Care and Diseases of Breeding Animals 



Care 



Care after Whelping.— If the bitch has eaten the 

 afterbirth of her puppies she should be given a 

 dose of castor oil a short time after the last de- 

 livery. She will require no food for several hours 

 but should be allowed to remain quietly with her 

 puppies. After she is rested, warm egg and milk, 

 gruel or broth may be offered her. Later if she 

 feels inclined she may have some meat and on the 

 second day can be given her regular diet. If her 

 milk seems scant she may be given oatmeal, gruels 

 and milk regularly, but care must be taken that an 

 upset of the digestion does not occur. When there 

 is not enough milk for the puppies a foster mother 

 should be obtained, otherwise it will be necessary 

 to bring them tip on a bottle, a very difficult under- 

 taking. Occasionally when the bitch has had a 

 particularly hard time whelping, she will refuse to 

 own her young. They must be kept warm and fed 

 either from a bottle or by holding the bitch so 

 that they can nurse her. In a f ew^days, as soon as 

 her condition improves, she will rriost likely take to 

 them again. 



Following parturition there is generally a slight 

 discharge from the uterus which lasts for several 

 days. This, however, must not be confused with 

 the discharge which accompanies inflammation of 

 the womb. This condition usually becomes evident 

 on the second or third day after whelping. The 



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