 | ||
 | | |
"Where happy Butterflies work: | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
The following article was written by Wendy Rios, Trinket Papillons, in response to an on-line discussion - and the huge considerations of time, energy, money, patience, dedication and strength it takes to be a breeder. Printed with Wendy's kind permission, here is her response to: "Breeding for Love"
What do I tell callers inquiring about Pap puppies?
Do I have my whelping kit together and everything I need in it?
Her nesting instincts have started, she is digging furiously trying to prepare for her litter. I pray she'll have an easy time and the pups will be happy, healthy and want to nurse. Will she produce enough milk? Will she be patient with this litter and able to take care of them or will I need to step in with feeding and cleaning every two hours. Where's my notepad, I have to write down when her contractions started. It's ok, babe, I'll stay with you rubbing your tummy holding your paw until you get through this. Oh, babe, don't shriek, those contractions are necessary to help push that baby pup out. I wonder how long this is going to take? My back hurts already and it's only been 4 hours since she started. It's been two hours since her first strong contractions, do I need to call the vet? Is the first one too big to pass through? Be patient, don't worry, encourage her to push. It's coming out! Wait, this one is big! I have to use some olive oil and smear around it's head. I have to work my finger in under her tissue and help stretch it over the pup's head, careful, careful, I don't want to hurt her or the pup. Finally I have worked the head free, the rest should follow soon. Come on contraction, let's get that pup out of there, It needs to start breathing. Please don't be so sloooow! Finally it is out. Yes, mom it's your baby. Let me try to clamp it. Push him out a little further mom, I can't get to the cord. Great, the pup is out. Let me clamp the cord. Now, where's that sack? Here it is. Ok, don't chew the cord so close, stop! Ok, mom, you can eat this placenta, but no more. They give you horrible diahreah. There you go. Ok, mom step back a bit something isn't right. The pup must have swallowed fluid. I suction the mouth with a bulb syringe. I hear a raspy breath. I see bubbles coming out of the nostrils. I need to shake the pup down, it's ok mom. I swing the pup to force fluid out of the lungs. I do this several times until I hear no more rasping or bubbles. I hope I got it all, I hope the pup's ok. Let's check out your sex, people calling in for pets often want females, if I have all males will I be able to find good homes? Let's weigh you in. 4 ounces, my you are a big guy! Let's see if I can get you nursing. Here's a teat. That's right open your mouth, no open your mouth and suck. There you go. One down, how many more to go. Will I be up all night?
Boy I am tired, do I have time to lie down on the cot in the whelping room, or will I fall asleep. Do I have time to go out to the bathroom, or do I need to wait here where I might be needed? Multiply the above paragraph by 2, 3 or 4, however many pups there are. Don't forget to multiply the worry as well as mom tires of the long ordeal and it is now 3-4 am! Fast forward to 2 days later. Oh no, I have been weighing and charting the pups twice a day since they have been born. This pup is not maintaining his weight like his siblings, he's down to 1.8 ounces! I need to tube feed him every 3 hours I shove a tube down his throat to his stomach to insert formula via a syringe. What mixture should I use? How much should I give? Hope I measured the length of the tube right! Is the tube going down his throat? I don't want to get it into his lungs! I hate this, I wonder how long he'll need tube feeding until his sucking instincts kick in or he is strong enough to suck. Fast forward to day 4. I need to get these guys in to the vets to remove dew claws. I hope they don't pick up any nasties there. I hope they don't get too stressed and crash when we get home. I wonder if I should take the little guy yet, or wait. He's still not doing very well. I am still tubing him. Let's wait on that guy. I hope I can keep them warm until we get to the vets, a chilled pup is a dead pup. Fast forward to 4 weeks. OK, they are old enough now, I need to move them into the family room area. They need to find out what living in a home is like. They need exposed to noises and more people. Hope my family and friends are up to this. Ok, you might get a part of the picture. I may need to add a part 2 for all the work in socializing. All the work in cleaning up after however many pups you have. All the work taking care of mom and making sure she doesn't get mastitis and her milk is good. Weaning the pups. etc..... I am leaving out a lot here, because quite frankly just telling some of it is making me tired! <G> Finally the toughest questions of all, after 5-6 months of taking care of the pups and spaying or neutering them.
I didn't even go into my trips to the vet in the middle of the night for oxytocin and calcium shots to help start contractions again. I didn't even hit on c-sections or the anxious moments while you are working hard to revive those last ones out that have spent the most time under the influence of mom's sedation. I did not tackle the emotional lows of having a stillborn or worse yet a seemingly healthy pup that dies a few days after birth or of having to help family members also deal with that. I didn't tackle the scary minutes that tick away when a pup crashes with low blood sugar during the weaning time when they are so full of life and joy one minute playing to beat the band and then their sugar level drops dangerously low. If they don't get help immediately they die. I worry until my pups get to be at least 2 pounds which might not be until they are 3 months old or more. Then there are the tears that follow when a pup leaves home to go to their hopefully forever home. I grieve their loss for weeks. There is, of course, a flip side. If you feel you can deal with all of the above. The whelping of a puppy is a miracle. I do enjoy breeding and competing in the ring. I was raised on a farm and come from a long line of farmers who took animal husbandry seriously. It just might be in my blood. Wendy Rios, | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
 | ||||||||||
All photographs on this site are copyrighted to the photographer, even if they do not contain a copyright logo. All articles contained herein are used with permission of the authors. Website © Firerose Papillons, 1999 - 2007, all rights reserved. | ||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | |