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None of the information presented here is in any
way meant to replaced veterinary advice.
Whenever in doubt, consult your vet.
(The Breeder)
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The Whelping Cycle of Dogs.
Uhrheber, nicht bekant.
For OWNERS: Notes on whelping bitches!
The average gestation period for the dog is 60 - 65 days the
normal being 63 days. If the the puppies are born before 58 days the chances for
survival are not good: if the bitch has not had the puppies by 65 days you
should consult your veterinarian. (? you may have the mating dates wrong ).
SIGNS TO WATCH FOR:
Labour is roughly divided into three stages:
Stage 1. This stage normally last from 4 - 20 hours. The bitch will exhibit
rest-lessnes, nest making, panting, refusal of food. Abdominal contractions
are not seen in this phase.
The loss of foetal fluids ( breaking of waters ), is very irregular in
occurrence
and " timing" and is only of limited help in evaluating the of labour.
Stage 2. This stage is recognized as beginning when the bitch commences
straining. Fluids are lost intermittently and the bitch repeatedly turns to
clean herself.
The first puppy is usually born within one hour of the onset of meaningful
straining but it can be as little as 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.
NB: It is very important to note the time of commencement of straining so you
know when and if veterinary assistance is required.
The interval between births consist of resting and straining. The time period
between pups is from 10 - 40 minutes. A common pattern is for the bitch to
produce 2 - 3 pups at short intervals resting for 1 - 3 hours before
continuing.
The birth of a large litter may occupy 24 hours or so but if no excessive effort
is required for each birth the dam should not become unduly timed.
The afterbirth/ placenta is usually eaten by the bitch, a bitch with a good
mothering behaviour will clean and nurse her whelps between successive birth and
keep the whelping area clean as well.
Stage 3. The final afterbirths are expelled, the bitch becomes relaxed
indicating the termination of whelping and often goes to sleep.
If you are at all worried that all the pups might not have been borne, contact
your veterinarian.
When To call for Veterinary assistance.
Where whelping is proceeding normally the bitch should be left undisturbed
until all the pups are delivered and are sucking.
You should however consult your vet surgeon:
1. If more than 2 hours have elapsed
from the start of straining and no pup has been produced.
2. If more than 2 hours elapsed
between pups ( note time of each arrival) .
3. If a large pup becomes stuck halfway and
the bitch can't deliver it within
15 minutes.
4. If a pup has not suckled within 3
hours of birth.
5. If the "Water bag" bursts and there is no
activity after 2 hours.
REMEMBER; we are always happy to answer any questions you may have or if
you are at all worried that everything is not going as you thing it should
during the whelping do not hesitate to contact your vet.
Homoeopathic Medicine for Dogs ( hints )
Reluctance to Service;
Reluctant males are made strong and capable with DAMIANA - 1x.
and ACIDUM - PHOSPHORICUM - 6x.
Three doses of each are given daily, always on an empty stomach
in the morning and late at night, with the midday doses NOT given with the feed,
but ideally half an hour beforehand.
If it is suspected that the sperm is infertile, yet the dog's services
appear to be indispensable, ACIDUM - PHOSPHORUM 30x. may be given once a day for
about three weeks.
The ears should be cleaned at regular intervals once a week using a suitable
lotion. You can mix your own 75% Medical alcohol and 25% Glycerin; put it in a
clean Ear-dropper bottle and shake well. Tincture lotion drop by drop, 3 or 4
drops squirted in each ear, followed by a massage of the base of the ear
for about 30 seconds. After having removed your finger, they will sake their
head, and you can carefully clean the ear.
Never push Q - tips down the ear canal.
Minor ear care; The ear is cleaned daily with cotton wool, until the cotton
wool at the end of a stick or swab comes out clean.
Calendula ointment on a fresh piece of cotton wool is then applied
( or Calendula tincture instilled drop by drop).
After this, the external auditory canal is gently massaged by hand from the
outside.
TREATMENT; OF A BADLY INFLAMED EAR, SEE YOUR VETERINARIAN immediately.
Agalactia (No Milk)
If
milk production does not get going, a single dose of
Urtica urens 30
will
stimulate it.
(If there is reason later to limit it,
Urtica urens 1x
every six hours will be required.)
If there is not enough milk and artificial feeds have to be given, a
mother's milk substitute is chosen that is
available in powder form, needing only to be dissolved. Should this not
be available, the following
well-proven formula may be used for the first three weeks:
¼
liter of whole milk at 38°C/100°F
1/8 liter of weak chamomile tea
3 or 4
tablespoonfuls’ cream
a
pinch of lime
2
drops of Vigantol
a
sugar cube.
We use
a graduated bottle, from the chemist's, and take great care to see that
the hole in the teat is so
small that the pups have to suck really hard. If the hole is too large,
too much milk at once gets into the
mouth to be adequately mixed with saliva, resulting in gastrointestinal
problems.
During
the first few days, the bottle should be offered once an hour, later
every two or three hours,
also at night. Attention must also be paid to quantity, for the small
stomach should not be overloaded
(5-lOg). The stools of the newborn are yellow and mushy, and it is
important to know that the bitch
triggers the excretory reflex by licking the anus. The pup needs to be
cared for in this respect, too: the anus has to be massaged in a circular motion with an oiled finger, until
elimination has occurred.
The chamomile tea may be omitted after the first five days, and from the
third or fourth week
onwards cereal products are added and the pups are introduced to their
food bowl.
Excess Lactation
If the
pups for some reason do not require all the available milk and it is
still freely flowing when
they have had enough,
Urtica urens 6x,
given serveral times daily, will stop milk production.
Eclampsia
A complication which may occur in suckling bitches is
parturient eclampsia. Fits or convulsions develop,
with no loss of consciousness.
This happens during or after parturition, but mostly for up to five
weeks afterwards.
There is a sudden temperature and muscular spasms develop, with the
limbs held rigidly apart.
The
head is drawn back spasmodically, as though pulled by invisible
forces.
Finally the bitch lies on her side, breathing so fast and panting so
loudly as she does so that she
can be heard from a long way off.
If the eclampsia occurs in a case of pseudopregnancy, which may also
happen,
the symptoms are less marked.
Veterinary
surgeons can effectively treat the condition with
Calcium
injections and
sedatives.
Ferrum phosphoricum 6x
injected into the
peritoneal cavity or into a vein has also proved effective,
with the same remedy (Ferrum
phosphoricum 6x)
given every fifteen or thirty
minutes
by mouth.
If this form of
treatment is not possible,
Hyoscyamus 30c
may be
given, every ten
minutes.
Recurrences are prevented with
Cakarea phosphorica
6x
and
China
6x,
six times daily
in alternation for some days.
Tendency
to Dislocate Joints
A tendency to dislocate joints and knee ligaments, i.e. their temporary
displacement which causes complications with walking, is treated with:
Rhus toxicodendron 12x
in the mornings and
Chamomilla
6x
at night
for three or four weeks.
A repetition of this treatment some time later will
often be indicated.
Bones
Rickets
Rickets has become a rare condition nowadays, as dogs, and particularly
pregnant bitches,
are generally fed and cared for more efficiently.
The disease affects puppies and bitches after whelping.
The first sign is usually that the animal is constantly licking the
walls.
The hip and knee joints remain soft and do not calcify and, like the
other bones, are deformed
under the influence of the weight of the body. Bow legs, a dropped back,
enlarged carpal joints and 'bear's
paws' are the consequence.
Swellings also appear at the points where the ribs join their rib
cartilages, a phenomenon to which the name of a 'rosary' has been
applied.
The causes are not only incorrect feeding of the dam, but
also lack of
fresh meat, exercise,
sunlight, light and fresh air. Severe infestation
with worms may also be the cause.
If treatment is given early, much can be achieved. In most cases,
recovery progresses so
well that one does not recognize the animals again when they have
been on the treatment for some time.
A change of diet to include raw meat is just as important
as giving raw milk, raw (egg York only),
cod liver oil, a mixture of mineral salts, and an intensive
course of
vitamin D,
for about ten days in the month.
The sick animal needs to be played with a great deal, and
to be out in
the open, in plenty of
fresh air and sunlight.The imbalance in calcium metabolism is treated with:
Calcarea phosphorica
3x Calcarea carbonica 6x
1 tablet of each three times daily.
Give the puppies a good start in live!
Pups are usually weaned from their mothers at around 7 to 8 weeks of
age. The right diet is critical. Many years ago in the old days we saw
regularly nutritional diseases, such as rickets, in dogs due to
incorrect diets specially in pups. These days a big variety of
completely balanced puppy foods are available, and diet- related
diseases virtually disappeared. So make sure preventative healthcare
measures are taken.
CHECK OUT OUR NEW TREATMENT FOR DOGS!
Kiss Worms Goodbye
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