GENERAL ADVICE

Puppies that are apparently stillborn, can often be resuscitated if the correct steps are taken promptly.

Firstly, it is important to assist when a bitch is apparently unable to deliver the puppy with two or three contractions after that pup appears at the vulva. You must free that puppy from the birth canal or risk losing it, any pups following it and possibly even the bitch.

It is a problem often struck in the singleton delivery or in an exceedingly large litter for the breed.

Your assistance must be swift and careful and will be easier if there are two people on hand.

If the head has presented but the pup’s front paws are not visible beside the head, the pup will be stuck at the shoulders. If you are comfortable with internal examination of the bitch -

1. Gently insert your index finger beside the pup’s head

2. Locate the point of shoulder

3. Slide the finger up beside the shoulder and down the ribcage towards the belly

4. Hook the arm forward it is often not necessary to free the other shoulder

If you can not do this internal maneuvering of the pup then stand the bitch up

If the puppy is in a breech position take a firm grip on the part presenting in a cloth and pull steadily downwards between the bitch’s legs (with contractions if possible).

These difficult births often require resuscitating for up to 30 minutes but they do survive.

First, drain the nose and mouth of fluids, if necessary suck them out with gentle quick suction. If you cannot bring yourself to do this hold the pup head down, shake gently then milk the nostrils firmly, and wipe the mouth out. This may need to be repeated several times. Put a brandy-dipped finger on the back of the pup’s tongue. This often causes the pup to gasp and stimulates the heart. Pinch and twist the pup’s skin over the shoulders and base of the neck quite hard. It is very important to get all newborn pups to cry loudly to ensure the complete filling of the lungs. CPR on a newborn pup is accomplished by laying the pup on its back across your two palms holding it in place with your thumbs. Fold the pup in half head towards tail 3 times and give 3 short quick puffs of air into the pup’s nostrils (make sure its mouth is closed).

Puppies must be examined carefully for any deformity that may be present. Perhaps the most common would be umbilical hernia. This is often caused through faulty manipulation of the puppy by the handler or the dam putting stress on the cord at delivery while attempting to sever the cord. This can be avoided by preventing any rough handling by the Bitch or handler. If you notice a hernia cut a piece of cork place it on the hernia and tape it tightly. This will usually correct the matter within two or three weeks.

Prolapse of the anus: This is a protrusion of the rectum. It appears as a very red fleshy mass and must be immediately reduced by pressing into place with a warm wet cotton wool ball. This procedure may need to be repeated several times if the prolapse recurs. It is usually caused by severe constipation give the puppy medicinal paraffin by mouth and plenty of water to reduce the necessity for straining.

Milk rash: Some puppies do not tolerate milk and can get allergic skin rashes. It appears as thick crusty patches in the coat and when removed takes clumps or patches of fur off. It may be more common in weaning age puppies but is also seen in puppies just a few days old. Actually, an infection causes the crusty matter and underneath the crust is often a weepy sore. Give the bitch more vegetable in her normal meal and a little orange juice to reduce the acidity of her milk. Treat the crusty areas by rubbing with warm olive oil, remove the crusty masses, and apply a good antibiotic powder.

Eye trouble: Eyes should open between 10 and 18 days, if they have not seek advice from your Vet. Runny watery eyes, conjunctivitis, matter formation and sticky lids all respond well to simple bathing in weak boracic solution three times daily. Pus in the eye or a large red lump protruding from under the lids requires Veterinary treatment. The red lump is called Cherry Eye and is reasonably common requiring simple surgery to repair. Golden Eye ointment is available from chemists and is good for treating simple conditions affecting the eyes.

Intussusception: This is literally a telescoping of one part of the bowel into another. Symptoms are lack of appetite, marked abdominal distension, vomiting, increased temperature, and bloodstained and jellyish discharge, crying in pain and general tenderness and pain in the abdomen. The puppy is seriously ill and only a qualified Vet can help. It is sometimes seen in puppies up to eight weeks of age but more often in adult dogs.

Deformities: Harelip, missing, fused or extra toes, obvious malformation of joints or limbs including unequal size or length. Be advised by your Vet but be prepared to have the puppies put to sleep humanely in most of these cases.

Inability to suckle: Check for cleft palate and if this is not the cause treat this puppy as an orphan puppy offering it to the mother daily the suck reflex often returns. If cleft palate does exist, the puppy should be put to sleep by your vet.

Fading puppy syndrome is a condition that has no cure probably because it is very hard to establish what causes it to occur in any given litter. There are many known causes including herpes virus, blood conditions, and hypothermia to name a few. Autopsy often does not throw any light on the cause. The puppies can be perfectly normal and apparently healthy and die within a few days of birth. Whatever the cause the puppies may contract it through the birth canal, colostrum, the mothers body surface, or the environment. It usually strikes the litter at about three days old and one by one they become increasingly sleepy, weak, their suck reflex disappears, and since they do not feed, they may die of starvation or dehydration; attempts to feed them by hand are usually unsuccessful. The puppies may start crying with cold, hunger, and keep up continual crying until exhaustion and finally death takes them. The pup’s motion will be watery greenish brown then yellowish green and will finally show a pale pink blood. At this stage death is imminent the pup will cry if moved and its breathing will become erratic and it will die. Fading puppy syndrome rarely strikes after the pups are three weeks old.
 
 

SOME BRIEF NOTES.

Hereditary Abnormalities come in two categories 1. Selected Abnormalities & 2. Chance Abnormalities. Selected abnormalities are the ones that breeders aim to produce and perpetuate that make some breeds what they are. They are mainly abnormalities of structure and or function. For example flat face, shortened limbs, long dropped ears, excessive wrinkling, long narrow heads, excessive coats to name some. Chance abnormalities are the ones that occur without planning for example Hip dysplasia, Wobblers, Uterine Inertia, Haemophilia, Cleft palate, Hare lip and Chryptorchidism to name a few.


Litmus paper can be bought at the Chemist and it is useful to have some on hand. If you insert a strip into the vulva of a bitch in season it will indicate when glucose is present this is only when she is ovulating. You can then time the mating accurately for optimum produce. If the paper turns red the bitch is too high in acid for the safety of the sperm so you would know to douche with bicarbonate soda 1 hour before mating or the mating may not produce puppies.

If the bitch loses all her pups and has no foster pups she may develop mastitis. To dry her up, apply camphor oil to her inflamed breasts.

There is a difference between false pregnancy and phantom pregnancy, false pregnancy occurs when the bitch has not been mated and generally terminates at around 7 weeks. A phantom pregnancy is when the bitch has been mated but either did not conceive, did not implant or has resorbed or aborted the litter. Either one has some value however, it tells you that the bitch is in fact ovulating normally and can be mated on her next season often successfully.

A bitch should instinctively remove the sac from her newborn puppies within 30 seconds, if she does not attempt to do so you must do it.

If a puppy is a very difficult delivery and appears weak squeeze the placenta firmly and milk the blood in the cord towards the pup before severing the cord that extra blood can make all the difference.

Some reasons for puppy deaths at or shortly after birth are:


Animations are created in-house and are copyright please email us if you want one and we will send a copy for your use. Thankyou.