The 

 three first of these requirements are mainly dependent upon 

 the kennelman ; but the last depends upon the temper of the 

 animal some bite their puppies severely, some lie upon them, 

 and some great awkward bitches tread upon their offspring; 



