Yesterday, one of our Yorkshire terriers or Yorkies had a litter of puppies. All went well and she had two girls and two boys. My wife and I always sit with the mamas when they deliver. We help deliver and are there in case of problems. I would like to outline some things you can do to help with the delivery.
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Be observant of the mother dog's behavior in order to know when the birthing is about to occur. Careful records of the breeding dates will help you to generally know when to expect the puppies to be born. A mother dog will behave differently just before she starts having her puppies. She may try to hide herself from any other dogs. This is why many dogs that are outside will go under houses while inside dogs may just have to get under a couch or other furniture. Neither are good places to have her puppies. A couple of days before the expected delivery, you should provide a place that is secluded from other animals for her to rest. A quiet place that feels safe is what she needs. The puppies will need to stay warm for about 10 to 14 days until they are able to regulate their own body temperature. A small heating pad designed for puppies is best.
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Keeping the mother's size in mind, a box with no bottom, constructed with 4 equal pieces of 1"x12" lumber is best for the mother and her babies to lay in for the first 3 or 4 weeks. For a Yorkie, I construct the box about 28 inches square. For larger breeds, resize accordingly. Sand away any rough edges that could cause injuries. Just place a couple of layers of old towels on the floor and set the box over it. Just use larger towels, and you will see that the box uses its own weight to pin the towels down. Easy to keep clean, and the setup keeps the puppies from getting tangled around the puppies. We use disposable medical pads as a top layer over the towels. Easy to maintain.
So now, you have the bed ready for the mother and puppies. How to help with delivering? Start with a large firm box or basket for the mother to use to deliver. Line it with disposable pads. Have a few things on hand. Plenty of paper towels and a couple of old cloth towels. The towels are there to keep the puppies warm as they are born. Have a roll of dental floss on hand along with a sharp pair of scissors and a small suction bulb. Also, you will need a package of the bed pads that are sold to line beds of incontinent people. They are superior to puppy pads.
The mother dog will get quite restless as the time nears. She may choose to run back and forth and appear confused. Her instincts will almost always take over and she will finally stretch out and begin contractions. The contractions may go on for an hour or so before the first baby arrives. The puppy will, in most cases, begin to appear and make take a few more contractions to fully emerge. Reassuring the mother dog that she is doing fine and she is in a safe place helps her to resume the contractions. The puppy usually is born with a sac or membrane enclosing most if not all of his little body. Break the membrane and clear the puppies nostrils and mouth so he can begin to breath. Very carefully, pinch the umbilical cord near the puppies body and then cut the cord about 3/4 inch from the puppy's body. Still pinching the cord, tie a piece of dental floss around the remaining cord attached to the puppy. This is to avoid bleeding. If the cord in not bleeding, you may be able to just monitor it for a few minutes. You will be quite busy, stop any bleeding and make sure the puppy is breathing on his own.
If breathing is difficult, their may be some mucous blocking the nostrils. Use a small suction bulb to clean the nostrils and rub the puppy to encourage breathing. In most cases, the puppy will be breathing normally within a few moments. A puppy that is not breathing may require you to place the puppies nose and mouth in your own mouth to give him artificial resuscitation. Just be gentle, he is very small in lung capacity.
Place each puppy in a clean warm towel together with his mates while each is being born. In between contractions, it is good to place them with their mother. She will lick them to encourage circulation and breathing. Keep an eye on the bedding in case the puppies begin to bleed again from the umbilical cords. Tie another piece of dental floss to the short umbilical cord if bleeding occurs. Some mother dogs aggravate the bleeding with too much licking.
Give the mother dog some water periodically during the birthing process. Keep the bedding clean and dispose of placentas and other fluids that are expelled. Your dog will do most of the work herself. You are there for support and to reassure her. Other breeders may have their own procedures for helping mother dogs give birth, but these guidelines have given us great results for the last 10 years of raising Yorkies.
How to Help Your Dog Deliver Puppies
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