MS M.1044, fols. 31v–32r

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Gaston III Phœbus, Count of Foix
1331–1391

Livre de la chasse

Paris, France
ca. 1406–1407
381 x 290 mm

Bequest of Clara S. Peck, 1983

MS M. 1044
Page description: 

Caring for Hounds
Healthy hounds were essential to the successful hunt, therefore Phoebus devoted a long chapter to their diseases and remedies. Dogs were susceptible to madness and a variety of rabies, all fatal. Men bitten by dogs had to be treated at once: they could wade into the sea and let waves roll over their head nine times, or they could set the vent of an old cock on the wound to extract the venom. If the cock died, the hound was mad!

In the miniature, dogs are cared for in various ways. At the top, a kennel man examines a dog's mouth, while others trim a paw or examine an eye. At the bottom, dogs receive a foot bath (to harden the balls of the feet), undergo an ear exam, have a leg set, are washed, and are then inspected to make certain that they are free of thorns and parasites.

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Image courtesy of Faksimile Verlag Luzern