7— WHELPING OF PUPPIES 



English setter male and Pekingese 

 bitch. 



Two puppies may arrive at the 

 opening of the womb at the same 

 time or a puppy lying near the open- 

 ing may interfere with another about 

 to be delivered. 



Most bitches lie on their side when 

 whelping. Bitches whelping for the 

 first time may utter short cries of 

 pain. 



Man "Twists" Nature 



Nature and man often are not "on all 

 fours" in the breeding of live stock. Man 

 makes use of selective breeding and gets 

 type which Mother Nature would arrive 

 it only after several thousand years of 

 iccidents. 



Man has done pretty much as he pleased 

 and likely in the future, will bring to pass 

 many queer things in the breeding of 

 animals. In dogs he has developed models, 

 types, breeds far different from nature'si 

 mould. 



The primal or natural type of the dog, 

 as evidenced in the wolf, coyote, jackal, 

 and fox, is the long, lean, lithe figure, neat- 

 ly put together. We term it racy. But 

 man, aided by freaks and the accidents of 

 heredity, has developed numerous canine 

 breeds which are utterly strange to nature's 

 ways and demands. Consequently, there are 

 an increasing number of difficulties in 

 whelping of puppies, in maintaining stam- 

 ina, and in continuing the tradition of 

 serving as viseful members of the dog 

 family in service to mankind. 



Act Not Naturally Dangerous 



Altho birth is always accompanied 

 with pain and severe straining on the 

 part of the mother, it is not to be con- 

 sidered that the act is dangerous on 

 this account. 



The fetus or puppy about to be 

 born should come out of the womb 

 at the cervix (opening) and enter the 

 birth canal in such position to make 

 the passage practicable. It never is 

 an easy passage. See illustration of 

 female sexual organs on page 8. 



Difficulty in Expulsion 



A necessary consideration is the 

 size of the pelvic opening so that the 

 puppy can pass out of the womib into 

 the vagina (see illustration). Even 

 tho the puppy or any portion of it is 

 not of unusually large size, difficulty 

 may arise out of the position of the 

 puppy as it leaves the womb. If the 

 spinal axis or backbone of the mother 

 and that of the fetus are parallel or 

 in line, parturition, the act of birth, 

 is comparatively easy. 



This sketch made from an Xray photograph 

 of a dam in whelp shows location of pup- 

 pies in womb {about five days before 

 whelping). Spheres, of course, indicate skulls. 



Puppy may Come Either Way 



If the puppy is turned at a right 

 angle or approaching that angle in 

 comparison to the line of the mother's 

 backbone, trouble will arise. Also 

 even tho the puppy may lie parallel 

 to the mother, the fetus may enter 

 the vagina head first or feet first. 



Never use instruments ; they kill 

 puppies and injure the mother. Pitu- 

 itrin (or pitocin) may be injected to 

 assist in propelling the puppy from 

 the wonnb. 



The only help suggested is when a 

 bitch has trouble in delivery, that she 

 be held gently on her side with her 

 head down. ^ Permit no strangers 

 within her sight. 



Youatt of England, first of modern 

 writers on dogs, said in 1839, "Great 

 nutabers of bitches are lost every 

 year in the act of parturition." This 

 is true today tho not to the same large 

 extent. 



Umbilical or Navel Cord 



The fetus or puppy to be born is 

 attached from its navel to the inner 

 side of the womb with a cord Imown 

 as the umbilical cord. It may vary 

 from a few inches to a foot long and 

 is a network of connective tissue. 



The puppy itself arrives in a mem- 

 brane (not afterbirth). The mother 

 tears this off, devours it, and coming 

 to the umbilical cord, bites off the 

 umbilical cord or an attendant may 

 snip it off with a sharp scissors. It 

 should be cut so that about three- 

 fourths of an inch remains. This is 



