It's great that you've been reading and preparing yourself to help her. Sometimes they can be slow to open the sac and the puppy can die in it. I do the cords my self because my mom can get over zealous eating the placenta down to the cord, I'm afraid she'll disembowel a puppy. I only want her to eat about one placenta also. They offer good nutrition and help the uterus contract, but causes the blackest of diarrhea. Depending on where you live from your vet, After about 1 hour of hard labor (contracting, pushing hard) you'll need to call or bring her to the vet. Some wait 1 1/2 hours to 2 based on experiences and past experiences with the bitch. It can slow down in between puppies, don't let that alarm you. Mom can take a nap for a few hours possibly, I've heard. I've had 2 1/2 breaks in between puppies. As long as she's not in hard labor it's okay. If you see green (placenta) before the puppy, that's a sign of the placenta seperating and you'll need to call your vet. Vanilla ice cream (good for contractions and sugar) and nutrical are good for mom during whelping. Hope this helps a little, Good luck. Post over at the Breeders section if you need anything during/before the whelping.
Susan |