While fortunate results from this treatment may be rare, in consequence of too great delay, it should always be tried when there appears "a living chance," the fact being kept in mind that in these cases, as in other experiences, success sometimes attends when least expected.

Impediments to nursing due to temporary or permanent malformations of the teats are not common, still that they sometimes occur justifies their consideration here.

Where the breasts are very much distended with milk it may be difficult for new-born puppies to seize and hold the teats, in which case it is merely necessary to draw them out with the fingers and press them into the little ones' mouths.

In extremely rare instances a teat is so much shorter than usual the fingers cannot grasp it, and the following means - often resorted to in like cases in human mothers must be employed: Take a beer or ginger ale bottle and rinse it with very hot water. Dip the neck, merely, in cold water and allow it to remain in the same for about ten seconds; then surround the depressed teat with the mouth of the bottle and maintain gentle but firm pressure against the breast. As the bottle cools the teat will be drawn up into the neck, and after being fixed there for ten or fifteen minutes it will when released very generally project enough to enable a puppy to obtain a firm hold.

Extremely long and misshapen teats are sometimes encountered, and with these nothing can be done in the way of treatment. Fortunately, however, seldom more than two or three such are found on the same mother; and although the puppies may refuse them at first, as a rule they take kindly to them in the course of a few days that is, unless, as is sometimes the case, the breasts from which they project are incapable of secreting milk.

About the third week, in consequence of being bitten and scratched by the puppies, the teats as well as the breasts often become quite sore, and in fact with some Varieties the mothers generally require much persuasion at this period before they will allow themselves to be nursed, so painful is the operation.

In such cases weaning should be effected as soon as possible consistent with the welfare of the puppies; and until then the treatment should be the application of the so-called apple-butter, which can be made as follows. Remove the skin and core of an apple of medium size. Slice and crush in a mortar, and put into a frying-pan, together with a lump of perfectly fresh butter - but just churned and yet without salt - about the size of a hen's egg. Stew these with gentle heat until the apple has all disappeared, and then pour them into a bowl and set away to cool.

This mixture, which cools to about the consistency of vaseline, should be freely and often applied to the sores; and being of innocent ingredients the puppies cannot be endangered by it, as they would be by medicinal applications having any considerable action.

After the weaning this remedy can be persisted in until the sores are healed, or the ointment of the oxide of zinc, which is generally more easily obtainable, can be used, and it will speedily effect a cure.

As for "drying up the milk" after weaning, but rarely will it be necessary to make any efforts to this end, for mothers very generally do well when left entirely to themselves. If, however, it so. happens that the breasts are much swollen and painful, warm camphorated oil may be freely applied; and beyond this no other treatment will be required.

Instances are numerous in which mothers have had an abundance of milk yet their puppies, apparently healthy and vigorous at birth, have all died in the course of three or four days, and the popular assumption has been that the milk was either lacking in essential nutritive elements or contained noxious properties. The writer has found the former the rule, yet he has encountered cases where the milk was up to the standard quality, and although no poisons could be detected he felt convinced that they were there, or had been there, to account for the fatality. And in several of these he made experiments, the results of which led up to the belief that the harmful properties, if there were any in the milk, were limited to that furnished during the first day.

In three cases where puppies were dropping off quickly on the third day, he took from free-milking mothers puppies of about the same age as those dying and put them to the suspected breasts, and kept them there until the weaning, which they reached in good condition; while in two other cases he was fortunate enough to be able to try the same experiment on the second day with the same good results. And in this way he narrowed the poisons down to the first day.

A short time before these experiments were made a well-known and highly intelligent breeder advanced the theory that it was the very first milk that contained the noxious properties, and he advised that the breast-pump be applied the day before whelping and all the milk be drawn out.

In discussing this treatment shortly afterward the writer said in substance as follows : Were it possible to interpret correctly the wants of a bitch in whelp, to know just what forms of nourishment are essential to her support and to maintain her in the highest state of health, with all her functions unimpaired, then, if consonant with this knowledge proper care was administered, it would seem like an unwarrantable interference to attempt to nurse her artificially previous to whelping. This perfect familiarity with her wants, however, is denied, and doubtless there is often something wanting in her composition, and its loss prevents her reaching perfection of health. Nor would slight or even considerable deviation from the normal be inconsistent with the outward evidences of health, for functions might be disordered to a considerable extent and yet the fact remain concealed from even the most careful observer. And did any weakness or disorder of the system exist the milk would likely be more or less vitiated. But it is not alone sufficient to consider mere abnormalities of this nature, and one must go farther and include psychical influences which have a most decided bearing.