In a word, whether there should be one feeding daily or two or more feedings depends largely upon existing circumstances, and these considered intelligently a mistake would scarcely be possible. But to the question, Are three feedings a day advisable under ordinary conditions for other than toys? the answer is emphatically No ! For dogs fed so often become dull, sluggish and indolent, and unfit for any special purpose.

The daily amount of food required also depends upon existing circumstances, and a fixed quantity suited to all dogs even of the same size is absolutely impossible, for one weighing sixty pounds may require as much food as one weighing one hundred pounds; while one will keep fat with one-fourth the quantity given another of the same size and breed. But the intelligent breeder is scarcely likely to stumble badly here, for he will duly consider the individual peculiarities, the amount of exercise taken or work performed, and the state of the appetite, health and general condition; after which he will be able to estimate with near certainty the amount of food necessary to keep his dogs properly nourished.

In some instances the appetite might be a safe guide in regulating the supply of food, but it is frequently perverted and gluttonous, also oftentimes more or less impaired, consequently alone it can scarcely be depended upon as a rule. Yet unless a dog is a veritable glutton he is not likely to go far over the line if allowed at his evening meal all he will eat with very evident relish, but when he turns away as though satisfied, or begins to pick over what is left of his food for the daintiest and most toothsome morsels, it can generally be accepted that he has had about all that he actually requires, and it is time to remove his pan.

A far better plan however is to watch the dog carefully, note his general condition, measure the quantity of food given him in a week or so, then strike an average, and thereafter give him about the estimated quantity as long as he is doing well, or lessen or increase it a little as he puts on or loses flesh. And this wisely followed there will be no "stulffing;" the dog will lick out his pan, and very likely wish he had a little more; and once in condition he will keep there.

The appetite of the dog, like that of his master, is sometimes capricious, and occasionally he will turn from a wholesome and appetizing dish. Of course it is a sign of disturbance, yet too much significance should not be attached to it; moreover, it may generally be accepted as evidence that nature has called a halt and nourishment for the time being cannot be properly disposed of. It is better, therefore, in such a case, provided the dog seems well, to remove his food and allow him to fast until the next regular time for feeding. And if mere derangement has caused the loss of appetite more than likely it will in the mean time have been recovered from and he will afterwards eat heartily. If, however, he is not disposed to do so his food should be again taken from him.

Some owners will think this severe treatment, and that their dogs would be in danger of starving were they denied food for three or four days. As a matter of fact dogs have endured abstinence for nearly thirty days. Therefore, in the absence of other symptoms a loss of appetite need not occasion great uneasiness; but still its cause should be determined if possible, and unless the normal condition of things is restored within three or four days the victim should be examined by a competent practitioner, it being accepted that this sign then points strongly to disease.

Occasionally, but fortunately not often, are encountered dogs that while apparently well are what are termed shy feeders. They never eat greedily of any food, and nearly all, if not all, are victims of derangement or disease, and very generally of the digestive organs. Therefore, the starvation treatment would never do for them, and unusual consideration must be exhibited and they be fed on the foods for which they show decided preferences, provided they are wholesome and easily digested. But in the mean time every effort should be made to discover and overcome the cause of the impairment and improve the general health by means of carefully regulated exercise.

During the summer months, dogs, like mankind, are at times much depressed by the heat, and when so all their powers are more or less enfeebled. Digestion of course shares in this decline in vigor, and it follows that its duties should, for the time being, be made as light as. possible. To this end the quantity of meat, the dog's heartiest food, can properly be reduced somewhat and the deficiency supplied by vegetables, and especially those that grow above ground, for not only are they no tax on the digestive organs but by their action on the bowels and blood they greatly favor comfort under exposure to heat. Moreover, where this salutary change in diet is made dogs are much less liable to suffer from skin eruptions attended with intense itching.

Another important rule for hot weather is to cook each day's food on the day that it is to be fed out, and failing in this, all meats, broths and soups, kept over night for the following day's feeding, should be recooked before they are served, for such foods decompose quickly and during this change virulent poisons are developed. In truth dogs are capable of resisting food poisons to a wonderful degree, but just how far their resistant powers extend is not known, and there is reason for the belief that not a few of the now mysterious visitations of sickness in the kennels are due to these food poisons. Consequently recooking by boiling must be accepted as advisable, and if this is kept up for ten or fifteen minutes all such poisons will with certainty be destroyed.

In closing, the fact is again urged that dogs young and old are often overfed, and if so, while they seem to be doing well at first and putting on fat, puppies at least sooner or later are sure to grow thin in consequence; and the same result is often noted with mature dogs. There is truth in the old saying that one may starve with a stomach full. Persistently overfeed a baby and it will waste away and die, and the same error in feeding a puppy is likely to result as disastrously

Overfeeding is scarcely likely to kill a mature dog but it will surely put him out of condition - make him thin, dispirited and ailing, and his coat harsh and staring. But few appreciate this fact however, and when dogs present symptoms induced by gluttony they are generally fed even more generously.

A dog that is allowed perfect freedom is not often made ill in consequence of over-eating, because free exercise is his remedy, but one much on the chain soon suffers greatly from the ill effects of this habit. And this important fact should be kept in sight and have due weight in estimating the amount of food required.

A word of protest here against allowing dogs to become too fat. This fault is a common one among owners of large breeds, and some judges at bench shows do much to encourage it. The term "condition" as used by them is decidedly elastic, but these judges generally appear to consider a large dog in condition when he is well rounded out even by an excessive accumulation of fat. Yet a sporting dog to be in good condition must be comparatively lean; while all others that are really in good condition are in good health, free from any excess of fat, and firm and hard in muscles and flesh.

Finally, not only should the food of dogs be of good quality and carefully prepared, but it should be served up in dishes that are sweet and clean. Many authors have discussed the dirt-eating propensity of these animals and reached the conclusion that their food should be thrown upon the ground. The propensity in question however is indicative of a derangement somewhere within the system, and must be likened to the abnormal appetite for slate pencils, chalk, etc., which is sometimes noted in girls who are suffering from poverty of the blood.