If your dog has a swollen paw from a tight bandage, you are right to be concerned. A too tight bandage may cut off circulation leading to potentially serious complications. Veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Masucci shares information on dogs wearing bandages and the potential consequences from bandages that are too tight. Veterinarians suggest retiring bitches after 4 litters, while kennel clubs stop registering litters after 4 to 6 litters. This is because the genetic diversity of the breed decreases as the number of pregnancies increases.
If either the mother or her babies demonstrate signs of an inherited condition blindness, heart problems, hip dysplasia, thyroid disease it is time to stop breeding. Plus, dogs with conditions that can be aggravated by pregnancy should not be bred.
Common health issues that prevent a dog from breeding include diabetes, hip dysplasia and reproductive problems such as prolapsed vagina, eclampsia, distended uterus, uterine infections and inflammation of the mammary glands. If a dog experiences at least one complicated pregnancy it should be retired from breeding. This is because pregnancy-related complications tend to repeat. Common complications include miscarriages, C-sections and stalled labor and delivery.
The goal of breeding is to improve the breed itself. If the mother has undesirable characteristics, breeding her has no point since those characteristics will be passed on the offspring. This is not the most important factor, but it does need to be evaluated. If the female does not allow natural mating, her offspring may do the same. Breeding dogs is very rewarding but also very challenging experience.
The breeding business is time-consuming, responsible and costly. Everyday commercials, pet shows and magazine adds, suggest buying purebred dogs from stores and breeders. Sadly, they neglect to put light on the dark side of the dog industry. They also tend to cycle more quickly , which also makes them more likely to produce more litters than larger breeds.
Pregnancy usually lasts about 58 to 68 days in dogs. It can also be difficult to determine the exact time of conception, which can introduce a bit more wiggle room into this figure. But for most purposes, you can figure that your dog will be pregnant for about two months , or perhaps a bit longer. Of course, if you suspect or hope that your dog is pregnant, the best way to know for sure is to make a trip to the vet.
Most breeders recommend visiting the vet about two to three weeks following mating anyway. It is also possible to start visualizing the puppies via ultrasound around this time perhaps a few days later.
This will allow him or her to verify that there are puppies in her uterus. Rough handling of the developing babies may injure them or trigger a miscarriage. By day 45, your vet can X-ray the mother to see the developing babies. This will not only allow the vet to count the number of puppies present, but to inspect their bone structure and note any abnormalities. While most dogs are excellent mothers for their second, third and subsequent litters, first-time moms often have a bit of trouble figuring things out.
For example, dogs from breeds who typically produce litters of five puppies may only produce one or two for their first litter. This makes it much easier to keep an eye on everybody and nip problems in the bud. Large litters may seem like a beneficial adaptation for any species, but in practice, things are rarely so simple. For example, some animals — humans, elephants, and hippopotami are a few of the best examples — typically give birth to very small litters, consisting of one or two individuals.
These animals live long lives, have high survival rates and typically invest a lot of resources and effort into each offspring. At the other end of the spectrum, other mammals produce huge litters of tiny babies. For example, the tailless tenrec — a bizarre insect-eating mammal from Madagascar — usually gives birth to about 15 babies, but litters numbering more than 30 have been documented.
These animals have high mortality rates, live relatively short lives, and invest relatively few resources in each individual offspring. Dogs fall somewhere between these two ends of the spectrum, as the average litter size across all breeds is about five.
They invest a moderate amount of resources in each offspring and live moderately long lives. The various processes shaping litter size also influence the number of nipples that a species has.
As a general trend, the maximum litter size usually matches the total number of nipples present, yet the average litter size is usually about half of the number of nipples available. The one-half rule is pretty reliable for dogs too. Most dogs have eight to 10 nipples, and the average litter size is about five. But understand that this is a statistical correlation, not a way by which you can predict the number of puppies your individual dog will have. I once had a relatively small chocolate lab who produced a litter of 9 and a litter of 10, which proved to be quite the handful.
In those kinds of situations, puppy milk replacement formulas and feeding devices are pretty essential for keeping the full litter alive and not driving poor mom out of her mind. Tell us about your puppy litter experiences.
Have you ever had a dog that produced a huge litter? You should keep track of how many placentas are delivered and ensure that the number matches the number of puppies because a retained placenta may cause problems. You must take over if the bitch neglects to remove a sac or sever an umbilical cord. A puppy can remain inside the sac for only a few minutes before the oxygen supply is depleted.
The cut end should be painted with iodine to prevent infection. At the time of birth, the bitch will be busy cleaning her puppies, warming them, and allowing them to suckle.
It is very important for the puppies to suckle soon after emerging from the womb. Suckling lets them ingest colostrum, a milk-like substance containing maternal antibodies which is produced in the mammary glands just after birth. Colostrum helps the newborn puppies fight infection in their early days while their own immune systems mature. To track nourishment of the puppies, it is advisable to identify and weigh puppies during the first 2 weeks. Signs of potential trouble include:.
A newborn puppy cannot control its body temperature and must be kept in a warm environment. Chilling will stress the puppy and predispose it to infectious disease; overheating can kill it. The environmental temperature can be controlled with a well-insulated electric heating pad or a heat lamp.
But make sure the puppies have a cooler place to crawl to if they become too warm. The immediate environmental temperature should be kept between 85 and 90 degrees for the first five days of life. From the seventh to the tenth day, the temperature can be gradually reduced to 80 degrees; by the end of the fourth week it can be brought down to 75 degrees. The first milk produced by the bitch after whelping is called colostrum. Every puppy needs to ingest colostrum as early as possible after birth and certainly during the first 24 hours of life.
Colostrum contains a number of substances that are beneficial to the puppy, including immunoglobulins that protect newborns from the infectious diseases to which the mother is immune. For your nursing bitches, one thing to keep a look out for is canine mastitis. It is not that common, but you should be aware of it. Canine mastitis is a breast infection in bitches, usually occurring a few weeks after whelping.
Normally, the breasts of a lactating bitch are warm and enlarged. If the breasts seem to be red, dark, hot, or painful when touched, then you should contact your vet immediately. Advanced canine mastitis presents itself as a hard, hot and almost black breast segment, which is extremely painful for the bitch when touched. A bitch with canine mastitis may be running a fever, be listless, and may not eat.
Some bitches eat very little for the first day or two after whelping. Then their appetite and need for all nutrients rises sharply and peaks in about three weeks.
During this entire period, adequate calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin D must be fed to avoid the onset of eclampsia. Optimal amounts of these nutrients are already present in a high-quality diet so further supplementation is unnecessary. Eclampsia causes nervousness, whimpering, unsteady gait, and spasms. Although very serious, it is readily cured by prompt veterinary treatment.
After whelping, the bitch ideally should be about the same weight as when she was bred, but not more than 5 to 10 percent heavier. For three weeks after whelping, she will need two or three times more food than her normal maintenance diet to help her provide nourishing milk to her puppies. This food should be divided into three or four meals. The composition of the food should be the same as it was during the last third of her pregnancy; only the amount per day should change.
Newborn puppies must be hand fed if their mother is either unable or unwilling to nurse them. Remember that puppies grow very rapidly so make sure you weigh them every day before you calculate how much to feed them. You may need to start with slightly less formula at each feeding and gradually increase the amount as the puppy responds favorably to hand feeding. Steady weight gain and well-formed feces are the best evidence of satisfactory progress.
Diarrhea in newborns can be very dangerous so consult a veterinarian for advice. Never prepare more formula than is required for any one day because milk is a medium for bacterial growth. Maintain sanitary conditions at all times. Before feeding, warm the formula to about degrees or near body temperature. Using a bottle and nipple, hold the bottle at an angle to prevent air bubbles.
The hole in the nipple can be enlarged slightly with a hot needle to let the milk ooze out slowly when the bottle is inverted. The puppy should suck vigorously, but should not nurse too rapidly. Consult a veterinarian if the puppies are not nursing well. You may need to resort to tube feeding, which is best taught by a health professional. Newborn puppies must be stimulated to defecate and urinate after each feeding.
Gentle body massage is also beneficial for any hand-reared puppy. Massage stimulates the circulation and thoroughly awakens the puppy. One of your most important tasks as a breeder is to ensure that your litter is registered with the AKC. Registering the puppies creates a record of their place in the history of your breeding program and in the development of the breed. You should be able to provide the new owners with a registration application at the time the puppy is sold.
Therefore, it is essential that you apply to register your litter promptly after the puppies are born. There are two easy options for you to register your litter. You can register your litter online by going to Online Litter Registration. When you register your litter online, you can get your litter kit in as little as two to five business days.
Or you can download an application, fill it out, and send to the AKC. Registering your puppies with the AKC is another way to give your puppies a great start in life. Additionally, it confirms for your new puppy owners that you are a dedicated and responsible breeder. There are many rules of thought about weaning your puppies. Experienced breeders tend to use methods that work best for them and their respective breed. It is recommended that you contact your veterinarian to discuss a feeding regimen for your litter.
Most puppies begin the weaning process at about two to four weeks of age. As the puppies get older, most breeders start adding more food and decrease the amount of formula. To avoid digestive upsets, be sure to introduce all changes in food or feeding schedules gradually.
By this time you have learned everything you can about your breed, and you know all the pros and cons of ownership. You should be ready to explain why a dog requiring a lot of coat care or training may not be the best match for a workaholic, or why a tiny dog may not be appropriate for a family with small, active children. A responsible breeder makes sure that their puppies go to good homes.
Big litters can be dangerous to the mother dog dam due to delivery problems, especially in smaller dogs. Some of the puppies may be delivered stillborn, and the dam may become exhausted during delivery.
Reputable breeders want more puppies if they have a lineup of people wanting them. Dog owners may want more bundles of squirming puppy joy from their canine companion.
Humans have control over certain aspects of when and how a female dog is bred that can affect litter size, but there are limits. Artificially inseminated dams produce smaller litters than those impregnated naturally.
This is likely due to more sperm dying during collection and insemination.
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