The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Dogs => Topic started by: kaz on November 03, 2013, 10:59:10 pm
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What a good day. Have finally managed to tie everything up and get our lovely Golden Retriever Skye in whelp. :excited: Daddy is a stunning CH Golden Retriever with a great personality to match.
Expecting the patter of tiny paws in early December.
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: , hard work but lovely too......we kept one of our Lab pups and she is a god send to me at the moment.......I got a bit worn out when we had the litter to look after but well worth it all!
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Exciting times ahead :excited: maybe we should have a sweep on how many tiny paws will arrive :D
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13 is my guess :eyelashes: How exciting :excited:
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My guess is 11 - how exciting. Looking forward to more news and some cute puppy pics in December :excited:
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OK then, I guess 9 golden fluff balls!
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8, if I win do I get one as a prize?, or 8x 4 which is 32 I think ..... If it's tiny paws that is, in which case I do hope the rest of you are wrong cos 13,11 & 9 arn't divisible by 4, so by my reckoning
Rosemary = 3 x 4 pawed pups and one with one leg
Zakthelad = 2 x 4 pawed pups and one with three legs
Happygolucky = 2 x 4 pawed pups and one with one leg
Me = 8 x 4 pawed pups
These calculations all assume that a 4 pawed pup takes president over any combination of unstable pawed puppies
Just trying to get things straight, specially if I get to win a puppy :excited:
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Do we get a puppy? :excited: :excited: :excited:
Seven.
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:roflanim: good thinking Alistair :thumbsup:
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Well I am going for 10. Congratulations for the expecting mum :thumbsup:
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I'm voting 8 golden fluffy pups with a combined total of 32 pattering paws.
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I think 10 lovely bundles of joy !
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I'm voting 8 golden fluffy pups with a combined total of 32 pattering paws.
I've already hot 8 and I'm not splitting a puppy with anyone, well..... Maybe.... But only if I can have the front half
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I'll give you a clue. She was scanned and is expecting 6-8 puppies possibly more. :)
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It's going to be lucky number 7 :excited: :excited: :excited: :excited:
Can I have a bitch please? ;D
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We gave up on scans as none of them were correct, only the first one that showed more than 10, she had 11....It is exciting, I love it! :excited:
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Good luck with the litter. I am going to say 5 just because I have never had the number born in a litter that a scan said ::) don't scan anymore
We have been told they are not in pup and they went on to have 5, scanned as 1 big pup and had 6. Scanned 4 and had 7. :D
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The lady I took Skye to is supposed to be really good at scanning for puppies. She was recommended by the stud dogs owner and works from her home with a very professional set up.
A second scan and another a week before whelping to see if there might be any problems is free if you are willing to go back, for us it was a three hour journey there.
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Only sheep scanners are accurate
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We only used sheep scanners and never correct, funny thing there was a programme about breeding guide dogs and they never get them scanned either!!
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The one I know of is 100% correct every time. He is used by most breeders in central Scotland.
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Only sheep scanners are accurate
The lady who scanned my dog scans sheep as well and was recommended by the stud dog owner, a judge in the Golden Retriever world. The reason she said 6-8 puppies was because some were very high up and she didn't want to press too hard to pin it down to an exact no.
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What are the advantages of having the bitch scanned?
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I went to the scanner you recommended Anne, Archie forgot his second name but a farmer from Falkirk area, his son used the sheep scanner in his garage and is a lovely chap, his son did it first and said more than 10 so pretty close as we had 11, then after not near, we went to his dad the last time at the farm...........never bothered this last litter although he is nice and its was only £20......I suppose it can be hard to actualy count them all as they wriggle and some will be hidden behind others......I go past his farm every weekend as Steve works near there!!
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Getting nearer all the time. :o
Got most of the gear now just need not to panic when the time comes as first litter ever. ;D She is such a gentle girl, so hopefully she will be a good Mum. Should be an interesting Christmas in our house this year.
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I love having pups, well my dogs not me, it's great when you have a good set up, access to water, enclosed outside area and easy clean floors etc, and a good whelp ing box. we have been looking at houses to buy and I think about the suitability all the time. my chocolate Labrador is so business like I basically just watched her, she ate everything, all pups went straight onto feed and mum made sure they were all feeding. all I needed was someone around to bring me cups of tea.......it's exciting :thumbsup:
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Oooo, how exciting Karen. :fc: all goes well.
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What are the advantages of having the bitch scanned?
It is very useful if teh bitch has a difficult birth. If you are pretty sure how many pups there are, say 8 on the scan, and she has only had 5 or 6 and appears to have stopped then she is in inertia and needs oxytocin quickly. Always count the afterbirths so you know there are none left inside, again oxytocin gets it out. I never let my bitches eat all the placentas as it can cause huge stomach problems. I allow them one or two as they need the energy while giving birth.
And I haven't mentioned health tests for a while have I? :innocent: ALWAYS check what is required for the breed and always get tests done - one makes enough money from the sale of the pups to cover the expense! And always have people waiting for the pups - far too many dogs being bred in the UK just now and far too many ending up in pounds and being killed because people don't want dogs in a recession.
Apologies for the rant - that particular bee will never leave my bonnet :excited:
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Right, thanks Doganjo. Can see that may help ..... just important I suppose to find a reliable scanner if it's going to be of use.
Dad only bred about 3 litters all the time he worked/showed dogs but remember they were only allowed to eat a couple of afterbirths .... not looked into breeding lately so don't know if the theory is current though.
Dad always had the relevant health tests on his bitches/dogs but couldn't believe how many tests labs have these days :o . Thought it was just hips, eyes and elbows but our pups parents were DNA tested for things I'd never even heard of. Must try and look into them.
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I know a lot of dogs get either the bad runs or are sick when they eat too many after births but we could not stop Rhum, she is a rock solid stubborn but lovely dog and she never even had the runs after all that yukkkkkk.....we used to not let Islay eat too many though!!! We had the corn flour on hand and the cotton just incase the bitch is over enthusiastic about chewing off the cord, we had that with Islay and its scary but with a load of corn flour and tightly tied cotton, the bleed stopped. Don't forget the after care and take the bitch out for a wee with either a torch and on a lead between births, its good if there is some one else around to help! :thumbsup:
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Have a list of potential buyers of puppies so hopefully they will go to good forever homes. If any one on here is interested I can add to my list as not everyone who enquires will make the grade.
Skye has had all the health test relevant to her breed and we are hoping to have her rescanned about a week before the birth to see if any potential problems are in the offing. She is having her Cannine Herpes injection quite soon and have vet on standby. His words were I'll probably see you at 4.30 one morning. So :fc: for plain sailing.
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Cannine Herpes injection
that's a new one on me? I can understand it could effect pups eyes at birth but never crossed my mind!
You will be fine, most dogs/owners are....I had the vets number on my mobile and in big bold letters on the board in the dogs room..
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Do you let them chew the cord or cut yourself?
....... now I'm getting excited. ;D
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There are loads of us with experience of whelping, I did cut some cords at first but they are tough and found that my Chocolate Lab does them quickly herself......its best to pinch the cord between your fingers for a start then do not cut too near to the pup, there are loads of videos showing you this on you tube as its more difficult to explain than to do, the thing that I try to do ASAP is get the sack away from the pups face, that's critical so I do put my fingers in to tear that!
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I thought I remembered cutting the cords but it's been a long time. Interested to learn what's considered best to do now ..... opinions have probably changed as with lots of things.
Didn't know about herpes injection.
How long before they are covered are they given a parvo injection?
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Cannine Herpes injection
that's a new one on me? I can understand it could effect pups eyes at birth but never crossed my mind!
You will be fine, most dogs/owners are....I had the vets number on my mobile and in big bold letters on the board in the dogs room..
All the breeders I know test and vaccinate prior to mating. It's very common. If you don't know about it you should,find out before you breed again. A friend of a friend lost three pups out of six from this. They just died one by one.. PM on all three showed CHV
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I thought I remembered cutting the cords but it's been a long time. Interested to learn what's considered best to do now ..... opinions have probably changed as with lots of things.
Didn't know about herpes injection.
How long before they are covered are they given a parvo injection?
I have never cut cords, but I use plastic clips (bag closure type things in packets - various colours) - clip onto teh cord about 3 inches from the puppy then let the bitch chew but keep an eye on her so she don't go any further. A number of years ago I had one bitch i couldn't get a hold of (before I started using this method) who turned her back on me and I couldn't get to the puppy - she ate all it's innards so I had to kill the wee soul.
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Oh Doganjo that must have been distressing. What is the purpose of clipping? Is it just to try and encourage the bitch not to chew too close to pup and prevent injury/hernias or is there another reason.
Just read about the herpes infection - sounds nasty. :( Not such a problem for older dogs just whelping then.
My pups breeder talked about injections the bitch had been given. Thought he mentioned parvo being given at a certain time in order that pups had maximum protection.
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Oh Doganjo that must have been distressing. What is the purpose of clipping? Is it just to try and encourage the bitch not to chew too close to pup and prevent injury/hernias or is there another reason.
Just read about the herpes infection - sounds nasty. :( Not such a problem for older dogs just whelping then.
My pups breeder talked about injections the bitch had been given. Thought he mentioned parvo being given at a certain time in order that pups had maximum protection.
I put the clips on to stop the bitch chewing the cord too short, or tugging, and as a direct consequence of that incident. Never want to repeat that! :'( :'( :'( If you try to cut or tear the cord yourself or the bitch does then the risk of hernia is increased.
Your bitch should already be protected against parvo and that immunity will be passed on to her pups but only for a certain length of time. So make sure she is kept away from any other dogs while you have them, and not walked where other dogs have been. I keep my bitches at home for the first few weeks after whelping, and my other dogs too, but I have enough ground for that. Plus I give them mental stimuli so they don't need so much physical exercise. I would check with your vet whether it is safe to give her any injections at all while she is in whelp. Personally I prefer to have everything dealt with before mating - health tests, vaccinations, worming etc.
Unfortunately, I no longer have any breeding bitches and I wouldn't breed in this economic climate anyway. Perhaps I will in the future, but it will be at least 3 years from now, more likely to be more than that, depending on when I can find a bitch pup with my own lines.
You shouldn't need your vet - most whelpings go by the book, but have his number to hand just in case.
I well remember the night Sandy had her first lab litter, She called me about 11.30 pm I think - I was there helping for 4 hours till the first 6 or so were born! Was it Christmas time? :thinking: It was a long night - but so exciting :excited: , and not a breed I had whelped before, Islay was so good - good luck with yours. Be prepared and enjoy it. Sandy has whelped three or is it four litters now so quite experienced.
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I thought I remembered cutting the cords but it's been a long time. Interested to learn what's considered best to do now ..... opinions have probably changed as with lots of things.
Didn't know about herpes injection.
How long before they are covered are they given a parvo injection?
I have never cut cords, but I use plastic clips (bag closure type things in packets - various colours) - clip onto teh cord about 3 inches from the puppy then let the bitch chew but keep an eye on her so she don't go any further. A number of years ago I had one bitch i couldn't get a hold of (before I started using this method) who turned her back on me and I couldn't get to the puppy - she ate all it's innards so I had to kill the wee soul.
I was thinking of getting some of the clips for the cords. How long do they have to be kept on the puppy?
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I usually leave them on till the cord has almost dried up - a day or so is usually enough for the bitch to lose interest - she'll have other things on her mind like feeding them and keeping them clean.
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It's a lot easier with the sheep.
The cord tears and I then use iodine. The cord shrivels up in no time.
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Sheep don't try to break the cord though do they? Remember a lamb is sentient and active from birth - a puppy isn't.
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I am sure you did not mean 3 inches as that's one hell of a long cord :innocent:
have never cut cords, but I use plastic clips (bag closure type things in packets - various colours) - clip onto teh cord about 3 inches from the puppy then let the bitch chew but keep an eye on her so she don't go any further
I have only cut one or two and that was with Isaly as she had a big litter, I know some people use dental floss or cotton thread, I used cotton thread on one occasion, holding the cord between your fingers soon stops the blood flow I would say around a bit less than an inch away from the pup.......they soon dry up!! I did have some clamps that could lock on like scissors, I must have thrown them away but did not need them again. I also offered our bitches goats milk while having a break from contractions and make sure they get to the toilet but be aware then can drop a pup, never happened with us but we have a good safe well lit yard.
Anne did tell me to give the bitch some calcium tablets after the birth of the pups, this is very important, especially after a big litter. Keep up the calcium tablets until the pups are weaned at least....
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Just ordinary calcium tablets or a doggie type?
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I am sure you did not mean 3 inches as that's one hell of a long cord
No of course I didn't!!! ::) - centimeteres - sorry, you and i should read our posts before submitting shouldn't we :innocent: the equivalent of your one inch! The cords and the pups are so slippery even with squares of toweling, that I prefer the clips - quick and easy.
I have calcichew D tablets for myself and I used to give Belle one of these a day a few days before and a week or so after whelping. Lack of calcium can cause eclampsia. (milk fever) but pregnant bitches fed correctly may not need calcium supplementation. The symptoms of eclampsia come on suddenly and progress quickly and need vet intervention if it happens. The symptoms to watch for are restlessness and anxiety; a little disoriented, sometiems panting and drooling. But this is a worst case scenario, so just make sure she has good quality food throughout and she'll be fine.