Useful Puppy Whelping Ideas
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by Jennifer Floyd
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A very good guide to raising pups is Breeding a Litter by Beth J.
Finder Harris. Other useful books are: Successful Dog Breeding by Chris
Walkowicz & Bonnie Wilcox, D.V.M. and Veterinary Notes for Dog Breeders
by Annette M. Carricato, D.V.M.
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Useful puppy whelping items include:
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Hemostats, scissors, alcohol, mug to put alcohol and instruments
in, Betadine, a digital thermometer, petroleum jelly, Vetrap, a bulb style ear
syringe (removing birth fluids from air passageways if needed), feeding tube or
baby bottles, bitches' milk replacer, Pedialite, heat lamp, laundry basket, hand
towels, a few lengths of ribbon or rick-rack (to ID identical marked pups),
unwaxed dental floss, small flashlight (to check inside mouth for cleft palate),
writing pad & a couple of pencils, scale that weighs in ounces (or
equivalent), plus a book on whelping. Except for the scale, you can keep all of
the stuff in a metal dog food tin with a close-fitting lid (one of those Iams
freebies). I personally intend to keep some oxytocin (with syringe) on hand next
time, as I had a still-born that might have been saved if labor had not been
somewhat prolonged.
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Some of this stuff you might never need, but if you do, you need
it Right Now! At a bare minimum, you need the Betadine for navels, and a scale
to check the birthweight and for weight gain during the first few days. The
bitch's temperature really does drop in the last day or so, so if you've been
establishing a two times a day baseline in the last week, that should help.
Check your bitch's temperature a few times after whelping, to make sure that she
does not develop a fever.
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Regarding germs, you can use a cat litter box with a fake grass
doormat cut to fit, and a bit of bleach solution in it for visitors to step in,
and have germicidal soap at a nearby sink for hand washing.
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For a more detailed description of whelping and litter
development, visit Breeding
FAQs.
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| ARBA Ch. Shahbazin Ak Inci C.G.C. |
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