king Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 (edited) Our first litter of 8 pups is due within the week...we are getting close and last minute nerves are setting in....any little tips and tricks for the delivery would be appreciated :D Edited February 10, 2012 by king Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shellbyville Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Our first litter of 8 pups is due within the week...we are getting close and last minute nerves are setting in....any little tips and tricks for the delivery would be appreciated :D Having everything prepared is a must, getting the mum used to the whelping box and area she will whelp. I take my girls temperatures for about a week before hand, and have always gained a good idea of when they are close, a sudden drop and They are usually in labour 12 - 24 hours later. Also let your vet know when the dog is due and let them know once labour has started so they can be prepared for an emergency if necessary. I usually do a bit of reading leading up to whelping which helps remind me of what to expect, I have found that by reading I was able to recognise what was happening and respond appropriately at the time. Reading about other people's experiences and things they did helped me a lot especially with the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Danni Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Get caryl to do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadbury Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Very exciting for you King. Do you have your whelping Kit all set up....If so maybe post it in here to see if anything needs to be added :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 here is the contents of the whelping kit Towels & Newspape Hand Towels to clean pups Cotton Balls Medical Tape Dental floss – Unwaxed Lubricant/K Y Jelly Betadine Liquid antiseptic spray Hand Santizer Unfragranced Baby Wipes large garbage bags Nasal Aspirator Sandoz Calcium syrup Nutrigel Alcohol wipes Oxytocin (3 syringes) and a lesson at vets on injecting :) Scales Kidney dish Puppy ID Collars (what is everyones thoughts on these – use or not to use) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Some useful articles here: http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/as-natural-as-possible-puppy-whelping-and-rearing/ http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/as-natural-as-possible-puppy-whelping-and-rearing-part-ii/ http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/as-natural-as-possible-puppy-whelping-and-rearing-part-iii/ Have fun and try to relax! ;) (yeah right :laugh: ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Main advise if your vet doesn't do after hours then have a back up plan that your happy to use . Very few clinics do after hrs these days or have the staff that you wish to use for after hr calls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Having everything prepared is a must, getting the mum used to the whelping box and area she will whelp. I take my girls temperatures for about a week before hand, and have always gained a good idea of when they are close, a sudden drop and They are usually in labour 12 - 24 hours later. Also let your vet know when the dog is due and let them know once labour has started so they can be prepared for an emergency if necessary. I usually do a bit of reading leading up to whelping which helps remind me of what to expect, I have found that by reading I was able to recognise what was happening and respond appropriately at the time. Reading about other people's experiences and things they did helped me a lot especially with the first time. Thanks Shellbyville...yes i have a whelping box it has been set up for the last three weeks lol...we give mum her treats in there so she is quite fond of it...will call vet when she starts her contractions hadnt thought of that...ta Some useful articles here: http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/as-natural-as-possible-puppy-whelping-and-rearing/ http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/as-natural-as-possible-puppy-whelping-and-rearing-part-ii/ http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/as-natural-as-possible-puppy-whelping-and-rearing-part-iii/ Have fun and try to relax! ;) (yeah right :laugh: ) Still reading but there is some great articles in there thanks ever so much :D Main advise if your vet doesn't do after hours then have a back up plan that your happy to use . Very few clinics do after hrs these days or have the staff that you wish to use for after hr calls Yes vet said if i am unsure just called the out of hours number and they will talk me through any problems that i might be having....i have saved the number in favourites so easy to find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Will the vet come to the clinic if you need them after hours (eg emergency c-section) as well as talk to you on the phone or will you need to go to another clinic/emergency vet for that? If you will need to physically go elsewhere, make sure you know where that is (have a map/know the route/know the number etc) so you have one less thing to panic about in the middle of the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Will the vet come to the clinic if you need them after hours (eg emergency c-section) as well as talk to you on the phone or will you need to go to another clinic/emergency vet for that? If you will need to physically go elsewhere, make sure you know where that is (have a map/know the route/know the number etc) so you have one less thing to panic about in the middle of the night. Yes the vet will come to the clinic if i need him...and i have the address set in my GPS just incase i freak out and forget how to get there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 scissors note book for taking note of delivary times, weights, markings/collar colour etc etc couple of pens i find the unbilical clamps easier to use then trying to tie something around the cord on a squirmy puppy. laptop, so the rest of DOL can be there with you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Anyone got a link to the umbilical clamps? I havent seen them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 scissors note book for taking note of delivary times, weights, markings/collar colour etc etc couple of pens i find the unbilical clamps easier to use then trying to tie something around the cord on a squirmy puppy. laptop, so the rest of DOL can be there with you! I have made a spreadsheet up to record birthing info...which i have printed and attached to a clipboard but no pens (dump dump lol)....pens and scissors added and laptop of course Anyone got a link to the umbilical clamps? I havent seen them. i agree would be great if someone could post a link :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadbury Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 :D Hi here is a link I found for clamps. http://www.whelpingsupplies.com.au/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=245 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 :D Hi here is a link I found for clamps. http://www.whelpingsupplies.com.au/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=245 yes, they're the ones! Would know Sway has them in her shop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlemum Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 My main bit of advice - as The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy says: DON'T PANIC I have now seen 8 litters of puppies whelped & the best thing you can do is be relaxed so the bitch is relaxed. Stay with her, talk to her & encourage her but don't assume that you are going to have problems. The 1st litter I bred was 18 years ago - I had read EVERYTHING possible and was a real mess - the 2nd was much easier :D. If the breeder of your bitch is mentoring you, ask if it's ok if you ring her when the whelping starts. The breeder of my bitch was great - she was in NZ, though, so we ended up with a BIG phone bill! As others have said, good to ensure your vet will be available after hours - my bitches always seemed to whelp at some ungodly hour of the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Relax. Essentials are Something to tell you the time. Pad & pen so you know when they are born & if they are contracting for too long, which is the main part. Not important if it was born at 10 past 2 or 20 past really. Emergency vet number & someone to go with you if possible. A sterile pair of scissors. Blankets or towels to rub pups dry or swing if needed. Anything else is a bonus, it will be fine. I delivered a baby on the front seat of a car once & I only had a knife & my cardigan I don't stress about heaps of things in a whelping kit anymore. Hope to hear good news & see wonderful photos soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr_inoz Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 scissors note book for taking note of delivary times, weights, markings/collar colour etc etc couple of pens i find the unbilical clamps easier to use then trying to tie something around the cord on a squirmy puppy. laptop, so the rest of DOL can be there with you! my friend is a doctor, who works in the ante-natal clinic at the W&C hospital here, along with doing the GP clinic at the same hospital. I asked her where I could get clamps for the umbilical cords and could she help me source them. She said don't bother - clothes pegs work just as well and are cheaper... or those "bull-clips" that you use to clip pieces of paper together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilaryo Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 A torch essential for toileting during first stage labour at night! Best of luck. Exciting but scary :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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