Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:58 am Post subject: Tips, advice, things to be aware of - whelping for 1st timer
Long story short - The outlaws are off on a cruise, their Border Terrorist is due to whelp 5th August and I've been asked to go down and look after her for the preceding 2 weeks and over the whelping time till the outlaws are back. For various reasons the cruise could not be cancelled or rearranged.
My questions at the moment are -
How will having Scrumps in the same house affect the BT whilst she's whelping (first litter) they are good friends but would I be better off putting Scrumps into a kennel so as not to upset the BT - have horrendous vision of the puppies being hurt/killed if the BT feels in any way threatened
The MIL wants to use a large cardboard box lined with plastic sheeting as the whelping box, my instinct is that a) the sheeting is liable to get torn fairly quickly and the base soaked through and b) the BT is probably going to whelp where she feels safest i.e. on their bed or under it. Is the box fine or should I be thinking about building a proper whelping box and putting it in their bedroom which is where she goes if she feels unsure, ill, tired or threatened?
Have ordered "The Book of the Bitch" so will know it off by heart by the start of August but knowing a little bit about the situation, what else do I need to be thinking about, be aware of, get sorted now? I have never seen a whelping and neither has the MIL so we know nothing and all the books in the world are no match for real life experience so any and all advice welcome.
For those who will inevitably be quick to judge, I reiterate that the situation is far from ideal but it can't be changed/helped.
About to answer your questions but I have a sheet on whelping and FAQ's etc, would you like me to email it to you just incase its useful? Either drop me a Pm with your email or just email me at wylanbriarlabs@aol.com and can reply immediately on it.
Di
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The boys!
Read: Wylanbriar Dog Blog on the website: Updated! 1st February 12´!
" How will having Scrumps in the same house affect the BT whilst she's whelping (first litter) they are good friends but would I be better off putting Scrumps into a kennel so as not to upset the BT - have horrendous vision of the puppies being hurt/killed if the BT feels in any way threatened "
I have never whelped a border terrier. I have whelped two Jack Russells. Their reaction wasn't hugely different to stress than any other breed I have whelped. So for me, I keep the in labour bitch with company until she REALLY starts puffing very heavily, otherwise because first stage labour can be 2 - 24 hours or even more shutting away becomes inpractical in a multiple dog household. Then when she really starts obvious distress or real 'action' the other dog/dogs are shut away until its over if practical and certainly even if its a marathon whelping SHE doesn't
see them till its WELL over and cleaned up and settled and she has eaten and had a sleep with them. If its a small house outside would be good. If its a large one just well away from the action is usually fine with access to outside for a wee through a door that is not past the whelping bitch.
" The MIL wants to use a large cardboard box lined with plastic sheeting as the whelping box, my instinct is that a) the sheeting is liable to get torn fairly quickly and the base soaked through and b) the BT is probably going to whelp where she feels safest i.e. on their bed or under it. Is the box fine or should I be thinking about building a proper whelping box and putting it in their bedroom which is where she goes if she feels unsure, ill, tired or threatened? "
I have always felt bitches are better if their whelping box is where they usually spend a lot of time. My bitches sleep outside kenneled but thats not a possibility for me but they spend a lot of time in the kitchen so the whelping box is in the kitchen. The only real golden rule is cite the whelping box somewhere where a secondry source of heat is available such a radiator or an oven for the days when you don't want heat pads and stuff on but need the temp boosted. And somewhere where she is familiar. too many save a conservatory or the utility room or a porch or a spare bedroom and if they bitch isn't there regularly day to day in nomral life she feels 'banished'.
I would go for a proper whelping box every time. The large cardboard box idea is OK but yes the plastic sheeting will get rucked up like crazy if loose, and if tacked down will just rip if she gets her clasws digging into it. they dig a lot during labour and then a lot in the first few days after in most cases as their womb contracts because down again so it willl need to be up to 'taking that'.
Good luck
Di
____________
The boys!
Read: Wylanbriar Dog Blog on the website: Updated! 1st February 12´!
You have my deepest sympathy as we also had an unexpected whelping to contend with and no previous experience to draw on !
From my very, very limited experience I am very glad my OH built a whelping box from an old wardrobe. Lorna dug and dug before, during and after an awful lot and a cardboard box wouldn't have lasted the first hour ! A whelping box is also ideal for looking after the little pups after they're born and will keep them safe and allow Mum to jump in and out as she needs to. It will keep them out of draughts too which Lorna's pups were very sensitive to for the first few weeks.
Lorna did whelp in a room she wasn't really used to, but I did sleep in there with her for five days before the pups arrived so she was relatively comfortable with the space in the end. We had a child gate to keep the other dogs away from her after the pups were born and I kept them out of view/earshot whilst she was giving birth.
Do you/your MIL have a list of things to have ready ? Things like newspapers, vet bed, puppy milk/bottles (in case mum can't feed them), glucose, nutridrops etc. etc ?
I have so little experience but willing to share everything/anything I learned. Have a look on youtube for whelping vids to start you off.
No tips but last week, I was fortunate enough to be assistant midwife to a first time BT whelping a few days ago. The bitch had enjoyed the companionship of the other housedogs until labour was established, enjoying a waddle up the drive with the resident German Shepherd and one other BT.
My friend gave the pups a jolly good rub with towels on birth, tiny they maybe but they're also pretty hardy.
Since whelping, the other dogs walk thorugh the same room to go outside which doesn't seem to bother the bitch who has her whelping bed with a puppy pen around to prevent close contact and th enew mum seems very content with the whole situation.
Good luck I found the whole experience amazing and will be taking full enjoyment with puppy sitting over the next couple of months, hurrah
From a first timer. I'd go with Di's suggestion of getting a proper whelping box. Much easier to clean once all the mess is over with. Make sure you have a good heat source, we have radiators AND heatpad and lamp in the room Wispa whelped in. Make sure you have plenty of towels to rub down with. It does get messy.
When she starts, you might (will?) need to help her. With Wispa the pups were out and then I had to break the sack, rub the pup down, and made sure it went straight to the milk bar for a quick feed. With us, when you think it's over, it may not be. Wispa gave birth to her last pup 4 and half hours after we thought she had finished. Because we weren't watching, we lost this one. Now it may have been stillborn, but because we missed it, we'll never know. However we have 8 gorgeous puppies. So just keep an eye on her. You may not get a lot of sleep but it's well worth the experience.
My best bit of advise is to find someone who has been there and done it before. Ask them if you can call them ANYTIME for advise during the whelp. For me I had 2 people to call, and Di was an absolute god send with her help and advise by email and text.
be guided by how the border terrier reacts to your dog - she is likely to be defensive. Our girl Molly, for both of her litters wouldnt have her "roomies" anywhere near her when she was in established labour or after the pups were born as she would quite literally fly out of the box to protect her puppies!
The advice in Di's sheets are written from experience and I think are far better written than the book of the bitch.
Make sure the vet knows she is due to whelp and find out if you can phone them anytime for further advice during the night-time (as invariably they whelp at night).
The most important thing for any whelping is to ensure you keep notes on the timings and if necessary take the bitch for a walk in the garden to get things going (or a little drive in the car) keeping a torch with you aimed at her rear-end at all times.
My most useful items in my kit were:
Flannels for rubbing puppies with.
Dopram incase you need to resuscitate a pup
Umbilical clamp in case you need to intervene and put a clamp on a pup. (a good just incase item as it gives great reassurance).
Glucose tablets or powder (to help keep energy up for the bitch)
You will need whelpi (milk powder), little nail clippers, weighing scales (some breeders weigh pups and some dont), goats milk for the bitch (watered down), nutridrops are essential as a pick me up for the puppies, nutriplus gel to keep the bitch up to speed on nutrition as it is a full time job keeping her fed once the puppies are born!, sterilising solution, feeding bottles.
I do reccommend getting a proper whelping box as it needs to last a long time! Lots of newspaper too!
Vet bedding for after the birth.
Bin liners to be kept handy for removing soiled newspapers.
I used a heat pad but had it on a timer. The timer was implemented when the pups were about two weeks old (on for 45mins and off for 15mins and so on!)
Im sure there are other things you will need but cant think of them for now!
Good luck
Heidi
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I'm going to put a list together today and email it to my MIL who hasn't done anything yet for the whelping apart from the box, plastic sheeting and vet bed. I've got to be very tactful as the cruise isn't being taken under the happiest of circumstances and I do not want to upset her any more than she already is.
My OH is going to build a whelping box when they've left and anything else we need to sort out can be done in the two weeks before the due date. The bedroom is on the ground floor and tucked away so it'll be easy to keep Scrumps out of sight for the first 24 hours.
Thank you for your stories and advice, I am pretty nervous about doing this but will do my very best for little Sadie. Added incentive is that I get first choice of the pups as a friend for Scrumps which I'm very pleased about as Sadie is a cracking little dog and the sire is superb as well.
Another question that might seem a little odd........how "bad" does the whelping process smell? I've got morning sickness that is showing no signs of abating at 4 months and certain smells trigger it. If it does smell "bad" then I'll pop to the Dr and get an anti sickness pill as the last thing Sadie will need is me throwing up.
Sounds like your family have a lot to contend with at the moment so well done for helping out. I'm sure you'll be OK, if I can do it then you certainly can too.
Lorna whelped on newspaper and we scooped it out and changed it when it was soaked. I had an enclosed bin for the used papers lined with a bag which helped contain smells too.
Lorna cleaned all the puppies and ate all the sacs etc. - from what I remember there is a smell of blood, though not anything I could describe as overly unpleasant.
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I found the whole experience amazing and will be taking full enjoyment with puppy sitting over the next couple of months, hurrah 
