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is at the bottom of this page. |
Hemostats | At least two.
Four is better. Get the curved ones. |
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Dental floss | Not waxed. |
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Alcohol | For sterilizing. |
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Shallow dish for alcohol | To put hemostats and scissors in between births. |
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Scissors | To cut the cords. |
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K Y Jelly | To lubricate the gloves if necessary. |
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Gloves |
For your hands if necessary. |
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Iodine | To put on the end of the cord. |
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Quick stop | To stop bleeding. |
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A bunch of washcloths and towels | For delivering puppies. |
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Pan for hot water | To wet washcloths. |
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Cotton balls | To pee and poop puppies |
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A roll of paper towels | To clean up after birth and whatever else. |
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Bed for pups | To keep puppies cozy while you're working on the mom. |
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Heating pad | To keep puppies warm while working on the mom. |
Finally, the time arrives. You notice the mom is starting to |
push. She may lay down or sit in a squatting position like |
she's peeing to do this. At first her contractions will be |
light and not too close together. |
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Now is the time to get all your whelping kit together. The |
hemostats should have already been boiled and put in a |
clean container. Now is the time to take them out and fill |
your shallow dish with alcohol and drop them in along with |
your scissors. Put them back in the alcohol after each use. |
Wash your hands thoroughly with a good antibacterial soap. |
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As long as my bitch is in light labor, I let her go about 3 or |
4 hours. But if she's pushing hard and it goes longer than |
an hour, I'm on my way to my vets for a C-section. |
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The first thing you'll see is the water sack. It's black and |
will look like a big bubble. The way to tell if it's the water |
sack or a puppy is to lightly press on it and see if it's soft. |
If it's hard, it could be a pups head. Sometimes you see the |
bubble and sometimes it breaks inside and you don't see |
it. Do not break the water sack. |
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When I see the puppy's head pop out, I take a wash rag and |
start cleaning the pups face and head. The quicker it's out |
of the sack the better for the pup. Then, with the washcloth |
I start gently pulling the puppy out. Sometimes it doesn't |
come out right away and you have to wait for the next con- |
traction and then pull. Remember to only pull during the |
contraction. |
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Once the puppy is all the way out, break the sack and release |
the puppy. Then rub it good with the washcloth. Then, with |
the hemostats I clamp off the cord about an inch from the |
puppy and with another hemostat I clamp about an inch |
more toward the afterbirth. Then I take my scissors and |
cut the cord in the middle of the 2 hemostats. |
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Next I have someone hold the mom and the hemostat that |
is still attached to the afterbirth and I go to work on the |
puppy. Puppies sometimes have a lot of fluid in their nose |
and mouth. |
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I used to sling
my puppies to get it out, but now I've learned
a new trick that is much safer. There is a suction divice called Dee Lee Mucus Trap 8 fr They're around $5.00. Be sure to do the throat first and then the nose. |
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Then I lay the puppy on a towel and go to work on the cord. |
I tie the cord off about a quarter of an inch from the puppy's |
tummy with the dental floss. This is when I find out if it's |
a girl or boy. :))) Then I take a washcloth and dip it in the |
warm water, wring it out and wipe the puppy down to clean |
most of the afterbirth off. Then I use a towel and dry it as |
much as I can. I cut the cord right past the dental floss, |
dab a little iodine on it and put the pup in it's bed on the |
heating pad. Remember to cut the excess cord on the side |
of the dental floss AWAY from the puppy. |
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Now it's time to take care of the mom. Usually my helper |
has used the hemostats that are left on the afterbirth and |
gently pulled till the whole afterbirth comes out in one |
piece. This is then put in paper towels and thrown away. I |
don't let my mom's eat the afterbirth. I also use warm wash- |
cloths to clean the mom off between births. Then I hold the |
puppy up to the mom's mouth so she can lick the puppy's |
bottom. This is how a new mom learns to clean her babies |
and help them to pee and poop. The pups can't do it on their |
own. Then I take a cotton ball and gently rub it over the |
puppy's bottom to make sure there's nothing left. Then I |
put the puppy on the mom to nurse till it's time for the |
next puppy to be born. |
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Well this is how an easy delivery goes. But then there are |
the nightmare deliveries. When the puppy comes breech |
(backwards) and the head gets stuck, or it's a dry birth |
(when the sack breaks inside the mom and there's no |
placenta), or the puppy comes out and it isn't breathing and |
I have to put my mouth over it's nose and mouth and suck |
the fluid out of it's lungs, or I have to put on my gloves and |
use the K Y jelly and get my hand up inside the bitch and |
literally pry the puppy out. There are many, many other |
things that can happen, but I don't want to totally freak |
you out. I get goosies just thinking about all the things |
I've been through birthin' puppies. |
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My best advice to the new breeder is to find a good breeder |
in your area and ask them if they'll let you watch and |
maybe help deliver their puppies. There's nothing like |
hands on experience when it comes to birthin'. |
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One last thing..... this is the way I do it and not to be taken |
as the only way. Everyone has their own way of doing |
things. And above all, follow your vets advice over mine. |
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Once a day you should take a
cotton ball and poo and pee them. Usually the
mom does this, but I do it just to make sure she's taking care of them. If nothing comes out, that's good. You just gently rub a damp cotton ball over their anus and pee pee for about 20 seconds. If mom won't clean them at first, take a pup any rub it's pee pee over the mom's nose until it pee's. She will lick it and then get the idea she's supposed to be cleaning her babies. . You should have their tails and dewclaws removed when they're between 3 and 5 days old. See your vet. Tails are cut 1/4 inch into the black. There should be a black tip on the tail. I use a curved hemostat, clamp and then twist the tail off. Apply Quick Stop. I'd suggest you have your vet do it this way instead of using a scissors and having to stitch them. It's easier on the pup and less bleeding. . Pups open their eyes at around 10 days but it can be longer. Usually if they aren't open by 12 days I take a cotton ball, dip it in warm water and gently wash their eyes. Sometimes they have some after birth left in them or they've gotten milk in them and they're stuck. Don't try to pry them open. They'll open in their own good time. After 15 days though, see your vet. Also check with him if you see any swelling or oozing of the eyes. . Check toenails to make sure they're not getting too long and sharp. Cut them right at the curve if they need it. . When they're 3 to 4 weeks old I start weining them. I feed my pups Science Diet Growth food in a can. Mash it up and add some canned creme (Pet milk) and warm water so it's lickable. Brushing is important for a
well groomed Yorkie. Brush often so they get
used |
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not be given out or used for anything else without my permission. |
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on the word Whelping. You'll see it highlighted. Go to the bottom of the page to the last word you want to copy and hold your shift key down and then do ONE left click at the end of that word. You'll see that the whole article is highlighted. Now go to Edit at the top of your browser. Click Edit, then click copy. Open up a new e-mail like
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