A strong bitch may be able to bring up five or six young ones, though I have known some instances where a bitch has reared successfully as many as ten; but the animals of the smaller or choice breeds are seldom possessed of such capabilities. The very diminutive will not generally rear two pups without suffering; and four are a very heavy drag upon the majority of the animals kept as pets, even though they be in no way remarkable on account of size. If anything happens to the bitch, and she is unable to rear her puppies, either a foster-parent must be found (and a cat will rear a small pup very tenderly), or the litter must in part be brought up by hand. This last is more troublesome than difficult to do. The pups want to be fed early and late, consequently they must be taken into the bedroom; and when the feeding-time arrives, the soundest sleeper will be reminded of his duty. A bottle, such as is used for infants of the human kind, must have a sort of nipple made of wash-leather fitted to it. The leather is to be pricked all over with a fine needle, and within it is to be placed a small piece of sponge to give substance and form to it. There is need to do that, because the pup, when it sucks, wraps the tongue round the teat, and unless the body it thus grasps has bulk, it cannot extract the liquid. This, therefore, being attended to, the little creatures very soon learn their lesson, and all that is subsequently to be done will be to hold them to the bottle and the bottle to them. Each pup occupies from ten to fifteen minutes at a meal; and they may be allowed to decide the quantity that will do them good, unless one should obviously be morbidly gluttonous, when the indulgence of its appetite should be restrained. The best food for such young puppies is to give artificially prepared bitches’ milk, made by adding cream, etc., to cows’ milk. (_See_ article on MILK.) There is only one circumstance needed to be pointed out when pups are brought up by hand. The sponge and leather of the false nipple are apt to become sour; and therefore, after they have been used, they should be kept in water rendered slightly alkaline with the carbonate of soda. If the puppies are strong, one may commence to wean them when between five and six weeks old; but when they are weakly or delicate, it is best to wait another week before commencing to take them away from their mother; and under any circumstance it must be done gradually for the mother’s sake. For the first three days separate the bitch from the puppies all day except for half an hour, middle day; then keep her away entirely during the day, only allowing her to be with them at night; and then, after a few days later, only allow her to visit her puppies for a short time night and morning. This must continue so long as the bitch has any desire to go to the little ones, or so long as she has any milk. As to feeding the puppies, _see_ the article on FEEDING in the Appendix. =Purgative Medicine=: