Blessed Events In a Brittany Home

Be prepared several days in advance for the actual whelp­ing, for the normal period may be sixty to sixty-five days and sixty-one days is as common as sixty-three. The bitch will show uneasiness and discomfort before the puppies ar­rive. However, the sure way to predict the event is by tem­perature. Invariably the bitch's temperature will drop from a normal of 101-102 degrees to 99-100 degrees. She will whelp within twelve hours of the fall in temperature. Some bitches will eat regularly until the first puppy makes his ap­pearance, but generally lack of desire to eat even the most tempting food is another indication of approaching birth.

It is a good idea to have a warm place to put the puppies as they are born, for if they are left with the bitch they will generally get wet and cold as each addition to the family arrives. A basket big enough to hold the litter, with sides high enough to prevent drafts may be placed where the bitch can see it to prevent her from worrying. If you have an elec­tric heating pad, it will provide even heat, but keep it turned low and place a flannel or rag over it so that the heat is not too strong for the puppies. Otherwise, a hot water bottle wrapped in a cloth will serve the purpose.

When the first puppy makes its appearance be ready to help if the bitch doesn't seem to know what to do or does not act quickly enough in breaking the sac and licking the puppy to dry and stimulate it. Rubbing with a towel replaces the action of the bitch's tongue, and you can cut the umbilical cord with scissors if she does not bite it herself. Tearing is recommended instead, to prevent bleeding, but the puppy and especially the placenta are slippery to handle at this point. If you wait several minutes and then cut jaggedly, sawing rather than snipping it, no harm is done. Be sure to leave at least two inches of the cord attached to the puppy; it will shrink up when it dries to much less than you would expect. If the bitch seems to be biting too close to the puppy, it is a good idea to take this job away from her as she, too, can do harm, possibly causing hernias or allowing infection to enter. Keep a bottle of alcohol handy to rinse the scissors before use, and iodine in a shallow dish to dip the end of the umbilical cord, as this is more thorough than painting it.

The bitch should be allowed to eat the first one or two of the placentae, or afterbirths, as it stimulates contractions of the uterus and whelping of the remaining puppies. But if she is allowed to dispose of too many in her instinctive ef­forts to clean the nest, she may become sick and lose her appetite, which does her no good. So remove them and spread fresh newspapers over the messy spot, and she will relax on that score.

Retaining the afterbirth can lead to serious troubles, so keep count and make sure each is passed after the puppy or with the next. If some time has elapsed since the birth of the last puppy and she has not finished "cleaning," call your veterinarian who will take care of the situation. You may think that the bitch is through whelping and all is normal, but if within a day she begins to droop, take her tempera­ture and if it is above normal, indicating the presence of infection, contact the veterinarian immediately.