Having Babies-PRENATAL CARE- Taking the puppy home
HAVING PUPPIES - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOUR MOMMA DOG IS EXPECTING PUPPIES... PLEASE MAKE SURE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS TO CONTACT YOUR VET. THIS INFORMATION IS JUST THAT.. "INFORMATION".. IF YOU OR YOUR VET DONT' AGREE WITH WHATS PRINTED HERE, THEN PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR VET, WHO KNOWS WHATS BEST FOR YOUR PARTICULAR DOG.
PRENATAL CARE- THIS IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW: PLEASE REFER TO OTHER SECTIONS OF DIET DURING PREGNANCY IN THIS WEBSITE, AS WE FEED ADDED CEREALS, BABY FOODS, RAW LIVER,EGGS,BANANAS, VARIOUS FRUITS, POWDERED MILK, SALMON, TUNA, RICE, TURKEY,POULTRY,ETC.. SEE PUPPIES SECTION ON WHAT I FEED MY PREGNANT MOMMA DOGS BEFORE AND DURING PREGNANCY , AS WELL AS AFTERWARDS.. AND FEED THE SAME THING TO WEAN THE PUPPIES WITH AT ABOUT THREE WKS OF AGE. OR SOONER IF THEY ARE READY.. ALONG WITH SOAKED - HARD PUPPY FOOD THAT YOU CAN BUY COMMERCIALLY.. NEVER , EVER FEED A PUPPY YOUNGER THAN SIX WKS OF AGE DRY, HARD FOOD.AS THEY CAN CHOKE ON IT.
BE PREPARED: HAVE WARM WATER, TOWELS, A WARMING TRAY, IODINE,SCISSORS, I.D. BANDS, SYRINGE FOR SUCKING MUCUS OUT OF THE PUPPIES NOSES, AND MOUTHS. DENTAL FLOSS TO TIE OFF BELLY BUTTONS, NEVER CUTTING THEM TOO SHORT. DO NOT LET THE MOMMA TUG ON THE BABY'S BELLY BUTTONS, AS YOU CAN WIND UP WITH A HERNIA ON THE BABIES BELLY.
Preparing for your dog's labor and puppy care can be both exciting and fun; still, awareness of potential problems is of paramount importance. It is a good idea to keep track of your dog's breeding date so as to know when to expect what.
After about 35 days of pregnancy, the mother's caloric requirements will begin to increase. In general, she should require about twice as much food as usual whereas, when she begins nursing, she will need three times as much food. Do not supplement calcium as this can cause metabolic imbalances; also, excess vitamins may be harmful to the puppies. The best nutritional plan is to buy a dog food approved for growth and feed according to the package; such diets are balanced and require no supplementation. Exercise of the pregnant bitch need not be restricted until after the first 4-6 weeks of pregnancy.
Some time around the 45th day, your dog should be examined by a veterinarian. At this time, the skeletons of the unborn pups will have mineralized and are thus visible on a radiograph. Your dog's abdomen could be x-rayed so that you know how many pups to expect. Ultrasound may be used to confirm pregnancy much earlier (after 25 days, the embryonic heart may be seen beating) but it is more difficult to count the number of pups using this method.
A comfortable area should be set aside for whelping and raising the puppies. The bitch should feel at home here and should be able to come and go as she likes while the puppies must remain confined.
The gestation period of the dog is considered to be 63 days though this is not written in stone and a normal range might be 58-70 days.
IMPENDING LABOR
When your dog's due date is approaching, you should begin monitoring her rectal temperature. When her temperature drops below 100o F (normal canine temperature is 101-102o F), labor may be expected within 24 hours.
THE FIRST STAGE OF LABOR
During this stage, uterine contractions begin. The bitch will appear very restless and may pace, dig, shiver, pant, or even vomit. This is all normal and all an owner can do is see that the bitch has water available should she want it.
THE SECOND AND THIRD STAGES OF LABOR
The second stage is the "hard labor" stage in which the puppy is expelled. The third stage refers to the expulsion of the placenta and afterbirth. Each pup may not be followed by afterbirth; the mother may pass two pups and then two placentas. This is normal.
Puppies are born covered in membranes which must be cleaned away or the pup will suffocate. The mother will bite and lick the membranes away. Allow her a minute or two after birth to do this; if she does not do it, then you must clean the pup for her. Simply remove the slippery covering and rub the puppy with a clean towel. The umbilical cord may be cut about one inch from the pup and cut with scissors on the far side of the knot.
Expect one pup every 20-60 minutes with 10-30 minutes of hard straining. It is normal for bitches to "take a rest" partway through delivery and she may not strain at all for up to four hours between pups. If she is seen straining hard for over one hour or if she takes longer than a four hour break, a veterinarian should be consulted. A simple walk around the block may help with the labor as well. If not seek immediate vet treatment.The longer the puppies stay in the birth canal, the more risk it is for the unborn babies.
Expect some puppies (probably half of them) to be born tail first. This is not abnormal for dogs.
CALL YOUR VETERINARIAN IF:
30-60 minutes of strong contractions occur with no puppy being produced.
Greater than four hours pass between pups and you know there are more inside.
She fails to go into labor within 24 hours of her temperature drop.
She is in obvious extreme pain.
Greater than 70 days of gestation have passed.
It is normal for the bitch to spike a fever in the 24-48 hours following birth. This fever should not be accompanied by clinical signs of illness.
Normal vaginal discharge after parturition should be odorless and may be green, dark red-brown or bloody and may persist in small amounts for up to 8 weeks.
PROBLEMS TO WATCH FOR...
METRITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE UTERUS)
Signs of this condition are as follows:
fever
foul-smelling vaginal discharge
listlessness
loss of appetite
no interest in the puppies
decreased milk production
If these signs are noted, usually in the first day or two postpartum, a veterinarian should be consulted. Your dog may have retained a placenta or have suffered some trauma during delivery. Animals who have required assistance with delivery are often predisposed to metritis.
ECLAMPSIA
This condition results when the bitch has trouble supporting the calcium demand of lactation. Calcium supplementation predisposes a bitch to this condition. Usually affected animals are small dogs. They demonstrate:
nervousness and restlessness
no interest in the pups
stiff, painful gait
This progresses to:
muscle spasms
inability to stand
fever
seizures
This condition generally occurs in the first three weeks of lactation and a veterinarian should be consulted immediately.
MASTITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE BREASTS)
Normal nursing glands are soft and enlarged. Diseased glands are red, hard, and painful. In general, the bitch does not act sick; the disease is confined to the mammary tissue. The bitch may be sore and discourage the pups from nursing; however, it is important to keep the pups nursing the affected glands. This is not harmful to the puppies and helps flush out the infected material. Hot packing may be helpful.
Most dogs are excellent mothers and problems are few. The basic rule is to seek veterinary care if she seems to feel sick of nursing and caring for her newborn babies. Puppies nurse until they are about six weeks old and then may be adopted by new homes when the breeder feels that they have been weaned properly, and are around seven wks of age.Aproximately 49 days of age. Or shortly thereafter.
THE TRANSITION PERIOD OF TAKING YOUR NEW PUPPY HOME AND WHAT TO EXPECT ONCE YOU GET YOUR NEW PUPPY TO ITS NEW SURROUNDINGS.
The transition period is normally between 2-4 wks for them to adjust to their new families. Some adjust easier to their new homes due to the tremendous socialization that they have had while being with their mother and breeders. The breeder should furnish some articles of clothing or blankets, and toys that smell of home and their previous surroundings that they have been raised in for the past 7 or so weeks of their lives.
Always feel free to write down questions to ask the breeder upon pickup of your new puppy, so that when you arrive there you won't forget what you wanted to ask them. If you arent' fully aware of owning a new puppy, ask the breeder to furnish you with information packets of the transitional stages that your new Weimie puppy is going to be going thru, as they do go thru various stages throughout their growth periods.
The first few months should be spent near their new owners bedroom, if your going to let your puppy sleep with you in the beginning, remember that your puppy isnt' going to stay small for very long, and training the puppy to start sleeping else where later on is going to be quite difficult..So you may want to start "crate" training from the beginning at bedtime..Furnishing them with soft play toys, chew toys, and the article of clothing or blanket that the breeder gave you when you picked up your new puppy..So that the puppy gets used to where they are suppose to be sleeping at night time. Don't put the puppy far away from your bedroom or your not going to hear him/her when they have to go potty during the night. Like all toddlers that are potty training, they do have accidents, and do not like to soil their crates that they call their home. But if they have to they will, as they cant' really hold their urine or waste until they reach aprox. 4 months of age, when the bladder starts to develop. Around that time they will start telling you when they have to go out potty.. We use bells placed on the door and shake them when we say "Outside Potty" on our way out the door, and bring along treats with you to give them upon finishing up their job out potty.. With lots of Praise and a couple treats.You will soon be well on your way to no more accidents in the house. Always remember to take your new puppy outside potty as soon as they wake up, shortly after eating, or drinking, and again after playing for awhile. That is the best method of potty training.
We as breeders start potty training our babies as soon as they are able to walk around, aprox.2 wks of age. We wake them up and take them out of and away from their whelping or sleeping area to start potty training. On newspapers.Then about a week later, they start going outside potty as soon as woke up. So by the time you get your puppy it has already been started on potty training, and should be kept up in a similar manner as the way they were started to be potty trained.. As mentioned in above article about the Jingle bells.
Now that you have the potty training well on its way, you shouldn't be having any more accidents, unless your not getting them out in time upon waking up. Or being done playing, eating, or drinking.If it is your fault and not the puppies fault for having an accident on the floor, please do not yell or reprimand, or hit your puppy for going on the floor, usually right in front of you... It is not his/her fault if you forgot to get them out right away. Just stop them in the middle of what they are doing, and take them outside immediately.Then praise them for finishing up their job outside. This is the method that we use for house training, and it works great for us.Even with having an entire litter of aprox 10 puppies at one time here, we try to get them all out at the same time, by calling them "Pup Pup Pup" and they all follow one another out the door to go.. Good Luck with your potty training and obiedence training.. Its never too early to start training them.. The sooner the better, take your pup with you where ever you go, when your going to a short run to the store, or just for a ten minute ride in the car.. Keep on it, so that the baby doesn't forget what the car means, and waiting for you to return to the car..You might want to furnish chewey toys while away from your car, so that you return to a Non chewed up car. Please do not take your puppy along with you if the weather is hot or cold outside, if your going to be in any place for more than a couple of minutes. As you know the temps in a car with the weather being 80 degrees outside, can turn into 120 degrees within five minutes, with the windows rolled up, or even cracked about an inch.. Please leave the puppy or your dog at home on days when the weather is inclimate.. I am sure you would not want to come out to find your puppy dead.And dying of its blood boiling, or freezing to death.. Please, please, use your better judgement on this topic. And make sure you let it out to go potty while on trips frequently.. Good Luck to All !!!
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