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Whelping

Fi

Well-known member
Last year when Cloe was pregnant, i spent a whole weekend on the pc researching what i needed and how to prepare, i was disapointed not to find exactly what i was looking for, no pictures, not one Irish site with help, i had to rely on Evylin and my vet, not bad but getting calls at 2am as i didnt know what to do about a still born can be upsetting, when you doubt yourself adn wonder was there anything i could have done. [in this case there wasnt]

I was not prepaires for the texture of the bag that encased the pups, as when she delivered teh first pup, she legged it and my son had to get her back, i was shaking, didnt know what to do....... with the help of a frind on the phone i tore into the bag, got pup out and resussitated it like the mother should have done.....

The birthing went on far longer then i expected and i certainly didnt expect 6 of them!

This time, im ready and all is set for the big day, this weekend! we have our shifts set up so someone will be up with her incase something happens all weekend. im looking forward to it and hope it goes as smoothly as last time, as once i put the pup to feed she seemed to know then what to do, my heart went out to her as after pup 3 she was knackered, and slept for 2 days barly getting out of her nest to wee, we fed her in there also for the first couple of days.

It was an amazing experience, and im really looking forward to this. will let you all know if you like how it goes, hoping to get some more good shots this year!

anyone else got soem stories or experiences with Whelping?
 
Hi

Do you know about taking the girls temperature? Take her temperature twice a day starting now, 12 hours apart and record it. When you see about a 2 degree F. drop, the girl is within 24 hours of welping. Certainly not a perfect system, but we've only missed the drop once.

We normally x-ray our girls about a week before they are due so we know how many to expect. That way we know when to panic if there's a lot of labor going on and nothing coming. We have had as much as 1-1/2 hours between puppies and as little as 15 minutes. We also open all the sacs, clean up the puppies (you can't have too many hand towels), and THEN let the mom lick them and clean them to her satisfaction. The puppy then goes on a nipple til contractions start again. We put puppies in a box with a warming pad and towels after they have had a chance to nurse while the welping is going on.

One of the things we have that not a lot of people have (I think) is oxygen; we use it sparingly if we have a hard time getting a pup going. We found we couldn't get it from medical supply houses without a prescription (who would have thought?It's oxygen, for crying out loud!), but one of the suppliers told us to go to a welding supply house! They oxygen used for welding is exactly the same as they have. The welding regulator is a little fussy because it's designed for a much higher flow, but it does work.

Sounds like you have an experienced breeder available if you run into help; nothing could be better than that. BTW, if you're terrified of the upcoming welping, that's good; you understand how important it is. After you've welped a few litters, it will get better. You'll only me scared silly :) Hope I helped some; again, good luck. Hope you have a happy healthy litter.

Bruce
MysticKnight Cavaliers
 
Thank you, i have a knot in my tummy worring! i gave mouth to mouth to one of the last litter but no luck it had died a while earlier the vet said maybe even a week.

I had to break teh sac of the first pup last time so ready fro that, anything new will be scary!

I had heard of taking teh temp, but i dont have a thomoter, i dont think the ones you stick on teh forehead will work on wee Cloe!!!!!

I think things are very behind here, you know what i cant get for love nor money, a large heater for the floor of the cage i have her in, i have a wee small round thing i heat in the microwave, and i found last time the pups needed the extra warmth, i have searched web sites and stores, and no joy. do you know i went to a pet shop here in dublin and asked for information on whelping and they had no clue what i was talking about!
 
I'll ask about that; you should be able to get them from the UK or Evelyn should know; often they sell that kind of thing at the St Pat's show or other dog shows during the year.
 
The thermometer we use is the type a human puts in their mouth. Ours happens to have a digital readout; you put it in the dog's rectum. The warming pad we use in the welping box doesn't need to be as big as the box. We want an area that the puppies or mom can move off to if they get too warm. We also have a small electric space heater in our bedroom so we can keep the temperature at about 74 degrees F in the room with a digital readout thermometer mounted in the welping box.

Actually the box I was refering to putting the puppies in is nothing more than a small cardboard box that they go in temporarily til the mom is thru welping. We use a regular electric heating pad in the bottom set on low with towels stacked on top so some heat gets thru but it doesn't get too hot for the pups.

Yes we have had 2 puppies born dead it the past where it looked like they had been dead for some time. Nothing you can do about that, it happens; one of the sad parts about breeding.

Hang in there, I know you'll do fine.

Bruce
MysticKnight Cavaliers

My wife says to be sure to keep the dog thermometer separate from anything you might use for obvious reasons, even though it's washed and sterilized :lol:
 
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