Selection of the Dog 



exceedingly important to know whether or not the 

 dog is sick. The man who has had considerable 

 experience with dogs will be able to determine this 

 with fair accuracy, but he who is having his first 

 experience had best employ a veterinarian to make 

 an examination of the animal before it is accepted. 

 When paying a large price this procedure is a good 

 insurance. 



In making an examination of a dog, first observe 

 his general condition. Do not mistake an over- 

 distended stomach for flesh. If the dog is very 

 thin, some debilitating condition is present, and the 

 animal should be rejected. The expression should 

 be bright and the dog active. If he is dull and list- 

 less, his vitality has become lowered by some ab- 

 normal condition. The eyes should be bright, clear, 

 and free from discharge. This may have been re- 

 cently wiped away, but if not, the hair and skin 

 beneath the inner comers of the eye will be soiled. 

 The hair should be soft and glossy. A dull coat is 

 significant of disease. The skin should be carefully 

 examined for patches void of hair, areas of redness, 

 scabs, sores, and mats of hair. In small puppies 

 the hair is often soiled by the fecal discharges. 

 When this is not cleaned away frequently the hair 

 becomes matted, the skin underneath is irritated, 

 and eczema develops. Careful tickling of the throat 

 will induce a cough should the dog be suffering 

 from laryngeal or bronchial trouble. Rough ma- 

 nipulation, however, will cause coughing in a well 



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