Happy Birthday!
Seger and the gang at 8:45am
Total count:
4 liver girls
3 liver boys
2 black girls
2 black boys
You may notice I'm not being as chatty with this puppy diary. ;-) I'm trying to encourage you all to buy my book! (hint-hint!)
The links are set up for the various weeks, but if you skip ahead, they are just blank pages. Heck, I have to set them all up ahead of time. Once the pups are here, they take all my time! :-)
The outside world smells like feet...
Fading puppy syndrome is something all breeders fear. Fading puppy is not a diagnosis, it is a description. Some puppies, despite adequate feed, do not
thrive and as a result grow poorly. The common term describes the symptoms, rather than an actual or separate disease. Besides Fading Puppy Syndrome,
puppies may die due to developmental problems in the uterus such as a malformed heart or
other anomalies. These puppies we cannot help. We may be able to keep them going for a few
days, but they will eventually die. Puppies may die due to infections. Herpes virus is one such infection. We prevent this with
proper management of the bitch, the kennel and our show, training and social activities. Unbilical
cord infection leading to septicemia is another source of infection for puppies. Proper treatment of
the cord at birth, coupled with good sanitation -- keeping the bitch, the box and the puppies
scrupulously clean -- will prevent this problem. The greatest infectious risk to the puppies comes from an E. coli infection in the vagina of the
bitch. If a puppy doesn't get
colostrum, (first milk from the bitch) it will be much more susceptible to infections.
I use fleece liners for the box. This wicks moisture away, and provides good traction for the pups. You can buy the shurpa or fake lambskin pads through a dog
supply catalog. I have also purchased yards of fake craft fur from the fabric store when it goes on sale. I have ended up with some funky looking cow prints and
zebra stripes! But they all work real well. Under the liner, I put a piece of foam padding. I got a large roll of the cheapest carpet pad they make. This way I can
cut off a new chunk every day, and discard the old one. In the picture below, you can see the heat lamp I use to keep the whelping area warm. To remain healthy, puppies must be kept at the proper ambient temperature.
Young puppies cannot conserve body heat or shiver to create heat. When a puppy is chilled it cannot digest food, and will die. One of the major causes of neonatal
puppy death is due to chilling. The whelping area should be near 90 degrees for the first few days. The heat lamp allows me to warm one area of the whelping box,
and lets Seger get out from the direct heat. If the pups are too warm, they will lay spread out, panting. If they are too cool, they will huddle in a mass. I also use a
Lectro-kennel heated pad. This is different from a regular heating pad. It is designed for dog use, has a built-in thermostat, chew proof cord, and is water resistant.
A regular person heating pad can get too hot and burn the pups.
Morning chores. Every morning the whelping box has to be cleaned out. The best time to do this is while Seger is out for a potty break. 
There are many designs of whelping boxes. Most have pig rails, to prevent the new mom from squishing a pup against the side of the box.
The box I use has a removable frame, so I can tuck a whelping pad around the bottom, set the frame back on it, and the bitch can’t dig up the bedding and bury her
pups under it.
5:30 pm
8/4/2003 Day 2
Seger and I get up early this morning. While she is out, I change the whelping box liner,
scrub down the sides of the box, mop up the puppy room, and set a fan on high to quick dry it. Before I put the pups back in, I grab a quick weight to make sure they
are all gaining. If a puppy is not gaining, you have to find out why. Maybe the pup just gets pushed away from mom too much, or the pup could have a physical problem that prevents it from nursing effectively. (Cleft Palates or hair lips) If the whole litter isn't gaining, the bitch may not have enough milk. She should be checked several times a day for signs of mastitis. If a puppy needs supplemental feeding, you can use a commercial milk replacer, or a home made milk replacer recipe. You can either dropper feed, bottle feed, or only if you know what you are doing, tube feed the pup. Tube feeding is the easiest, cleanest and most efficient method of hand feeding. However, it requires proper equipment and technique to prevent putting milk replacer into the puppy's lungs.
Go to Day 3! (8/5/2003)
For information email me at:
Click on book above, or mail a check to:
Pictures of the family
$19.95 ($5.50 Shipping and Handling)
Cathy Lewandowski
8282 Soft Maple Road
Croghan NY 13327
Follow a litter of puppies from birthday until they go to their new homes. The diary contains lots of pictures, tips on puppy rearing, some breed specific information,
and lots of information on the care of any breed of dog.
I started doing an on-line puppy diary since many of the people that would be getting one of my pups would not be able to travel here to see the pups. I did not
want
to put a bunch of cute puppy pictures online, and encourage anyone to have a litter just because they wanted to see cute puppies! Breeding dogs, if done the right
way, is a lot of work. Lost sleep and sometimes heartache. It takes a lot of time, effort and money to raise a litter of puppies. Once I started doing The Puppy
Diary, I realized I had a captive audience. These people logged on every day to see the pictures, and read what was happening. I used this opportunity to cram as
much education into each day as I could. Health, Coat issues, grooming, feeding, socializing, vet care, puppy evaluations, shipping puppies.... you name it! I tried
to
put it in The Diary. It was suggested that I make it into a book. Well here it is! There are 560 pictures and over 300 pages of living with and watching one litter
grow up. I am sure may conscientious, caring breeders raise litters similar to the way I do. Its is a good look into the time, money, commitment it takes to
bring
up a litter of pups. Some of the things that go on behind the scenes, that the eventual puppies owners (family), never realize go into the litter.
Enjoy my litter as I see them. Day to day
Contents
Chapter One (Week One) ... Page 1
Seger comes into season
Happy Birthday!
Removing the Dewclaws
Start of the Bio Sensor program
Chapter Two (Week Two) ... Page 48
Coat issues.
Tail Gland Hyperplasia
Do Curlies Shed?
Chapter Three (Week Three) ... Page 94
End of Bio Sensor Exercises
Worming The puppies
Eyes are open
First pup escapes from the box
Chapter Four (Week Four) ... Page 130
Weaning. The great food fight!
Introduction to the puppy play room
Shark Cage
Chapter Five (Week Five) ... Page 156
Field dog? Show Dog? CPE?
Happy Mothers Day!
First Stacked pictures
Chapter Six (Week Six) ... Page 195
Toys! Toys! Toys!
What’s In A Name?
Kids and Dogs
Introduction to Wings
Chapter Seven (Week Seven) ... Page 236
About Puppies and Retrieving
Socialize your puppy
First Shots & Vet Visit
Splish Splash, first bath!
Chapter Eight (Week Eight) ... Page 286
Shape up or ship out!
Requirements to ship puppies
See all the pups!
This Site Created By SoftMaple Curlies
