Whelping needs

I broke down and bought a digital thermometer. I was still in the dark ages with my glass thermometers. The digital thermometer made taking Kilt's temps so easy that Wayne did most of the temp taking :0)


Having a few micro-fiber towels for waxing cars (wax on/waxoff) turned out to be PURRFECT for whelping. The grip of these towels on a slippery pup trying to make it's entrance into this world was nothing short of fabulous. Wayne wasn't real thrilled, but Mel and I told him we would buy him a new package of them.
Forceps, dull scissors, and betadine. Last whelping Kilt had several of her pups on her own. We lost a stunning male due to a huge umbilical hernia to septicemia (blood infection). This litter I wasn't taking any chances. I cut all of the pups cords for her. Forceps at a half inch up from the pup, dull scissors to cut the cord on the placenta side. After they were all birthed, we used a Q-tip with betadine to swab each of the cords.
A chart to mark down which pup came first, times of delievery, and that each placenta was accounted for. Next time with an older bitch, I'd have some Oxytocin on hand (just in case). Kilt had a hard time delivering that last large male pup. She was tiring. Plus, if you take your dog to the vet's for a post whelp check up they are going to give her a shot of Oxytocin anyway to make sure she has expelled everything. I avoid the vet like the plague. It's a long ride from our mountain top to any vet and I hate to expose the Mom and pups to that environment.
Most bitches get diarrhea after whelping. I only let Kilt eat two of the placentas this time, but she still got raging diarrhea afterwards for days. I am treating her holistically with pumpkin, goat yogurt, and organic whole coconut flakes. There aren't too many meds you can give the bitch that don't flow right into the milk.
I asked Suzy Applegate about what to do for her diarrhea. She uses organic whole coconut flakes. We are tryng that this time. Kilt loves them. Day four and she still has some runs. But, no where near like day two.
Day seven her stools are firming up.

A cheap puppy scale. I bought the cheapest scale from Durawhelp. It's just a sling that weighs in ounces. The digital scales were more expensive. It is important to monitor the puppies weights. Kilt appeared to have little milk, so it is necessary to make sure the pups are gaining weight by day 3. They all lose a little birth weight on day 2. They should after day one/two to begin to gain a couple of ounces each day. That's why it is important to weigh them.

Fabulous meals for the bitch. We feed 3 small meals and one regular meal per day to Kilt. We offer a small bowl of water with low sodium beef or chicken broth every few hours just after whelping. We know she is going to get diarrhea, so we want to keep her hydrated. She gets one regular meal with the other dogs at night. The other 3 meals vary from a little cottage cheese and liver, chicken and rice, goat yogurt and canned pumpkin, etc.

When the pups start their gruel they will have goat milk and goat yogurt added to their rice cereal. They digest the goat products very well. It's expensive, though, unless you have your own goats!

Lots of cardboard boxes broken down. Say what? We use these under the rug in the whelping box. As soon as the pups get older, things are going to get WET in the box. The cardboard soaks up the liquid, is easily thrown away and replaced.

I'm sure lots of you that have had litters, have some special secrets you could share????