born

0

What To Expect When Your Dog Is Expecting

Posted on by admin

Are you getting ready for your dog to have puppies? Having a litter of pups sounds like a lot of fun, but there is much work involved. Here are some tips on how to get your dog and you ready for birth.

The first thing to know is that your dog will be pregnant on average for 63 days. This is not very much time so make sure you are ready.

You will want to make sure that you are feeding your pregnant dog appropriately. Your dog will need to eat more than usual and you may want to transition to a growth type food or puppy food during the pregnancy. You should do this by decreasing the amount of regular food you give your dog each day while increasing the amount of new food. It’s best if you do this over the course of about a week to help prevent loose stool.

Check with your veterinarian to see what is appropriate for diet. Make sure to feed your dog a high quality diet. You do not need to supplement the diet with vitamins unless it is recommended by your veterinarian. Always follow their recommendations. Your dog may experience symptoms similar to human morning sickness around the third week of pregnancy. If this lasts longer than one week, take your dog to the veterinarian to see if there are any underlying problems.

You will want to continue regular walks with your dog during the pregnancy. It is important to get some exercise, but if you have a working dog or do sports with your dog, you will want to discontinue these until after the puppies are weaned. However, three weeks prior to delivery, you will want to isolate your pregnant dog from all other dogs. This must continue until at the very least, three weeks after the puppies are born. There are infectious diseases carried by unvaccinated dogs that may not be very harmful to adult dogs but can be fatal to puppies.

If your dog is due for vaccination during the pregnancy, hold off on this until after the puppies are weaned. Vaccination during pregnancy can be harmful to the fetuses. Ideally, you will want to have your dog vaccinated just prior to breeding.

When getting ready to deliver, make sure to provide a comfortable place for whelping and raising the puppies. It should be somewhere where your dog can come and go, but the puppies are confined to.

When it is time to deliver, your dog’s body temperature will drop slightly. You can monitor this with a rectal thermometer. Normal canine temperature is between 100-102 degrees. When it drops below 100 degrees, you can usually expect labor in 24 hours. When your dog starts to go into labor, she will become restless and may pant, shiver, or vomit. This is normal. Make sure to provide fresh water to her at all times. This stage of labor may last up to 12 hours. When she begins to deliver the pups, they will be covered with a thin membrane which must be cleared away. The mother should do this herself, but should she neglect to do this, you will need to clear it away or the pup will suffocate. You will need to tie the umbilical cords in a knot and cut them above the knot. Pups will come about one per hour with up to half an hour of straining in between deliveries. It is not unusual for your dog to take a break of a few hours during delivery.

You will need to call your veterinarian if your dog does not deliver within one day of her temperature drop, she is straining to deliver for more than an hour, takes more than a four hour break between pups, seems to be in great pain, or has been pregnant for more than 70 days. Some breeds require cesarean sections so make sure to discuss this with your doctor prior to delivery. If you feel that anything else unusual is occurring, contact your veterinarian immediately.

It is always important to discuss all of your concerns and what to expect with your veterinarian prior to delivery.

What To Expect When Your Dog Is Expecting courtesy Dog Articles.

Looking for a great gift idea? Who wouldn’t love a cutting board showcasing their favorite breed? Check out all of the great doggie gift ideas on Amazon.com –doggieoftheday@amazon.com

0

Helping The Mother Dog Give Birth

Posted on by admin

Sometimes you may have to assist the mother while she is giving birth.  Puppies are usually delivered head first in a diving position while some are born tail and hind legs first.  If the mother is having a hard time with the delivery, you can help her by gently pulling out the exposed puppy as she restrains.  However, if only the legs are out, call the vet immediately for advice.  If the mother does not lick the newborn puppy, you will need to remove the membrane from his face and clear the fluid from his nose and mouth.  Rub the newborn puppy vigorously with a towel in order to stimulate his first breath.  Do not handle the newborn puppy more than what is necessary.

Helping a weak puppy after delivery

Once the puppy has been cleaned, check to make sure that he is breathing properly.  If he looks normal but appears weak or lifeless, gently but firmly massage him with a towel, particularly around the head and the chest.  A puppy that stays in the birth canal for a long period of time results in a lack of oxygen to the brain.

If he is still not breathing after you are finished rubbing him with a towel, suspend him by his hind legs for a few seconds to allow the fluids to drain from the air passages.  Gently shake him while keeping a secure grip on his hind legs.  This should stimulate him to start breathing.  Once the puppy is breathing, keep him warm and comfortable by wrapping him in a towel until the mother has finished giving birth.  When the whelping has finished, show the weak puppy to his mother and make sure that he finds a productive nipple.  Observe him for a few days to ensure that he is not bullied by stronger puppies in the litter.

The mother normally chews through the umbilical cord.  If she does not, you can tie off the cord using a thread about 2 inches from the puppy’s belly and then cut it on the opposite side of the knot, away from the puppy.  Be very careful when doing this and do not pull on the umbilical cord.

Sometimes the mother may reject the puppy if it is taken away.  In this case, bring the puppy to her and allow her to lick him and then place him where he can suckle.

Helping The Mother Dog Give Birth courtesy Dog Articles.

Looking for a great gift idea? Who wouldn’t love a cute holiday tote showcasing their favorite breed? Check out all of the great doggie gift ideas on Amazon.com –doggieoftheday@amazon.com

0

How To Choose A Dog That Will Make You Happy!

Posted on by admin

If you choose a purebred puppy- and there are hundreds of breeds to choose from – you’ll know ahead of time how your puppy is going to turn out when he grows up. That’s the benefit of choosing a purebred as opposed to a mixed-breed or hybrid dog! You can find out before you even buy him: how much he’ll shed, how easy he’ll be to train, how much grooming he’ll require, whether he’s going to be a good watchdog or guard dog, how big he’s going to be, what he’s going to look like, how athletic he’ll be, and how he’s going to behave. Of course, every dog has it’s own unique personality and behavioral quirks. But in general, all dogs of a particular breed will grow up to act and behave like the other dogs of that breed. For example, you know that a German Shepherd puppy is going to grow up into a dog that striking in appearance, very easy to train, eager-to-please, athletic, protective, and intelligent: like all German Shepherd dogs are. Purebred dogs are man-made.

They wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for us. Pugs, Border Collies, Yorkies – every breed – wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for us humans creating them. To create a new breed someone decides what characteristics they want the breed to have. Then they only breed dogs together who have those characteristics. Lots of inbreeding then takes place. After years of selective breeding (breeding out the undesirable characteristics) and inbreeding a new “breed” is born. And when you breed dogs of that new breed together they produce puppies who grow up to be the same as the parents.

As I mentioned above the benefit of choosing a purebred puppy is that you know how your dog is going to turn out — in advance — even before he’s born. So assuming you’re going to purchase or adopt a purebred puppy or dog, here are some of the things to consider about the many different breeds: Shedding All dog breeds shed hair. They all shed different amounts of hair. Some breeds shed virtually no hair, some shed quite a lot, and some shed a lot of hair! If it bothers you finding loose hairs stuck to everything in your home then choose a low-shedding breed. Ease of Training Some breeds are easier to train than others because they learn training commands faster.

The easier the dog is to train the less time and patience you need to train him. If you want a dog who learns your commands quickly choose a breed that is easy to train. Grooming How much time you need to spend grooming your dog depends on the length of the coat and how much the coat sheds. If the dog breed you’re considering has a long coat you’ll need to either clip it short, or brush it often. If the dog breed you’re considering sheds lot of hair you might find yourself brushing the coat every day to remove the dead hair. Because what you remove with a brush doesn’t end up in the house! Want a Jogging Companion? Some breeds were made to be athletic and posses great stamina. If you want a dog who can accompany you on long walks, hikes, jogs and rides then you should choose one of these breeds.

Good With Children Pretty much all breeds are great with children. Thousands of people have small children and own Rottweiler, Pit Bulls, and other more aggressive dogs and they never have any problems at all. These owners will tell you that their dogs are the sweetest and most gentle dogs on earth. And it’s true. However, which dog has the ability to do more damage to a small child: a Pit Bull or a Pug? Obviously it’s the Pit Bull. So if you want to play it safe choose a breed who doesn’t really have the ability to harm a child or one who doesn’t have a bad reputation. And always supervise very small children and babies around the dog! Small children could inadvertently tease the dog and he could snap at them. Guard Dog or Watchdog Some breeds like German Shepherds and Rottweilers make excellent guard dogs.

They’re naturally very protective and suspicious of strangers. They have the ability to intimidate and deter an intruder. On the other hand, some breeds are just good at keeping watch and raising the alarm. And some little dogs have such a loud, deep bark they can even scare and intruder away. Size When choosing a breed consider size. Small dogs are make training easier because you can control them a lot easier than a big, strong and powerful dog. The small breeds also make less mess, and they coast less to care for.

How To Choose A Dog That Will Make You Happy courtesy of Dog Articles.

Looking for a great gift idea? Who wouldn’t love a set of coasters showcasing their favorite breed? Check out all of the great doggie gift ideas on Amazon.com –doggieoftheday@amazon.com