BREEDING 
condition when mated. A winter whelping 
is not advisable. It is best for puppies to 
be born in the spring or early summer, thus 
escaping the rigours of inclement weather. 
During the period of gestation the breed- 
ing bitch should have ample but not 
violent exercise, with varied and wholesome 
food, including some preparation of bone 
meal; and at about the third week, whether 
she seems to require it or not, she should 
be treated for worms. At about the sixtieth 
day she will begin to be uneasy and rest- 
less. A mild purgative should be given; 
usually salad oil is enough, but if con- 
stipation is apparent castor oil may be’ 
I 
necessary. On the sixty-second day the 
whelps may be expected, and everything 
ought to be in readiness for the event. 
A coarsely constituted bitch may be 
trusted to look after herself on these occa- 
sions; no help is necessary, and one may 
come down in the morning to find her with 
her litter comfortably nestling at her side. 
But with the Toy breeds, and the breeds 
that have been reared in artificial condi- 
tions, difficult or protracted parturition is 
frequent, and human assistance ought to be 
at hand in case of need. The owner of a 
valuable Bull bitch, for example, would 
never think of leaving her to her own un- 
aided devices. All undue _ interference, 
however, should be avoided, and it is abso- 
lutely necessary that the person attending 
her should be one with whom she is fondly 
familiar. 
In anticipation of a possibly numerous 
litter, a foster mother should be arranged 
for beforehand. Comfortable quarters 
should be prepared in a quiet part of the 
house or kennels, warm, and free from 
draughts. Clean bedding of wheaten straw 
should be provided, but she should be 
allowed to make her own nest in her own 
instinctive fashion. Let her have easy 
access to drinking water. She will prob- 
ably refuse food for a few hours before her 
time, but a little concentrated nourishment, 
such as Brand’s Essence or a drink of 
warm milk, should be offered to her. In 
further preparation for the confinement a 
basin of water containing antiseptic for 
washing in, towels, warm milk, a flask of 
brandy, a bottle of ergotine, and a pair of 
scissors are commodities which may all be 
AND: WHELPING, 583 
required in emergency. The ergot, which 
must be used with extreme caution and only 
when the labour pains have commenced, is 
invaluable when parturition is protracted, 
and there is difficult straining without re- 
sult. Its effect is to contract the womb and 
expel the contents. But when the puppies 
are expelled with ease it is superfluous. For 
a bitch of ro Ib. in weight ten drops of the 
extract of ergot in a teaspoonful of water 
should be ample, given by the mouth. The 
scissors are for severing the umbilical cord 
if the mother should fail to do it in her 
own natural way. Sometimes a puppy 
may be enclosed within a membrane which 
the dam cannot readily open with tongue 
and teeth. If help is necessary it should 
be given tenderly and with clean fingers. 
Occasionally a puppy may seem to be in- 
ert and lifeless, and after repeatedly licking 
it the bitch may relinquish all effort at 
restoration and turn her attention to another 
that is being born. In such a circumstance 
the rejected little one may be discreetly 
removed, anda drop of brandy on the point 
of the finger smeared upon its tongue may 
revive animation, or it may be plunged up 
to the neck in warm water. The object 
should be to keep it warm and to make it 
breathe. When the puppies are all born, 
their dam may be given a drink of warm 
milk and then left alone to attend to their 
toilet and suckle them. If any should be 
dead, these ought to be disposed of. 
Curiosity in regard to the others should 
be temporarily repressed, and inspection 
of them delayed until a more fitting oppor- 
tunity. If any are then seen to be mal- 
formed or to have cleft palates, these had 
better be removed and mercifully destroyed. 
It is the experience of many observers 
that the first whelps born in a litter are the 
strongest, largest, and healthiest. If the 
litter is a large one, the last born may be 
noticeably puny, and this disparity in size 
may continue to maturity. The wise 
breeder will decide for himself how many 
whelps should be left to the care of their 
dam. Their number should be relative to 
her health and constitution, and in any case 
it is well not to give her so many that they 
will be a drain upon her. Those breeds 
of dogs that have been most highly de- 
veloped by man and that appear to have 
