WHELPING OF PUPPIES— W 



barn on one of winter's coldest days. The 

 icy blasts whistled thru the open sflpaces 

 of the bam walls. 



There in a corner was a pointer mother, 

 her seven puppies two days old, squirming, 

 whining, suckling — the mother much con- 

 cerned over them. The bed was about six 

 inches of straw — out in the open. All sur- 

 vived — without the aid of owner, veterinari- 

 an or this short treatise. 



But not all puippies are like these lucky 

 seven. Perhaps in the order of nature in 

 the woods, for every puppy running about, 

 one died within forty-eight hours after 

 birth. This survival of the fittest and 

 toughest logically insured stamina, strength 

 and endurance in the wild dog. 



Today it is true that weaklings are 

 saved from whelping death — which in turn 

 contributes to the tendency for a race of 

 pure bred animals to deteriorate slowly in 

 stamina. Nature weeded them out but the 

 breeder of pure bred stock saves them for 

 the sake of a sale or the possibility of a 

 type winner. 



Nature also adjusted its struggle by rea- 

 son of the fact that springtime was the 

 chief mating time for dogs. Many puppies 

 whelped in wintertime died at birth. Pup- 

 pies whelped in summertime (from spring 

 romances) survived in much greater pro- 

 portion and their first heat arrived the fol- 

 lowing Sipring — and their first mating, for 

 nature and the male have little regard for 

 the immaturity of the bitch. 



Thus, as nature runs affairs, the vast 

 majority of dams are born in summertime 

 and come into the first mating season the 

 following spring. The dog breeder changes 

 this to a great extent tho it is true that he 

 too (prefers spring matings so that summer 

 whelpings can go thru the first fateful 

 three months outdoors and in the sunshine. 



An electric heating pad placed un- 

 der the blanket or rug will help. 

 Some breeders place an electric lamp 

 under a large cowl or inverted ibowl 

 so that the heat rays are thrown down 

 on the puppies. 



Some bitches are poor mothers (and 

 usually remain so at all later whelp- 

 ings). Usually the mother licks the 

 puppy dry immediately. If she does 

 not pay attention at once to the puppy 

 just delivered, rub the puppy well 

 with a bath towel, keep dry and warm 

 (if necessary, until all the puppies 

 have been whelped). 



If they are slow in finding their 

 way to the teat, place them there. 

 Moisten the nose with a bit of warm 

 milk, gently open the mouth by in- 

 serting a finger, then place puppy at 

 a flowing teat, forcing teat into its 

 mouth. 



Warm a puppy if necessary with a 

 warm cloth as soon as the mother 

 has licked it. Dry it and place at a 

 teat. 



If a puppy is seemingly dead, do 



not give up. Wrap up and leave in 

 a warm place for three or four hours. 

 It may cling to life and be saved. 

 There are not a few instances of later 

 champions having been laid aside at 

 birth as dead, only to perk up and 

 survive. 



Don't have a Large Audience 



Only an attendant who is well 

 known to the mother and has her full 

 confidence, should be permitted in the 

 whelping place. More than one person 

 is not advisable. 



There are instances where the moth- 

 er eats her young. This unnatural 

 happening is caused by fright and a 

 consequent desire to save the young, 

 or by intense pain felt by the mother, 

 or by an appetite too greedy for the 

 hormones in the afterbirth. Som£ 

 mothers may do this with each litter. 

 They should be mMsded until puppies 

 are ten days old. The other recourse 

 is to remove all puppies as soon as 

 born and handfeed until four weeks 

 old. A cannibal mother usually remain 

 so at later litters. 



Much of this habit likely is a heritage 

 from wild days, when other dogs or 

 other animals burst upon the 'bitch 

 and sought to kill her and her young. 



"Pulling Out" the Puppy 



If the puppy protrudes partly out 

 of the vagina and "sticks" there, its 

 head or hindlegs already outside, the 

 fingers should pull the protruding 

 parts gently, and then, the fingers can 

 work gradually higher. With the free 

 hand, the belly of the bitch should be 

 stroked. 



When the hand grasps the puppy, 

 the hand should be covered with gauze 

 for obtaining a firm hold. 



A towel can be twisted fairly tight 

 around the body of the dam, just 

 behind the ribs, as an aid in expelling 

 the puppies. 



To avoid a common cause of death, 

 dislocation of the neck joint, take hold 

 with finger and thumb beyond this 

 joint, as far back as possible, before 

 pulling is begun. 



The Forgotten Puppy 



It is difficult to ascertain whether 

 all the puppies have been delivered. 

 If the bitch shows signs of straining, 

 leaves her bed constantly, assumes 

 the position of urinating, or continues 

 to discharge blackish-green mucous, 



