… Helping with the birth ...
- Get your bitch in her whelping box when the time for birth comes. If she
chooses somewhere else (a closet, the garden), lead her to the whelping box as
you do not want to go into labor there.
- Monitor the labour and help as needed. When she goes into labour she
will pant heavily and start to push but it is only when the first water breaks
will she give birth to the first puppy. She will then tear the sack with her
tongue and lick up the excess but if you see the puppy is not breathing you can
tear the sack from around the nose and mouth until the puppy starts to breathe.
- Take care of the puppies right away if needed. If she has too many
puppies and not enough nipples or one puppy cannot get through, drastic action
is needed, you must hand rear and feed this puppy from birth, this needs doing
every two hours by a responsible adult.
- No children below the age of 12 should hold the puppies before their
eyes have opened, as puppies can be fragile. Children, who do not know how to
handle them with care, can easily snap the neck of a new born puppy if they are
holding them to tight.
- Keep the mother and puppies together. The mother should stay in the whelping box for 5 days before leaving her puppies for a short while.
(continue) ...
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