| When you make the decision
to breed your female and raise a litter of puppies, YOU might as well will
figure that in 60+ days your life is no longer your own. It will
now revolve around puppies.
There are a lot of first time
breeders that make it the "LAST TIME". Too much work, too much heartache,
too much time just too much. Period.
You are the fortunate one that has
a litter that has everything go right. No problems with the birthing,
puppies get on the nipple with no assistance, grow well, wean well and
sell for just the right price. Fortunate?? LUCKY!!!
But this is not what always happen.
1. As a breeder you have a tremendous responsibility
to your bitch. Even before you breed her, she must be checked to
make sure she is healthy and free from any disease that could interfere
with her becoming a mother.2. You need to have a place for her to
have her puppies. Hopefully not the middle of your bed!
a. A crate if large enough
will work fine. A whelping box with side rails is great if you have
one or can borrow one.
b. Towels to dry the puppies. |
c. Gentle
iodine to put on the umbilical cord after it is detached from the
placenta. I prefer to allow the mother to do this but if she does
not than you must. To do this, I put the iodine on the cord, holding
the placenta in one hand try to work as much of the blood down toward the
belly. Than taking the cord next to the belly hold it tight or clamp
it off with a clamp, using my thumb I scrape through the cord toward the
placenta repeatedly until it separates. This is more like the mom
chewing it off rather than a clean cut.
d. Clotsol or Quick Stop, this
is a blood stop gel or cream. DO NOT get any of the powder.
It does not work. This is for the umbilical cord if it does not stop
bleeding after it has been detached from the placenta.
3. You need a working relationship
with your vet. For the unexpected phone call in the middle of the
night because something has gone wrong, or you think it has..
4. Read everything you can
get your hands on about birthing a litter. It is very close to the
same thing as with human babies except it is multiplied by 4 - 6 -8 - etc.
5. Now you have to be aware
of problems that can come up.
a. Puppies too big - trip to the vet to
have it pulled, possible C-Section, maybe even the loss of the rest of
the litter and/or mom.
b. Too many puppies - can result
in a litter of very uneven sizes.
1. This is a nearly impossible litter
to save them all. And a lot of sleepless nights.
c. Fading
Puppy Syndrome
d. Swimmer
Puppies |