THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3275, 20 December 1916, Page 51

THE KENNEL.

By Terror.

Fanciers and breeders of dogs are cordially Invited to contribute to this column. "Terror" will endeavour to make this department as interesting and up-to-date as possible, but in order to do this he must have the co-operation of his readers, hence he trusts this invitation will be cheerfully responded to.

Lieutenant R. Nunn Patrick, a bulldog fancier of New South Wales, who 16 now recovering from wounds in London, has undertaken to judge for tho North London Bulldog Association's Sanction Show. "The fact," says Our Dogs, "will mean a bumper entry and a packed house." "Dear 'Terror,' —In tho_ remarks in Otago Witness, re cocker-judging, tho only dogs mentioned are Mr Kidd's and Waitaki Darkle. If it was intended to be a discussion re the type of a cocker, personality should be left out of the matter. You cannot draw a comparison between Dunedin and Timaru Shows, as a considerable time elapsed between the two shows, and any breeder of experience knows_ how dogs change in the matter of condition, etc., and consequently do not meet on the same terms at every show. With regard to a pup of six months winning the challenge: if in the judge's the pup was the best, he was quite right in awarding same as ho judged the pup on the day, and if more judges followed the same rule there would be loss dissatisfaction. Although Sylvan Swell has won at Napier, Wellington, and Wanganui, that docs not prove that the judge at Dunedin was wrong, as Swell was well down tho list in Invercargiii when shown in May. The remarks made by you ('Terror') about Mr Kidd being a breeder of experience, I am at a loss to understand, because the first cocker he showed was Coon Gambler, purchased from Williams and Graham, of Wanganui, in 1914-. two years ago. Milwood Dinah was purchased in Christchurch, and Bell was also purchased in Christchurch since above date. Sylvan Swell was whelped ai. Mr Kidd's kennels, being out of Milwood Dir.ah, who was mated by former owners to Ytswith Boy Blue; so. in the true sens-c of tho word, yoa cannot give Mr Kidd all the credit of breeding.—Yours truly, IxTEEESTED."—[I agree with "Interested" that personality should bo left out of _ this discussion, and consequently have deleted some portions of his letter. —TebbOß.] Several cases have come under notice recently (says Our Dogs) of milk trouble affecting bitches. The commonest cause of this is, of course, loss of puppies. We might go further and qualify tho term loss by saying that very often it is caused by the senseless removal of puppies, as, for instance, when a mongrel litter arrives, which it is desired to get rid of as soon as possible. To take all the puppies away from the mother not only constitutes gross cruelly, b'lfc fheer folly as well, for it is most likely that tho bitch in that case will develop milk trciblo in the shape of tumours, or abscesses, and she will never be the same animal again after mischief of this kind has once boon brought on. Supposing, however, that a milk abscess should form, the proper treatment to adopt is to use hot fomentations continuously. If the matter is taken in hand early enough, it will, of course, bo possible to draw the milk away, and this will avoid the possibility of any abscess forming. Should, however, the latter unfortunately occur, it is certainly advisable that qualified advice should be taken, and a veterinary surgeon should be asked to deal with it, lest it should ultimately involve recourse to an operation. Hot. fomentation or poultices, in any case, should be applied until the arrival of the vet., as no possible harm can be done by this means.

Sometimes wo arc asked questions about the very reverse of the subject mentioned in the preceding paragraph—viz.. What to do with a bitch which seems to have an insufficiency of milk to supply the requirements, of her puppies. This is really a matter calling for the exercise of common sense with regard to feeding. In order that a bitch may have a plentiful supply of milk, she must be fed upon those particular kinds of food which are likely to produce it —nitrogenous foods particularly, that is to say. There is nothing better than oatmeal boiled up in milk to form a thin gruel, in which pieces' of lean may be 'stewed at the same time. _ Oatmeal, of course, is a very rich, nourishing food for animals of any kind, and so long as a nursing bitch has a plentiful allowance of this class of food she is not likely to bo short of milk. Fresh lean meat is also useful, and so good wholesome brown bread daily will help to keep things going satisfactorily. Of course, it is desirable that vegetable foods should be given; but there is alwrys a little risk in giving green vegetables boiled, as ihey sometimes may interfere with the milk, and as a natural laxative, therefore, it is safer to depend upon something like coarse brown bread than upon green vegetables, which may have the effect of causing colic either to the puppies or to the mother, or both.