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Whelping,
a new found respect
I figured I knew all about dogs and
whelping. I thought that the bitch would always take care of the puppies if you
could get them nursing. I even mentored others into believing this because I
truly believed it.
Well, there textbook bitches that are perfect whelpers and have perfect puppies
and have no trouble at all. Then there are the other 80% that need human
intervention. BUT still I didn't know some breeds can be very difficult. Not
only does every batch of puppies, differ, ALL breeds differ in the work level,
and hands on help from the human.
Take the Mastiffs... the mastiff is truly the perfect dog for many, they are
also rely on their humans to take care of them and in exchange, they keep us
under their protection. A mastiff doesn't like changes, and a Mastiff is one
dog, that would not take to re-homing well.
My Mastiff is so stressed when my daughter goes to camp each year. She KNOWS a
member of her family is missing.
The mastiff is hard to get pregnant, natural breedings do not have a lot of
success, nor do artificial inseminations. So it is common to do a fres surgical
implant. "costly, but successful"
Some mastiff bitches just do not want to go into labor, and for that reason, I
plan a caesarian section., planned on the temperature drop, or I will use
progesterone levels. The progesterone will drop about 24 hours prior to
whelping. PLUS you must have the bitch watched constantly during her due time.
This combined with the facts that with the long birth canal, breeders loose
puppies at birth, more often than acceptable. They can have 9 puppies in one
horn, and it can torsion. There are many reasons to do a planned c-section with
a mastiff. Where as on other breeds, they are often done un necessarily.
The uterus will do fine contracting for a few births and then it wears out and
trouble comes.
With small litters, there may not be enough hormonal stimulation to finish
whelping.
In large litters, the bitch may do great delivering the first 4 or 5 pups but
then never has any more contractions, or has contractions and nothing happens,
as their uterus can become very stretched and on the verge of rupturing.
| WE teach with a lot of breeds that C-sectioning is not natural and "bad" , But,
with some breeds, that have a history of problems, we must do what we feel is
the best especially for the bitch. |
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Caesarian sections are becoming more popular to avoid problems during whelping.
Make sure your vet puts an intravenous catheter in and uses propofol. Propofol
is metabolized primarily in the lungs so it has a very short half-life in the
dog. It causes minimal depression in the puppies.
Make sure you have a mentor in your breed,
and do some research.
Just like in some Animals of the wild, There are breeds nearing extinction,
because some species of animals, make terrible parents. The same can be with
specific breeds.
Courtesy of MistyTrails Mastiff's
Although this section is based on a
whelping of an English Mastiff, it also contains good general whelping
information in large breed dogs. You can find more whelping information in the links above. The links below
tell a story about Sassy, an English Mastiff. Sassy has a wonderful temperament.
She loves humans and Adores human children. An all around mild mannered,
wonderful Mastiff. Sassy however is not the best mother towards her puppies, she
is not rejecting them, she will nurse them when a human places them on her to
feed, however she will not clean the pups or pay any attention to them. It is as
if, they are not her puppies. This litter is getting moms milk, with major human
interaction, manually giving each and every pup what they need. In return, the
pups will be super socialized and will make remarkable pets, however the work
involved is astounding. It takes one dedicated breeder to keep this situation
healthy. Thankfully this litter has just that, a dedicated breeder. Read the
links below to get the full story. There is a wealth of info that everyone can
appreciate and benefit from.
C-Section in a Large Breed Dog
Newborn Puppies... What you need
Whelping Mastiff Puppies One to Three Days Old
Things do
not always go as planned (imperforate anus)
Orphaned Litter (not the plan)
10
Days Old Plus ++
3 Week Old Puppies
Puppies 3 Weeks - time to start
potty training
Puppies 4 weeks old
Puppies 5 weeks old
Puppies 6 weeks old
Puppies 7 weeks old
Socializing the Puppies
Mastitis in Dogs
Whelping Large Breed Dogs Main
Whelping, a new
found respect
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