HighRoller
05-11-2005, 04:57 PM
Costs before whelping
It obviously isn’t cheap to produce a litter of healthy puppies!
So far, costs include
hip, elbow, and knee x-rays as appropriate for the breed;
blood and DNA tests for various diseases as appropriate for the breed;
obedience classes to make sure Princess is well-socialized and is trainable;
a stud fee or promise of a puppy to the stud owner;
travel costs if the stud is some distance away;
fertility tests if desired;
x-ray or sonogram to see if the breeding was successful.
Beyond the financial costs are the emotional and ethical issues involved. Puppies are not craft projects or widgets, they are living creatures. Therefore, the decision to breed is a serious one involving not only proper care of the bitch but also puppy care and socialization; responsibility for placing each puppy in a good home; and help for puppy buyers who run into problems with health or training of their new family member. Breeders must also be prepared to take back any puppy that doesn’t work out, and to keep it or find it another home.
Whelping
Birth is a natural process, so many dogs are left on their own to bring puppies into the world under the bed, in the closet, or in a cardboard box. There’s no heat lamp to warm the puppies and no watchful midwife to monitor the progression of labor, make sure Sassy will clean the pups, and determine that the pups are breathing and nursing.
Responsible breeders mark the due date on the calendar and prepare a whelping area or box several days ahead of time. The whelping area should be large enough that Sassy can stretch out to nurse puppies, and not so large that the blind and deaf puppies will be unable to get to the milk bar.
The bitch’s temperature drops below 100 degrees within 24 hours of whelping, so breeders check temperature frequently as the due date nears. They also watch for dripping nipples, a sign that milk is filling the breasts.
Each puppy has its own placenta, which the bitch removes by licking that also stimulates the pup to breathe. Inexperienced bitches may need help to cut the umbilical cord, clean the pups, get them breathing, and make sure they begin to nurse, so breeders stand by with towels for cleaning and rubbing puppies and place them at a nipple to get started.
Puppies are usually born head first, but can be turned around in the birth canal. Breech puppies are harder to push out and bitches may tire while trying. Some breeders keep a uterine stimulant on hand to help with labor; others make a trip to the veterinary clinic for assistance. A normal whelping can go quickly with puppies arriving at half-hour intervals or can take several hours with as long as three or four hours between puppies.
Some time after all the puppies are born, the bitch will pass the afterbirth. If she does not get expel this tissue, she can become infected, leaving her litter to be tube fed until she is healthy.
It obviously isn’t cheap to produce a litter of healthy puppies!
So far, costs include
hip, elbow, and knee x-rays as appropriate for the breed;
blood and DNA tests for various diseases as appropriate for the breed;
obedience classes to make sure Princess is well-socialized and is trainable;
a stud fee or promise of a puppy to the stud owner;
travel costs if the stud is some distance away;
fertility tests if desired;
x-ray or sonogram to see if the breeding was successful.
Beyond the financial costs are the emotional and ethical issues involved. Puppies are not craft projects or widgets, they are living creatures. Therefore, the decision to breed is a serious one involving not only proper care of the bitch but also puppy care and socialization; responsibility for placing each puppy in a good home; and help for puppy buyers who run into problems with health or training of their new family member. Breeders must also be prepared to take back any puppy that doesn’t work out, and to keep it or find it another home.
Whelping
Birth is a natural process, so many dogs are left on their own to bring puppies into the world under the bed, in the closet, or in a cardboard box. There’s no heat lamp to warm the puppies and no watchful midwife to monitor the progression of labor, make sure Sassy will clean the pups, and determine that the pups are breathing and nursing.
Responsible breeders mark the due date on the calendar and prepare a whelping area or box several days ahead of time. The whelping area should be large enough that Sassy can stretch out to nurse puppies, and not so large that the blind and deaf puppies will be unable to get to the milk bar.
The bitch’s temperature drops below 100 degrees within 24 hours of whelping, so breeders check temperature frequently as the due date nears. They also watch for dripping nipples, a sign that milk is filling the breasts.
Each puppy has its own placenta, which the bitch removes by licking that also stimulates the pup to breathe. Inexperienced bitches may need help to cut the umbilical cord, clean the pups, get them breathing, and make sure they begin to nurse, so breeders stand by with towels for cleaning and rubbing puppies and place them at a nipple to get started.
Puppies are usually born head first, but can be turned around in the birth canal. Breech puppies are harder to push out and bitches may tire while trying. Some breeders keep a uterine stimulant on hand to help with labor; others make a trip to the veterinary clinic for assistance. A normal whelping can go quickly with puppies arriving at half-hour intervals or can take several hours with as long as three or four hours between puppies.
Some time after all the puppies are born, the bitch will pass the afterbirth. If she does not get expel this tissue, she can become infected, leaving her litter to be tube fed until she is healthy.